Sunday, February 22, 4:00 PM
Dr. Emery Stephens, Jr., baritone, Associate Professor of Voice,
Studies. Olaf College
with
Dr. Thomas Bandy, collaborative piano, Associate Professor of Vocal
Accompanying, Oberlin College
and
Trevor Kazarian, cello
Presenting music of Harry T. Burleigh, H. Leslie Adams, Hall Johnson,
Kurt Weill, Florence B. Price, Leonard Bernstein, Dorothy Rudd Moore,
G. F. Handel, and Rosephanye Powell.
The Boston Phoenix praised baritone Emery Stephens for singing “with ringing suavity and articulate intelligence.” His performances include collaborations with the Boston Art Song Society, Bridge Chamber Music Festival, Handel & Haydn Society, Abridged Opera of Ontario, Wilmington Symphony, Arbor Opera Theater, Michigan Philharmonic, Ann Arbor Symphony, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera New England, and the Detroit Jazz Festival. Notably, he participated in a revival of Dave Brubeck’s The Gates of Justice, sponsored by the Detroit Jazz Festival, alongside jazz pianist Jason Moran and his trio, The Bandwagon.
His research on Black composers’ works and their place in the classical canon for voice teachers and students appears in the Journal of Singing, Music Teachers National Association Journal, the Scholarship of Multicultural Teaching and Learning, and as a contributing author of So You Want to Sing Spirituals by Randye Jones, and a book Singing Down the Barriers: A Guide to Centering African American Song for Concert Performers with co-author Caroline Helton. He also served as a lecturer, vocal coach, and recital curator for the MN Duo Program in 2025.
Dr. Stephens grew up in Boston, holds a B.A. from Gordon College, an M.M. from Boston University, and a D.M.A. from the University of Michigan. He studied vocal techniques with Lisa Popeil and taught at universities in North Carolina, Michigan, and Arkansas. He is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and the College Music Society.
Cellist Trevor Kazarian, pianist Dr. Thomas Bandy, baritone Dr. Emery Stephens, and Music Director Dr. Abigail Haake celebrate the completion of a magnificent concert . The program featured numerous works by African American poets and composers
Click here for concert program
Click here to view the concert
Master Class Preceded Concert
Five high school and collegiate singers worked with Dr. Emery Stephens in a master class on Saturday, February 22. Students had the opportunity to sing a piece and receive feedback and a short vocal coaching with him.
