Drake Dantzler

Drake Dantzler is a Professor of Voice at Oakland University, where he coordinates the Opera Area and directs the university’s opera program. A leader in operatic training, production, and new work development, his work emphasizes contemporary approaches to opera, integrating modern dramaturgy, translation, and collaborative creation. Praised in Opera News as “a real find: he has a voice of molten silver, immaculate musicianship, and an expressive stage persona,” he maintains an active career as a performer of opera, operetta, oratorio, and art song.

His operatic roles include Gérald (Lakmé), Rodolfo (La Bohème), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Ernesto (Don Pasquale), and Count Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia). A noted operetta specialist, he has appeared as Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus), Camille (The Merry Widow), the Caliph (Kismet), René (The Count of Luxembourg), and the Duke of Dunstable (Patience), recorded on Albany Records. He has also performed extensively in Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire, including Frederick (The Pirates of Penzance) and Nanki-Poo (The Mikado).

Dr. Dantzler has appeared with companies and orchestras across the United States, including Central City Opera, Sarasota Opera, Toledo Opera, and Austin Lyric Opera. His concert work spans a wide range of repertoire, including Messiah, The Creation, Carmina Burana, and Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings, earning praise for vocal nuance, flexibility, and expressive range.

An active recitalist, he has performed across the United States as well as internationally in Austria and France. He collaborates with pianist Victoria Shively in programs focused on contemporary art song, including premieres such as Benjamin Fuhrman’s Needle Point for tenor, computer, and prepared piano.

In addition to his performance career, Dr. Dantzler is active in voice science and pedagogy, presenting at national conferences including the National Association of Teachers of Singing and The Voice Foundation Symposium, as well as internationally in Europe and Japan.

As a director and creator, he has developed new adaptations and translations of operatic works, including original English versions of The Magic Flute, The Impresario, and Alcina. His directing was recognized with 3rd Place in The American Prize for Operatic Directing.

As a teacher, Dr. Dantzler’s students have earned top honors in national competitions, including the NATS National Student Auditions and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and have been admitted to leading graduate programs and professional engagements across the country.

At Oakland University, he has directed over fifteen fully staged operas with orchestra, leading productions that range from canonical works such as Così fan tutte, Dialogues of the Carmelites, and Die Fledermaus to reimagined stagings, including a 1930s gangster-inspired L’incoronazione di Poppea, a 1970s beach setting for Così fan tutte, and a contemporary influencer-driven adaptation of Alcina.

He holds degrees from Vanderbilt University, the Eastman School of Music, and the University of Texas, where he earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree. 

Website: www.DrakeDantzler.com