Joshua May, lyric tenor, is an active performer of opera, oratorio, and art song. He has performed a variety of vocal repertoire and premiered works at such prestigious festivals and programs as the Atlantic Music Festival, Intermezzo Opera Festival, Halifax Summer Opera Festival, Contemporary Americana Festival, Opera in the Ozarks Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and more. He has performed over thirty operatic roles with recent national operatic engagements including "Rinucco" in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi as a guest artist with the Flint Institute of Music and Swartz Creek Performing Arts Center in Flint, MI, “Ferrando” in Mozart’s Così fan tutte with the North End Music and Performing Arts Center in Boston, MA, and “Il Duca di Matova” in Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Atlantic Music Festival, “Prince Paul” in La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein, a premier of Philip Martin’s The Family Plan as “Pietro” with both the Hartford Opera Theater and as a guest artist in performance at the Mark Twain House in Hartford, CT, “Male Chorus” in The Rape of Lucretia and  “Samuel Parris” in The Crucible. He has been praised  for his dynamic performances of  the Mozart operatic repertoire, which include the role of  "Tamino"in Die Zauberflöte,"Ferrando" in Così fan tutte, and "Don Ottavio" in Don Giovanni.

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Dr. May is an avid recitalist and oratorio singer, performing recently as a soloist in Bach's Magnificat, Mozart's Requiem, Handel's Messiah, and Dubois's Seven Last Words of Christ. He has performed frequently in both recital and concert performances throughout the United States.  As a performer, his recitals have featured a variety of chamber music and solo vocal literature with special presentation of French Art Song. Dr. May has recently performed as a guest artist in recital at Colorado State University with an all French program featuring arias and art songs from La Belle Époque, Virginia Tech in an all German Romantic program, and in concert at Columbus State University in Legacy Hall.  He has been a featured recital performer at the Music Under the Dome series at the Coca Cola Space Science Museum in Columbus, GA, which fuses projection, video animation, and live musical performances. He recently performed on the artist recital series at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta, GA. In addition, he is a founding member and performer on the Rainbow Recital. It is a touring recital that presents opera, art song, musical theater, and cabaret music created by LGBTQIA+ artists.  

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Dr. May is an Assistant Professor of Voice and Opera Director at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University. Prior to his appointment at CSU, he taught on the faculty of the University of Michigan-Flint. As an opera director, his recent directing credits include main stage and outreach productions of Amahl & the Night Visitors, Alcina, Hansel & Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Captain Lovelock. He has directed opera productions of Viardot’s Cendrillon, Ching’s Speed Dating Tonight!, and The Light in the Piazza at Columbus State University. He has been selected as a national finalist for the Charles Nelson Reilly Prize for Stage Directors in both opera and musical theatre from the American Prize. In addition, Schwob Opera Theatre was selected as a national prize winner by the National Opera Association’s Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition. Dr. May has also created and developed the Schwob Opera Outreach program, which has produced touring performance and educational productions for elementary school students across our community. 

 

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He was a resident artist with Pittsburgh Festival Opera, where he served as an assistant director for their production of The Valkyrie from Johnathan Dove's English adaptation of Wagner's Ring Cycle. He was also an associate director for the world premiere of an opera set to the life story and music of Puccini, Scandals. Dr. May has served as a faculty artist in the opera directing program with the Druid City Opera Workshop at the University of Alabama and as an opera directing fellow at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival. Dr. May has served on the international faculties of Opera Viva! and the International Festival of Opera in Italy. 

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He has presented his research with the National Opera Association, AMEA, GMEA, College Music Society, National Association of Teachers of Singing, New Voice Educators Symposium, and the Lilly Conference. He was also selected for the National Association of Teachers of Singing Intern Program in 2014. Prior to his appointment to the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University, Dr. May was on the music faculty at the University of Michigan-Flint. While on faculty, he taught a variety of vocal arts courses that included applied voice, diction for singers, vocal pedagogy, and song literature. In addition, he developed an active opera workshop program and an opera outreach program that saw over 10,000 students through performance and education workshops in the region.

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As a voice educator, he is an active member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. He currently serves on the executive board for Georgia NATS as the Vice-President and served as the Co-Chair in Education. In addition, he serves as the Governor for the Southeastern Region and chairs the Student Programming Committee of NOA. He has served as an active adjudicator, master clinician, guest director, and voice specialist for Michigan School Vocal Music Association, Classical Singer, NATS, NOA, SERNATS, Great Lakes Male Chorus Association, and University/Collegiate programs across the nation.  Dr. May has completed all three certification levels at the LoVetri Institute for Somatic Voicework. His voice students have recently won prizes at the Tommy Trotter Opera Competition, Vann Vocal Institute, Music International Grand Prix, National Federation of Music Clubs, Charleston International Music Competition, Kalamazoo Bach Festival, St. Cecilia Music Awards, MTNA, Schmidt Vocal Competition, and the state and regional NATS Auditions. His students have also competed as selected finalists at the national level of the NATS Auditions, Georgia Symphony Orchestra, Classical Singer Competition, Orpheus Voice Competition, Opera Guild of Atlanta, Ethel J. Armeling Voice Scholarship Competition, S. Livingston Mather Scholarship Competition for Male Voice Students, Verdi Opera Theatre of Michigan, and the Harold Haugh Light Opera Vocal Competition. His students have been recipients of voice scholarships at the undergraduate and graduate levels in university music programs across the nation.

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Dr. May holds a D.M.A. Voice Performance from the University of Connecticut, an M.M. in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, an M.M. in Vocal Pedagogy from the New England Conservatory of Music, a B.A. in French from Grand Valley State University, and a B.M. in Voice Performance from the University of Florida.