Why Voice at Duquesne?
Our flexible curriculum empowers you to shape your own music pathway with your Faculty Advisor and Student Success Coach. Match your love of singing with any of our degree programs while balancing your performance commitments and academics.
World Class Faculty & Award-Winning Ensembles
In addition to studying with master performers and teachers, you will also have the opportunity to perform in award-winning ensembles including orchestral, wind, choral, and jazz ensembles. Chamber music also plays a very important role in our students’ education. View voice events.
Our Alumni Succeed
Graduates of the Mary Pappert School of Music can be seen performing with the top opera companies and on concert stages all over the world, such as the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Pittsburgh Opera, among others. They have gone on to become successful recording artists, songwriters, and producers, as well as awarded educators and music therapy clinicians. What can you do with a music degree?
Develop Your Artistry
Learn more about your vocal path
At the Mary Pappert School of Music, you can shape your education around the musician—and professional—you want to become. Your college experience should prepare you for a lot more than just your next performance. We value each student’s unique voice and work with them to develop their sound and achieve their musical goals as outlined in their chosen path.
As a singer, you have more possibilities than ever!
Sing across styles and experiences
Explore the music that inspires you and discover what else your voice can do. In addition to studying classical vocal repertoire, singers in the Voice Area at Duquesne have opportunities to perform with our Duquesne University Opera Workshop as well as with our nationally recognized choral ensembles and others like the Duquesne Vocal Jazz Ensemble. View ensemble opportunities.
Find the degree that fits you
Whether you see yourself as a performer, music educator, music therapist, composer, producer, or something entirely your own, there’s a pathway designed to help you get there.
Work alongside artist teachers in private lessons and master classes
Through one-on-one instruction, solo performances, collaborative music-making, and professional experiences, you’ll develop the artistry and versatility to become the musician you want to be. When you study voice at the Mary Pappert School of Music, you will work with world-class faculty who use their expertise to help you find and refine your distinctive sound to prepare you for your own individual goals, whether they be on the opera stage, recording studio, healthcare setting, or classroom. All of our faculty are still active performers in their fields, recently singing with Pittsburgh Opera, Cleveland Orchestra, Pittsburgh Camerata, and other regional arts organizations.
See Yourself Here
As a music therapy major, there are tons of styles I have an interest in singing, and Professor DeFade has so much knowledge on these vocal recipes! I love that I get to sing classical, musical theater, and even some jazz. In the voice area, we also have the opportunity to attend master classes every semester, which teaches me even more about the specific vocal recipes I will be utilizing in my career.
What I enjoy about the voice studio is the consistent support it has provided me. I really enjoy my lessons with Dr. Jenkins because she allows me to challenge myself with my repertoire, and she always provides excellent and constructive feedback. I feel like I've grown so much during my time with her, and I am super privileged to have her as a mentor and professor.
My favorite part about being a student studying voice is by far working with my amazing vocal coach Kelley DeFade, and with that, the flexibility that the voice area provides. I initially came to Duquesne wanting to study more musical theatre and more contemporary repertoire. With Professor DeFade, I am able to do exactly that, but I still get exposed to and challenged by classical pieces in order to build my vocal range in all genres of music, which is something I find very beneficial.
Explore Your Musical Future
If you're looking for that school that's the perfect fit, you've found the right place. Take the next step and start your application today!
Undergrad Music Admissions
Our flexible curriculum empowers you to shape your own music pathway with your Faculty Advisor and Student Success Coach. Auditions are customized depending on your chosen degree and primary instrument. All fully admitted music majors are automatically considered for scholarships and awards. We are proud to offer highly competitive Undergraduate Audition and Enhancement Awards that can cover up to 100% of tuition.
Graduate Music Admissions
Match your love for music with any of our degree programs while balancing your performance commitments and academics. Auditions are customized depending on your chosen degree and primary instrument. All fully admitted graduate students are automatically considered for scholarships and awards. We are proud to offer highly competitive Graduate Performance Awards and Assistantships that can cover up to 100% of tuition.
Voices In Concert
Dedicated in 2001, the PNC Recital Hall provides an intimate performance space for faculty and student recitals, as well as theater-style performances, and comfortably seats an audience of 250. The stage is large enough to accommodate a small orchestra, and the live acoustics make it ideal for solo voice recitals and opera scenes. The hall is equipped with two Model D nine-foot Steinway concert grand pianos that are among the finest in the Pittsburgh region.
Upcoming Voice Events
Look to This Day
Faculty Recital
Dr. Kevin Lee Sun, piano
Featuring:
Maddie Kolenc, alto flute
Wallis Lucas, soprano
Brahms on the Bluff: Concert I - Hungarian Dance Fever
David Allen Wehr, Artistic Director
Pre-concert Discussion with Benjamin Binder at 2:30 p.m.
Guest Artist Master Class: Claudia Benack, voice
Please Note:
The Music of Sammy Nestico
Duquesne University Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Workshop, and Vocal Jazz Ensemble
Jeff Bush & Kelley Krepin DeFade, directors
Brahms on the Bluff: Concert II - Lullaby
David Allen Wehr, Artistic Director
Pre-concert Discussion with Ron Samuels at 2:30 p.m.
Guest Artist Master Class: Marianne Cornetti, voice
Please Note:
Voice Performances
Quanto è bella, from L’elisir d’amore - Gaetano Donizetti
Christian Cooper (B.M. Performance) performs Donizetti's Quanto è bella, from L’elisir d’amore at the 2026 Marguerite DePhillips Dougherty Voice Competition.
Si mi chiamano Mimi, from La bohème - Giacomo Puccini
Giulia Galante Golinelli (A.D. Performance) performs Si mi chiamano Mimi, from Puccini's La bohème at the 2026 Marguerite DePhillips Dougherty Voice Competition.
Jak možná věřit, from The Bartered Bride - Bedřich Smetana
Luke Leone (M.M. Performance) performs Jak možná věřit, from Bedřich Smetana's The Bartered Bride at the 2026 Marguerite DePhillips Dougherty Voice Competition.
Did You Know?
All applicants qualify for a free lesson with our faculty to help them prepare for the live audition and submit a quality portfolio. Use the time to connect with a teacher and experience our top-rate private instruction for yourself.
Applied Voice Faculty
Meghan DeWald Althouse
Adjunct Professor of Voice; Voice Area Coordinator
Kelley Krepin DeFade
Adjunct Professor of Jazz Voice
Nicole Jenkins
Assistant Professor of Voice
Brent Weber
Adjunct Professor of Voice
Voice Studies
Marianne Cornetti
Artist in Residence
Fabio Gentili
Adjunct Professor, Vocal Coach
Nathália Kato Giordano
Adjunct Professor, Vocal Coach
Alex Noble
Adjunct Professor, Vocal Coach
Inessa Tamar
Adjunct Professor, Vocal Coach