Julie Lyn Barber

• 2021 Quarter Finalist in the American Traditions Vocal Competition
• 2018 Completed 10 year run as Berenice in Cabaret Poe, Indianapolis, IN
• 2015 Soloist on Vivaldi's Gloria with Marion Philharmonic Orchestra, Marion, IN
• 2014 Winner of the Encouragement Prize, The Audrey Rooney Vocal Competition, Kentucky Bach Choir
• 2013 Sang Titania in Purcell's The Fairy Queen with Amherst Early Music Festival, New London, CT
• 2013 Winner of the Graduate Concerto/Solo Competition at Ball State University, Muncie, IN
• 2013 Winner NATS Regional Advanced Women and Men's Division, Ann Arbor, MI
• 2005 Astral Career Grant winner from the National Foundation for Advancement of the Arts to participate in the Vancouver Early Music Programme in British Columbia with Steven Adby and Ellen Hargis.
• 2003 Played Sister Amnesia in Nunsense at Sylvia's Dinner Theatre, Portland, OR
• 2001 Played various roles in Gypsy at Portland Center Stage, Portland, OR
• 2001 Soloist on Bach Magnificat with Trinity Consort, Portland, OR and recording, "Bach: Father & Son"
• 2001 Soloist on Handel's Israel in Egypt with Trinity Consort, Portland OR and recording of the same name.
• 2000 Alternate Choice for the National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Award, McMinnville, OR
• 1999 Played Lady Larkin in Once Upon a Mattress at Broadway Rose Theatre, Tigard, OR
• 1999 Played Cordelia in Falsettos with triangle! theatre productions, Portland, OR
• 1997 Played Katie Yoder in Plain and Fancy, Narrator in Joseph, and Inez in The Baker's Wife at Round Barn Theatre, Nappanee, IN
• 1994 E.V. Young Award for Outstanding Actor, Theatre Under the Stars, Vancouver, BC ("Maria" in West Side Story.)

Julie Lyn Barber is Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre at Purdue University Fort Wayne, where she is Head of Musical Theatre. She was previously the BFA Coordinator and Associate Professor at Western Kentucky University. She is a musical theatre and early music specialist who also sings with a pirate band.

She has performed as a soloist with the Marion Philharmonic and Portland Oregon's Trinity Consort. She has performed previews and outreach for Portland Opera and sang with the Dayton Opera Chorus for several seasons. She also regularly recorded with Oregon Catholic Press. As an actor, Julie played the role of “Berenice” in Cabaret Poe with Q Artistry in Indianapolis every October 2009-2018. Other favorite roles include “Adelaide” in Guys and Dolls (Canterbury Theatre, Michigan City, IN), “Narrator” in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Round Barn Theatre, Nappanee, IN) and “Julia” in Two Gentlemen of Verona (Northwest Classical Theatre Company, Portland, OR). Opera roles include “Sophie” in Massenet’s Werther (Ball State University), "Queen of the Night” in Mozart's Magic Flute (Taylor University), and “Titania” in Purcell’s Fairy Queen (Amherst Early Music Festival). Julie is an Equity Membership Candidate and has had the privilege of working with Broadway legends, Stephen Schwartz, and Andy Blankenbuehler.

Julie also music directs, choreographs, and directs musicals, operas and plays, most recently with Nettle Creek Players (Hagerstown, IN), and previously with The Round Barn Theatre at Amish Acres (Nappanee, IN), and IndyFringe (Indianapolis, IN). WKU credits include choreographing The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Hair, music directing Hair and The Lightning Thief, and stage directing Guys and Dolls, 9 to 5, and Fools.

Julie is a produced playwright, freelance writer for Classical Singer Magazine, and an Associate Editor of the MTEA Journal. Her recent scholarly presentations include “The Stories We Tell: Challenging Gender Bias in Entertainment” at the WKU Gender and Communication Conference, a master class at the Transgender Voice Training Conference in Richmond, IN, and a lightning talk, “Practice Failure for Success”, at the College Music Society Summit in Columbia, South Carolina.

Her degrees include a Doctor of Arts in Music from Ball State University, a Master of Music in Opera and Music Theatre from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. She also earned a Grade VIII Piano Certificate through the Western Conservatory of Music, and an Elementary Executant Certificate in Ballet from the Royal Academy of Dancing. She is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), Musical Theatre Educators Alliance (MTEA), The Dramatists Guild, the American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP), and the Dramatists Guild.