Vanderbilt University Masterclass (1)

Join the Vocal faculty of the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University for a masterclass with special attention to tips and strategies for a successful audition.

Tyler Nelson

Tyler Nelson is a highly sought-after soloist and teacher. Some of Mr. Nelson’s career highlights include performances with Irish National Opera as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Opera Saratoga as Paul in Rocking Horse Winner and the Magician in The Consul, New Orleans Opera and Opera on the James as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Dayton Opera as Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, the Utah Symphony & Opera as Le théière / Le petit vieillard inL’enfant et les sortileges, Opera Naples as Alfred in Die Fledermaus, Opera Omaha as Trin in La fanciulla del West, Opera Tampa and Wide Open Opera in Ireland as Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and in Handel’s Messiah with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, andn performances with Le Festival Lyrique International de Belle-Île as Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, Ferrando in Così fan tutte and as the tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Mass in C and Mozart’s Vesperae solemnes de confessore and Requiem.

Dashon Burton

Three-time Grammy Award winning bass-baritone Dashon Burton has built a distinguished international career performing with many of the world’s leading conductors and ensembles. In the 2024/25 season, he performs with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and continues his residency with the Milwaukee Symphony, singing Mahler and Bach with Ken-David Masur. He also makes debuts with the Boston Symphony (Michael Tilson Thomas’ Whitman Songs), the Toronto Symphony, and the St. Louis Symphony.

The New York Times described him as “an impassioned, rich-voiced” artist, and The Washington Post praised his “voice that glows from bottom to top.” Writing about the Grammy-winning recording of Ethel Smyth’s The Prison, The Guardian hailed his performance as “outstanding as the pensive Prisoner.” The Wall Street Journal noted Burton as “the biggest surprise, outshining the trumpet in Handel’s Messiah."

Hailey Clark

Hailey Clark has made a dynamic mark in both Europe and North America throughout her career. Recent appearances have included her debut at Wagner’s Bayreuth Festival as Freia in Das Rheingold, her debut at The Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam as the Queen of Hearts in the Dutch premier of Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Nedda in Pagliacci with Austin Opera, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus with Central City Opera, Gerhilde in Die Walküre with the Dresden Philharmonic, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte with Palm Beach Opera, and a return to her breakout role of Rachel in La Juive at the Hannover State.  Other engagements in Europe and North America have included appearances with Oper Stuttgart, Salzburger Landestheater, Staatsoper Hannover, Theater Basel, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Staatsoper Hamburg, Stadttheater Giessen, Music in the Alps Festival, The Santa Fe Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Central City Opera, Austin Opera, North Carolina Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Opera Naples, Opera on the James, Henderson Symphony Orchestra, The Handel Choir of Baltimore, The Santa Fe Symphony, Opera Saratoga, and Fort Worth Opera.