Mel Foster

Tenor

Tenor Mel Foster is an Associate Professor of Voice and Chair of the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences at Morehouse College.  Dr. Foster has a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music where he was a student of John Maloy and his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara where he was under the tutelage of Elizabeth Mannion. Most recently, he has greatly benefited from the mentoring of Victor Roman.

A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Dr. Foster believes his experience at the Brevard Music Festival as a teenager heavily influenced his decision to commit his life to singing.  Since then, he has had the opportunity to be engaged in opera, oratorio, and recital performances in the United States and Europe. In the 19 years that Dr. Foster has taught at Morehouse, he has enjoyed rewarding performance and teaching experiences. Endeavoring to create more roles for African-American operatic tenors, he has premiered more than ten roles and solos for the Americolor Opera Alliance, a performing arts organization for which he is now the Artistic Director. Along with being interested in the lost art of intimate operatic singing, most recently, Dr. Foster has become interested in the vital role that the Arts play in sustaining culture.

Highlights of his performances have been with the Americolor Opera Alliance in the role of Ellington Dupont in The Bridge(premiere), Johnnie Washington in Carmen J(premiere), as Alonzo Herndon in The Herndons, as Missouri in The Great Divide(premiere),as Melchior in 3Kings and a Prince, as Ransom in Madame CJ(premiere), as Ray Grayson in The Pink Lady(premiere), as Aleph in The Candlers(premiere), and role Sam in The Opera Singer(premiere). With the Atlanta Opera, he performed the role of Nelson in their historic 2008 european tour of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. Other performances have been in Salt Lake City in The Life of Roland Hayes and the Moor Tenors' Project; tenor soloist in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with Fairbanks Symphony and the Macon Symphony: the Rome Festival as Ferrando in Mozart's Cosi fan Tutte in Rome ,Italy; twice performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in a nationally broadcasted event entitled A King Celebration in memory of the Reverend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; as a featured soloist with the Atlanta Chamber Players; Mozart's Requiem with the Augusta Choral Society; tenor soloist in Bach's St. John's Passion with the St. Paul's Bach Society; and tenor soloist in the Verdi's Requiem with the Interlochen Arts Festival Philharmonic.

As Associate Professor of Voice at Morehouse College, Dr. Foster gives a number of performances and masterclasses annually.