Zachary K. Devin

Zachary Devin’s voice has been praised as “superb, strong, and impassioned” by Opera Today. He will receive his Ph.D. in Vocal Pedagogy from the University of Kansas, where he served as a teaching assistant in both the School of Music and the Speech, Language, and Hearing departments. He also holds an undergraduate degree from Millikin University and graduate degrees from Rice University and the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Before joining the faculty at KU, he taught applied voice at the University of Missouri Saint Louis, Ottawa University, Lindenwood University, and St. Charles Community College. He has also taught vocal and choral pedagogy courses, choral conducting, lyric diction, speech anatomy, and speech physics.

At KU, Zachary teaches applied voice, vocal pedagogy, and diction. As a researcher, he has presented at national and international conferences for associations such as the Voice Foundation, the National Association for Music Educators, and the Kansas Music Educators Association. His research interests include vocal fatigue in collegiate singers, vocal health, vocal warm-ups, vocal function exercises, and vocal pedagogy applications.

Zachary is also an active operatic performer. He was a young artist with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Nashville Opera, Dayton Opera, and the Brevard Music Academy. He made his professional debut in Budapest as Peter Quint in Britten’s Turn of The Screw. After years of performing abroad, he returned to the US, where he has appeared with The Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Nashville Opera, Dayton Opera, Salt Marsh Opera, Winter Opera Saint Louis, Union Avenue Opera, Gulf Shore Opera, Mid-Ohio Civic Opera, and The Southern Illinois Music Festival, among others. Some favorite roles include Peter Quint (Turn of the Screw), Rinnucio (Gianni Schicchi), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Ferrando (Cosi fan tutte), Tamino (The Magic Flute), Don Ramiro (La Cenerentola), Cassio (Otello), Beppe (I Pagliacci), Satyavan (Savitri), Hugh (Hugh the Drover) Jupiter (Semele), Ralph Rackstraw (H.M.S. Pinafore), and Charlie (Brigadoon).

Zachary is also an avid concert performer. He has been a featured soloist for several major works, including The Creation, Messiah, Elijah, Britten’s Serenade for Horn and Tenor, Carmina Burana, The Seven Last Words of Christ, and Stainer’s Crucifixion. Zachary also has a passion for the music of J.S. Bach. He has performed numerous church cantatas and has appeared as a soloist with the Peoria Bach Festival, American Kantorei of St. Louis, and St. Johns Parish of Kansas City.