how to get into college for actors & Singers
Virtual Master class led by
Dr. DaVid Herendeen & Dr. William Christensen
Dr. David Herendeen
David Herendeen is the Director of Opera and Musical Theater at Oklahoma City University. He is also the Artistic Director of OCU's Performing Arts Academy's Summer Musical Theater program. Originally from upstate NY, he received his Bachelor's in Vocal Performance and his Master's in Music Theater (Direction) from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. His Doctorate is from the University of Arizona, majoring in Vocal Performance, with specialties in Drama and Vocal Pedagogy.
Dr. Herendeen has performed and directed throughout the United States in such places as Michigan Opera Theater and Brevard Music Center. He created the role of Roderick Usher in the world premiere of the reconstruction of The Fall of the House of Usher by Debussy, which was televised through CPTV. He both performed, and worked as the assistant to stage director, Ian Strasfogel, in the Guggenheim Foundation’s original production of Kandinsky’s The Yellow Sound. After winning the Deutsche Oper Berlin's German/American Award, he soon joined the company as one of its resident baritones.
Since his hire in 1997, he has directed and produced over 100 musicals, operas, and plays. Known for his entertaining, insightful, and innovative work, his productions of Gianni Schicchi/Pagliacci, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Die Fledermaus,Nico Muhly’s Dark Sisters and Michael Daugherty‘s Jackie O, Susannah, are among his many 1st place awards received from the National Opera Association’s Opera Performance Competition.
Oklahoma City University’s musical theater program has always been nationally recognized - exemplified in PLAYBILL’s BIG 10: The 10 most represented colleges on Broadway for
both the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 Broadway seasons.
Internationally, Dr. Herendeen has been Invited as a master scholar by both the TisnJin Conservatory of Music and Beijing’s esteemed Central Academy of Drama. In 2017, he brought Oklahoma City University students to perform in the TianJin International Music Festival. In 2019, he directed the premier of the mandarin translation of In the Heights for the Central Academy of Drama.
Most importantly, Herendeen‘s teaching and guidance have launched the careers of hundreds of young artists and established Oklahoma City University as one of the nation's premiere training programs in both Opera and Musical Theater.
Dr. Herendeen has performed and directed throughout the United States in such places as Michigan Opera Theater and Brevard Music Center. He created the role of Roderick Usher in the world premiere of the reconstruction of The Fall of the House of Usher by Debussy, which was televised through CPTV. He both performed, and worked as the assistant to stage director, Ian Strasfogel, in the Guggenheim Foundation’s original production of Kandinsky’s The Yellow Sound. After winning the Deutsche Oper Berlin's German/American Award, he soon joined the company as one of its resident baritones.
Since his hire in 1997, he has directed and produced over 100 musicals, operas, and plays. Known for his entertaining, insightful, and innovative work, his productions of Gianni Schicchi/Pagliacci, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Die Fledermaus,Nico Muhly’s Dark Sisters and Michael Daugherty‘s Jackie O, Susannah, are among his many 1st place awards received from the National Opera Association’s Opera Performance Competition.
Oklahoma City University’s musical theater program has always been nationally recognized - exemplified in PLAYBILL’s BIG 10: The 10 most represented colleges on Broadway for
both the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 Broadway seasons.
Internationally, Dr. Herendeen has been Invited as a master scholar by both the TisnJin Conservatory of Music and Beijing’s esteemed Central Academy of Drama. In 2017, he brought Oklahoma City University students to perform in the TianJin International Music Festival. In 2019, he directed the premier of the mandarin translation of In the Heights for the Central Academy of Drama.
Most importantly, Herendeen‘s teaching and guidance have launched the careers of hundreds of young artists and established Oklahoma City University as one of the nation's premiere training programs in both Opera and Musical Theater.
Dr. William Christensen
”My philosophy of teaching voice is founded on the belief that singing is an extension of speech. Yes, the assortment of pitches and rhythms used for singing are far more extensive and complicated than those used in speech, but the basic physical-mechanical processes employed by both are identical. For me, a fine singer is able to produce a sound that is natural (speech-like), open and evenly balanced over the entire range of the vocal instrument. A singer must also be a fine musician, linguist and actor. While I believe that the study and eventual mastery of these skills is critically important, the student of voice must keep in mind that the primary objective of any vocal technique is to strengthen and refine a singer’s ability to express the words he or she sings.”
--- William Nield Christensen
Dr. Christensen holds the B.A., M.A., M.M. and the D.M.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara with additional vocal training at the School of Music at Indiana University, the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst Stuttgart, the Opernschule Stuttgart, and the Chor und Konzertverein International Operastudio Meran. Dr. Christensen has studied voice with Donna Roll, Elizabeth Mannion, Carlos Montané, Luisa Bosabalian, Elizabeth Mosher, and James King. He has worked with Master Teachers Virginia Zeani, Warren Jones, Anne Epperson, Klaus Nagora, Jeanine Altmeyer and Martial Singher. Dr. Christensen has taught voice at the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of California at Santa Barbara Summer Sessions Young Artist Vocal Institute, Westmont College, the School of Music at Indiana University, the Cate Preparatory School, and the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival. Dr. Christensen is currently a member of the vocal faculty at the Key West Symphony Young Artist Program. Dr. Christensen has conducted Vocal Master Classes at the Interlochen Arts Academy, the Governor’s School of the Arts in Virginia, the Key West Symphony Young Artist Program, and the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival.
A frequent soloist, Dr. Christensen has performed with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, the Fort Smith Symphony, Brightmusic Society of Oklahoma, the Key West Symphony Young Artist Program, the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, the Santa Barbara Choral Society, Grand Opera Santa Barbara, Opera Santa Barbara, the Adriatic Music Festival, and the Würtembergishe Philharmonie Reutlingen. He has sung many leading roles including the Tenor Soloist from Verdi’s Requiem, Siegmund from Die Walküre, Don Josè from Carmen, Max from Der Freischütz, and Cavaradossi from Tosca.
In 2004 Dr. Christensen partnered with the Santa Barbara County Board of Education and The Children’s Creative Project to form and co-direct a summer music camp for underprivileged and “at risk” elementary school aged students. To date the Performing and Visual Arts Camp has provided core arts education to over three hundred underprivileged and “at risk” elementary school aged students in the Santa Barbara area.
--- William Nield Christensen
Dr. Christensen holds the B.A., M.A., M.M. and the D.M.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara with additional vocal training at the School of Music at Indiana University, the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst Stuttgart, the Opernschule Stuttgart, and the Chor und Konzertverein International Operastudio Meran. Dr. Christensen has studied voice with Donna Roll, Elizabeth Mannion, Carlos Montané, Luisa Bosabalian, Elizabeth Mosher, and James King. He has worked with Master Teachers Virginia Zeani, Warren Jones, Anne Epperson, Klaus Nagora, Jeanine Altmeyer and Martial Singher. Dr. Christensen has taught voice at the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of California at Santa Barbara Summer Sessions Young Artist Vocal Institute, Westmont College, the School of Music at Indiana University, the Cate Preparatory School, and the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival. Dr. Christensen is currently a member of the vocal faculty at the Key West Symphony Young Artist Program. Dr. Christensen has conducted Vocal Master Classes at the Interlochen Arts Academy, the Governor’s School of the Arts in Virginia, the Key West Symphony Young Artist Program, and the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival.
A frequent soloist, Dr. Christensen has performed with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, the Fort Smith Symphony, Brightmusic Society of Oklahoma, the Key West Symphony Young Artist Program, the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, the Santa Barbara Choral Society, Grand Opera Santa Barbara, Opera Santa Barbara, the Adriatic Music Festival, and the Würtembergishe Philharmonie Reutlingen. He has sung many leading roles including the Tenor Soloist from Verdi’s Requiem, Siegmund from Die Walküre, Don Josè from Carmen, Max from Der Freischütz, and Cavaradossi from Tosca.
In 2004 Dr. Christensen partnered with the Santa Barbara County Board of Education and The Children’s Creative Project to form and co-direct a summer music camp for underprivileged and “at risk” elementary school aged students. To date the Performing and Visual Arts Camp has provided core arts education to over three hundred underprivileged and “at risk” elementary school aged students in the Santa Barbara area.
Isabella esparza-dozer
Isabella Dozer is a freshman musical theatre and vocal performance double major at Oklahoma City University. She attended San Marcos High School where she was a member of the Madrigals Choir and participated in theatre. She has worked with Ms. Kennedy since she was 11 years old and has done many shows with SOPA. Her summer credits include Broadway Artists Alliance in NYC, Interlochen Arts Academy Summer Musical Theatre Intensive, Artsbridge Summer, and NEXUS at Texas State University. Outside of performance, Isabella is a member of Alpha Phi Sorority and enjoys speech and debate.