People Joshua Zink Joshua Zink Associate Professor of Music, Director of Vocal Studies and Director of Recruiting Dr. Joshua Zink is Assistant Professor of Music – Voice. He is the director of Opera Theater. Other courses he teaches include applied voice, vocal pedagogy, and diction. He is music director for the Musical Theater. Additionally, he is the supervisor of the Vocal Arts Laboratory, and formerly directed the Women Singers for four years. He has previously taught on the faculty at Middle Tennessee State University and Doane University. Dr. Zink, a baritone, is an experienced performer on stage, in concert, and recitals. Recently he performed with Knoxville Opera in Mefistofele and “Gideon March” in Mark Adamo’s Little Women at Harrower Summer Opera while co-directing the Young Artist Program opera scenes program. Other performance history includes operatic roles with Opera New Jersey, Dayton Opera, Nashville Opera, Opera Omaha, Pine Mountain Music Festival, and Opera America’s Series in New York City “Exploring American Voices” where he was showcased in Michael Ching’s new American a-capella opera “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Some favorite recent operatic roles include “Snooks” in William Bolcom’s A Wedding (with the composer in residence), “Pandolfe” in Cendrillon, and “Sid” in La Fanciulla del West. Another contemporary piece on the operatic stage recently was Tyler White’s O Pioneers! which is adaptation of Willa Cather’s award-winning novel. The composer conducted the performances. He has sung as a solo artist with various orchestras throughout the United States in the standard to modern concert and oratorio repertoire. Robert Cohen’s new work Alzheimer’s Stories with the Fresno Master Chorale and Orchestra is a recent concert highlight, with the composer in residence; as is Phillip Wilby’s reconstruction of Mozart’s Mass in C minor. Some favorite repertoire includes: Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Bach’s St. John Passion, Handel’s Israel in Egypt, Brahms’ Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem, Schubert’s Mass in G, and Beethoven’s Mass in C. Particularly fond of song, he has performed the Mount Everest of song cycles; Schubert’s Winterreise three times with the “Dean of American Accompanists,” John Wustman. Mr. Wustman has accompanied some of the world’s premiere singers of the last century, including Luciano Pavarotti, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Birgit Nilsson, Régine Crespin, Christa Ludwig, Nicolai Gedda, Carlo Bergonzi, and a host of others. Dr. Zink regularly preforms both faculty recitals and guest artist recitals at institutions throughout the USA. As an advocate for new works, his published scholarly activity investigates and advances new music in America with composer Tom Cipullo’s America 1968. Recently Dr. Zink arranged a two day residency in which Cipullo visited campus, worked with students, faculty, and attended a performance of his music. In that performance Dr. Zink performed a newer song cycle: An Earth to Walk Upon. Dr. Zink earned a D.M.A. from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a M.M. from The University of Illinois, and a B.M. from Bowling Green State University. In addition to his performance, teaching, and scholarly activity, Dr. Zink is an avid runner and cyclist, having completed the marathon and century ride distances.
