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BIOGRAPHY

        tephen Martin has enjoyed operatic engagements spanning throughout Italy, China, and the United States with roles including Alfredo in La Traviata, Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Bohème, Hoffmann in Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann, Da Xing in Jin Xiang’s The Savage Land, Rinuccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Casey in Ricki Ian Gordan’s The Grapes of Wrath, Tybalt in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, and Jean Valjean in Les Misérables. He also created the role of Ray "Cracker" Schalk in the 2019 world premiere of Joel Puckett's "The Fix". He has performed with companies such as The Santa Fe Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival Opera, Sarasota Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera in the Rock, Chicago Summer Opera Festival, Kenosha Opera, The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Motor City Brass Band, Flint Symphony Orchestra, Saginaw Symphony, and others. Stephen has twice won the East Tennessee District Metropolitan Opera Competition and is the recipient of an Encouragement Award at the Mid-South Regional Metropolitan Opera competition. He was a grand finalist in the Rochester International Voice Competition, a semi-finalist in the Mildred Miller International Voice Competition, Opera Index Competition, and Birmingham Opera competitions, was awarded the Mandelker/Harris Award for Outstanding Returning Studio Artist at Sarasota Opera, won the Charlotte Ruppel Memorial Voice Competition, the Michigan State University Concerto/Honors competition, received both the Jewell and Rohrstock voice fellowships at Michigan State University, and was selected to be a Mackey Scholar.

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In 2019 Stephen took a step back from full-time performing and became an Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Central Arkansas where he served for two years until he accepted a position as the Director of Worship arts at Christ Memorial Church in Holland, Michigan. There, he conducted a 100 voice choir, orchestra, and oversaw all aspects of worship and artistic presentation. In the Summer of 2023, Stephen shared the podium with Dr. David Rayl conducting concerts in Vienna and Salzburg, Austria, as well as singing as tenor soloist in Mozart's Missa Brevis in F on the same concert. 

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In July of 2023, Stephen became the director of Music and Fine Arts at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church where he conducts the choir, oversees all expressions of music and arts, and leads worship in the Classic services on the Main Campus. You can learn more about MDUMC by visiting https://www.mdumc.org/

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Stephen holds a Doctorate in Voice Performance, Masters Degrees in Voice Performance and Music Theory Pedagogy, and a Bachelors degree in Voice Performance all from Michigan State University. 

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