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Vocal Arts Faculty

Francis Cathlina
Assistant Professor
Director of Choral Activities
francis.cathlina@memphis.edu

Emily Frizzell
Assistant Professor of Music Education, Choral
emily.frizzell@memphis.edu

Megan Grey
Visiting Assistant Professor of Voice
megrey@memphis.edu

Stephen Karr
Assistant Professor
Music Director for Opera
sfkarr@memphis.edu

ben Benjamin Smith
Associate Professor
Stage Director for Opera
bwsmith7@memphis.edu

2027

Mary Wilson makes her debut with the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago in Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis.

2026

Megan Grey’s performances include the role of The Mother in the world premiere of "Pretty Little Room" with Opera Memphis, and Mahler's 2^nd Symphony with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic.
Megan Grey presents a poster entitled "What is ‘Success’?: An Examination of Definitions of Success Within the Classical Voice Industry” for the National Opera Association.
Ben Smith directs “Tosca” at Opera Montana.
Mary Wilson performances include Haydn Creation with Missoula Symphony Orchestra and Handel Messiah with American Bach Soloists.

2025

Matt Burns’ performances include Don Magnifico in “La Cenerentola” with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Don Basilio in “The Barber of Seville” with Opera Memphis, and Colline in “La Bohème” with Opera Colorado.
Megan Grey’s performances include Third Lady in "The Magic Flute" at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Marcellina in "Le Nozze di Figaro" with Amarillo Opera, and makes her Carnegie Hall debut in Vivaldi's Magnificat and Schubert's Mass in C.
Stephen Karr performs on harpsichord for Handel Messiah with Memphis Symphony Orchestra.
Ben Smith directs “The Merry Widow” at Opera in the Ozarks, and “Sweeney Todd” at Opera Montana.
Ben Smith wins the Ostrander Award for Best Direction in a Musical and Best Production of a Musical for “Most Happy Fella” at University of Memphis.
Mary Wilson is the Co-Founder and Director of the annual National Oratorio Competition in connection with the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, Floria, every February.

2024

Matt Burns’ performances include curating “From the Met to Memphis” a new recital series, Don Pasquale in “Don Pasquale” with Festival Napa Valley, Leporello in “Don Giovanni” with Washington Opera Society, Bartolo in “Le Nozze di Figaro” with Utah Opera, and Sarastro in “The Magic Flute” with Opera Memphis.
Stephen Karr conducts Stravinsky’s “The Rake’s Progress” with Opera Memphis and University of Memphis and was cover conductor for the Memphis Symphony Orchestra for Holst’s The Planets, music from Star Wars, and Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.
Stephen Karr heads the music staff at Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point Fine Arts Colony in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Ben Smith directs “La traviata” and “The Crucible” with Opera in the Ozarks.
Mary Wilson wins The American Prize in Vocal Performance, 2024, The Friedrich & Virginia Schorr Awards, Women's Professional Art Song Division “designed to evaluate, recognize, and reward the best performers, ensembles, composers, directors and administrators in the United States.”
Mary Wilson’s performances include Haydn Creation with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Brahms Requiem with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with the Pacific Symphony, and Handel Messiah with American Bach Soloists and the Nashville Symphony.
Mary Wilson appears on PBS nationally with the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park’s “A Classic Christmas.”

2023

Matt Burns joins Opera Memphis as the principal diction coach and teacher for the Handorf Young Artist Program.
Stephen Karr is on faculty for Spotlight on Opera at Tulsa Opera.
Mary Wilson joins the voice faculty and runs the teaching fellowship program at the Institute of Performing Arts International in Bavaria Germany every July.
Matt Burns’ performances include Bartolo in “Le Nozze di Figaro” with Portland Opera, Sulpice in “La Fille du Régiment” with Utah Opera, and Sargeant of Police in “The Pirates of Penzance” with Nashville Opera.
Stephen Karr leads Orff side-by-side concerts with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, conducted “The Falling and the Rising” for Opera Memphis, and the world premiere recording of “The Queen, My Lord is Dead” by Tomás Peire-Serrate at UCLA .
Mary Wilson’s performances include Handel Messiah with Memphis Symphony Orchestra and American Bach Soloists, Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Bach Cantata 51 at BachtoberFest in Sarasota and with the Bach Society of St. Louis.

2022

Matt Burns makes his main stage debut as the First Priest in “The Magic Flute” and covers the role of Richard in the world premiere of “The Hours” at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Mary Wilson’s performances include Handel “Apollo et Daphne” with American Bach Soloists, Handel “Messiah” with Nashville Symphony, and Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with Pacific Symphony.
Mary Wilson joins the advisory board of directors for the Handorf Young Artist Program at Opera Memphis.
Mary Wilson is awarded both the Distinguished Teaching Award and the Distinguished Achievement in the Creative Arts Award by the Alumni Association of the University of Memphis.

2021

Ben Smith is the General and Artistic Director at Accademia Vocale Lorenzo Lafattie, Inc. in Italy every July.
Mary Wilson is awarded University Research Professorship “to acknowledge outstanding contributions to the University’s education, research, outreach and service missions.”