Thomas Potter
- Director of Opera
- Associate Professor
tpotter@ucf.edu
407 823 4680
Office Hours: by appointment
Campus Location: PACM113
View Personal Web site
Baritone Thomas Potter currently teaches undergraduate and graduate level voice, class in the International Phonetic Alphabet, and serves as UCF Opera's Executive Director. Thomas serves as the faculty advisor for UCF's Student Opera Club. He also teaches at the International Opera Performing Experience in Italy each July.
Prof. Potter began his interest in music performance as a jazz trombonist in High School. It was while pursuing his Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education that he began to transform into a singer. After completing a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance at Indiana University [where his voice teachers were Signor Nicola Rossi-Lemeni and Madame Virginia Zeani] and then two years of intensive musicianship and repertoire study with John Wustman [as a special student at the University of Illinois], Thomas continued his training in the Merola, Western Opera Theater, and Adler Fellowship programs with the San Francisco Opera Center.
In 1986, Potter was a winner of the Luciano Pavarotti International Vocal Competition in Philadelphia Potter, and as such, was awarded the opportunity to sing alongside Mr. Pavarotti in the resulting production of Verdi’s opera UN BALLO IN MASCHERA. During his residence in San Francisco, he was honored to sing and rehearse with Mr. Pavarotti on two other occasions [Puccini's LA BOHÈME and Verdi's LA TRAVIATA].
Thomas' operatic repertoire throughout the bulk of his career has centered around the great Verdi baritone roles such as:
- Renato in UN BALLO IN MASCHERA
- Giorgio Germont in LA TRAVIATA
- il Conte di Luna in IL TROVATORE
- MACBETH - title role
- RIGOLETTO - title role
Additional favorite roles he has performed include:
- Baron Scarpia in TOSCA
- Sharpless in MADAMA BUTTERFLY
- Jochanaan in Strauss' SALOME
- Tonio in Leoncavallo's I PAGLIACCI
- Marcello & Schaunard in LA BOHÈME
- all four of the lower-voiced roles on Mozart's DON GIOVANNI [Giovanni, Commendatore, Masetto, & Leporello]
Potter has sung leading roles in numerous International music festivals, including:
- the Spoleto Music Festival in both Italy and the USA venues [Philip Glass' opera HYDROGEN JUKEBOX]
- the Ravenna (Italy) Music Festival [ATTILA]
- the Bregenzer (Austria) Festspiele [NABUCCO]
- the La Biennale Festival [Ivan Vandor's APPARITIONS] in Venice, Italy
- the Festival de Inverno - Campos do Jordão [William Walton's BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST] in Brazil
A few of the opera companies with which Potter has performed include:
- the Teatro Comunale 'Giuseppe Verdi' in Trieste, Italy [DON CARLO]
- Palm Beach Opera [SALOME, RIGOLETTO, & CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA / PAGLIACCI]
- Nashville Opera [TURANDOT]
- Opera Cordoba (Spain) [TOSCA]
- Opera São Paulo (Brazil) [CARMEN & NABUCCO]
- Opéra du Rhin in Strasbourg, France [DON CARLO]
- Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe, Germany [ATTILA]
- Atlanta Opera [RIGOLETTO & UN BALLO IN MASCHERA]
- Utah Opera [SAMSON ET DALILA]
- Orlando Opera [MADAMA BUTTERFLY & IL TROVATORE]
- Indianapolis Opera [LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR, HÄNSEL UND GRETEL, MACBETH, IL TROVATORE, SAMSON ET DALILA, TURANDOT, LA BOHÈME, THE CRUCIBLE, and FALSTAFF].
From 1994 to 2000, Mr. Potter was engaged by the Stadttheater St. Gallen in Switzerland, singing the roles of Scarpia in TOSCA, Jochanaan in SALOME, Alfio in CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA, Ezio in ATTILA, Amonasro in AIDA, and Giorgio Germont in LA TRAVIATA, among others.
Concert work continues to play an important role in Potter's career, with credits such as performances:
- Britten’s WAR REQUIEM in the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Italy
- Walton's BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST with the São Paulo [Brazil] State Symphony and Chorus
- Verdi’s MESSA DA REQUIEM with the Florida Orchestra
- Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Florida Orchestra
- the North American premiere of Sir David Willcock’s CEREMONY OF PSALMS, a five movement piece for baritone soloist, orchestra, and chorus] in New York City's Carnegie Hall
- the Italian premiere of Michael Torke’s MASS at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Italy
- Haydn’s THE CREATION with the Elgin Choral Union in Illinois
- a concert of ROGERS & HAMMERSTEIN and LERNER & LOEWE favorites with the San Francisco Symphony.
Education
- M.M. in Voice Performance from Indiana University (1983)
- B.S. in Music Education from Indiana State University (1980)
Activities
Upcoming Activities:
* = singing in performances
** = hosting performances
- Sunday, September 10, 2017 *
Faculty Voice Recital @ the University of Central Florida - Sunday, September 24, 2017 **
Mark S Doss Recital and Master Class with UCF Opera students - Sunday, October 15, 2017 *
Mahler: Songs of a Wayfarer [with FSYO] @ the Bob Carr Theater - Friday, November 10 and Sunday, November 12 **
UCF Opera Scenes Program @ the University of Central Florida - November 15, 17, 18, and 19 *
Puccini's "La Bohème" with Opera Orlando - Saturday, January 20, 2018 *
Puccini's "Gianni Schicchi" with Imperial Symphony in Lakeland
Courses
No courses found for Spring 2018.
| Course Number | Course | Title | Mode | Date and Time | Syllabus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80800 | MUO3503L | Opera Workshop | Face2Face | W 3:00PM - 5:00PM | Available |
Open to any UCF student (not restricted to music majors), this ensemble course does require an audition for first-timers...
|
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| 80801 | MUO5505L | Graduate Opera Workshop | Face2Face | F 3:00PM - 5:00PM | Available |
Open to any UCF student (not restricted to music majors), this ensemble course does require an audition for first-timers...
|
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| 81042 | MUS1250 | Ipa for Singers | Face2Face | M,F 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
IPA for Singers meets on Mondays and Fridays from 11:30-12:20 in Room M263 of the Performing Arts Center. The fundamental purpose of this course is developing a familiarity and proficiency with the pronunciation, enunciation and cadence of English, French, German and Italian, especially as pertains to the singing of art songs and arias, facilitated through a study of the International Phonetic Language (IPA), a system for transcribing the speech sounds of any language. The course will include in-class study and discussion of IPA symbols and the execution of their sounds. Assessment may consist of reading, written, and listening assignments, aural dictation, quizzes, and oral and written exams. Attendance of class is required - there will be a daily quick quiz at the start of each class period. The final exam for this course will take place in our normal classroom from 10-1 on Wednesday, December 6. |
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| 80263 | MVV1411 | Voice Ⅰ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
This course is restricted to Music Majors - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... |
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| 80018 | MVV1873 | Secondary Voice | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
| No Description Available | |||||
| 80266 | MVV2421 | Voice Ⅱ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
This course is restricted to Music Majors - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... |
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| 80269 | MVV3431 | Voice Ⅲ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
This course is restricted to Music Majors - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... |
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| 80517 | MVV3431 | Voice Ⅲ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
This course is restricted to Music Majors - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... |
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| 80272 | MVV4441 | Voice Ⅳ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
This course is restricted to Music Majors - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... |
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| 80772 | MVV5451 | Voice Ⅴ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
This course is restricted to Master of Arts [Music] degree students who have auditioned and been accepted into that major as voice principals - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... |
|||||
| 80560 | MVV6452 | Voice Ⅵ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
This course is restricted to Master of Arts [Music] degree students who have auditioned and been accepted into that major as voice principals - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... |
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| Course Number | Course | Title | Mode | Session | Date and Time | Syllabus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51029 | MUL2010 | Enjoyment of Music | Face2Face | B | M,Tu,W,Th 8:00AM - 9:50AM | Available |
| This course is open to non-music majors only. It is designed for the music amateur; no prior music background is required. What is required of you is a desire to understand how music is put together and how it reflects the society and time from which it was produced. This course takes the position that although one cannot teach the enjoyment of music, per se, one's ability to enjoy music can be greatly enhanced by increased knowledge and understanding. The focus of the course is on listening to music through the ages, as well as on the terms, methodologies and historical perspectives which will increase your knowledge and understanding of music. | ||||||
| Course Number | Course | Title | Mode | Date and Time | Syllabus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10057 | MUO3503L | Opera Workshop | Face2Face | F 3:00PM - 5:00PM | Available |
| Open to any UCF student (not restricted to music majors), the course does require an audition for first-timers... Auditions for Spring 2017 will be held on Tuesday, January 10 - see http://music.cah.ucf.edu/ensembleauditions.php#operatab for more information... The fundamental purpose of Opera Workshop is the study and performance of opera. This semester's major project will be two performances of the second act of DIE FLEDERMAUS on March 4 and 5. Interested students are encouraged to contact Professor Potter (emailing him through opera@ucf.edu) to set up a meeting to discuss participation in the class. |
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| 10576 | MUO5505L | Graduate Opera Workshop | Face2Face | F 3:00PM - 5:00PM | Available |
| No Description Available | |||||
| 10225 | MVV1411 | Voice Ⅰ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
| This course is restricted to Music Majors - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... Depending on your degree path (and in some cases the seriousness with which you apply yourself to your study), you may be eligible for two, four, six, or eight semesters of applied voice lessons. In every case, we have precious little time to prepare you for the next step in your vocal future. It is my goal to help you achieve your highest potential during this brief time period. That is the concept which drives the ever-more-regimented program instituted in this studio. Each student must attend our voice studio class from 11:30-12:20 each and every Wednesday, and will be assigned one 50-minute individual lesson per week |
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| 10021 | MVV1873 | Secondary Voice | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
| This course is restricted to Music Majors - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... Depending on your degree path (and in some cases the seriousness with which you apply yourself to your study), you may be eligible for two, four, six, or eight semesters of applied voice lessons. In every case, we have precious little time to prepare you for the next step in your vocal future. It is my goal to help you achieve your highest potential during this brief time period. That is the concept which drives the ever-more-regimented program instituted in this studio. Each student must attend our voice studio class from 11:30-12:20 each and every Wednesday, and will be assigned one 50-minute individual lesson per week |
|||||
| 10229 | MVV2421 | Voice Ⅱ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
| This course is restricted to Music Majors - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... Depending on your degree path (and in some cases the seriousness with which you apply yourself to your study), you may be eligible for two, four, six, or eight semesters of applied voice lessons. In every case, we have precious little time to prepare you for the next step in your vocal future. It is my goal to help you achieve your highest potential during this brief time period. That is the concept which drives the ever-more-regimented program instituted in this studio. Each student must attend our voice studio class from 11:30-12:20 each and every Wednesday, and will be assigned one 50-minute individual lesson per week |
|||||
| 10233 | MVV3431 | Voice Ⅲ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
| This course is restricted to Music Majors - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... Depending on your degree path (and in some cases the seriousness with which you apply yourself to your study), you may be eligible for two, four, six, or eight semesters of applied voice lessons. In every case, we have precious little time to prepare you for the next step in your vocal future. It is my goal to help you achieve your highest potential during this brief time period. That is the concept which drives the ever-more-regimented program instituted in this studio. Each student must attend our voice studio class from 11:30-12:20 each and every Wednesday, and will be assigned one 50-minute individual lesson per week |
|||||
| 10471 | MVV3431 | Voice Ⅲ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
| This course is restricted to Music Majors - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... Depending on your degree path (and in some cases the seriousness with which you apply yourself to your study), you may be eligible for two, four, six, or eight semesters of applied voice lessons. In every case, we have precious little time to prepare you for the next step in your vocal future. It is my goal to help you achieve your highest potential during this brief time period. That is the concept which drives the ever-more-regimented program instituted in this studio. Each student must attend our voice studio class from 11:30-12:20 each and every Wednesday, and will be assigned one 50-minute individual lesson per week |
|||||
| 10236 | MVV4441 | Voice Ⅳ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
| This course is restricted to Music Majors - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... Depending on your degree path (and in some cases the seriousness with which you apply yourself to your study), you may be eligible for two, four, six, or eight semesters of applied voice lessons. In every case, we have precious little time to prepare you for the next step in your vocal future. It is my goal to help you achieve your highest potential during this brief time period. That is the concept which drives the ever-more-regimented program instituted in this studio. Each student must attend our voice studio class from 11:30-12:20 each and every Wednesday, and will be assigned one 50-minute individual lesson per week |
|||||
| 10239 | MVV5451 | Voice Ⅴ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
| This course is restricted to Music Majors - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... Depending on your degree path (and in some cases the seriousness with which you apply yourself to your study), you may be eligible for two, four, six, or eight semesters of applied voice lessons. In every case, we have precious little time to prepare you for the next step in your vocal future. It is my goal to help you achieve your highest potential during this brief time period. That is the concept which drives the ever-more-regimented program instituted in this studio. Each student must attend our voice studio class from 11:30-12:20 each and every Wednesday, and will be assigned one 50-minute individual lesson per week |
|||||
| 10546 | MVV6452 | Voice Ⅵ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
| This course is restricted to Music Majors - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... Depending on your degree path (and in some cases the seriousness with which you apply yourself to your study), you may be eligible for two, four, six, or eight semesters of applied voice lessons. In every case, we have precious little time to prepare you for the next step in your vocal future. It is my goal to help you achieve your highest potential during this brief time period. That is the concept which drives the ever-more-regimented program instituted in this studio. Each student must attend our voice studio class from 11:30-12:20 each and every Wednesday, and will be assigned one 50-minute individual lesson per week |
|||||
| Course Number | Course | Title | Mode | Date and Time | Syllabus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80862 | MUO3503L | Opera Workshop | Face2Face | W 3:00PM - 5:00PM | Available |
| Open to any UCF student (not restricted to music majors), the course does require an audition for first-timers... Auditions for Fall 2016 will be held on Tuesday, August 23 - see http://music.cah.ucf.edu/ensembleauditions.php#operatab for more information... The fundamental purpose of Opera Workshop is the study and performance of opera. This semester's major project will be an opera scenes program - performed on Friday evening, November 11 and Sunday afternoon, November 13. We will likely also start preparation of music for our Spring opera offerings, which is yet to be announced (waiting on some logistical details to be worked out). Interested students are encouraged to contact Professor Potter (emailing him through opera@ucf.edu) to set up a meeting to discuss participation in the class. |
|||||
| 80863 | MUO5505L | Graduate Opera Workshop | Face2Face | F 3:00PM - 5:00PM | Available |
| Open to any UCF student (not restricted to music majors), the course does require an audition for first-timers... Auditions for Fall 2016 will be held on Tuesday, August 23 - see http://music.cah.ucf.edu/ensembleauditions.php#operatab for more information... The fundamental purpose of Opera Workshop is the study and performance of opera. This semester's major project will be an opera scenes program - performed on Friday evening, November 11 and Sunday afternoon, November 13. We will likely also start preparation of music for our Spring opera offerings, which is yet to be announced (waiting on some logistical details to be worked out). Interested students are encouraged to contact Professor Potter (emailing him through opera@ucf.edu) to set up a meeting to discuss participation in the class. |
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| 81140 | MUS1250 | Ipa for Singers | Face2Face | M,F 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
| The course is restricted to music majors, but non-majors may contact the Professor to request admittance [prior to the first class meeting time!]. Its focus is on the application of IPA [the International Phonetic Language] to song and aria texts, and some singing may be required during the course, but this is not a class in which singing technique is discussed or taught. The fundamental purpose of this course is developing a familiarity and proficiency with the pronunciation, enunciation and cadence of English, French, German and Italian, especially as pertains to the singing of art songs and arias, facilitated through an intense study of IPA, a system for transcribing the speech sounds of any language. The course will include in-class study and discussion of IPA symbols and the execution of their sounds. Assessment will consist of reading, written and listening assignments, aural dictation, quizzes, and oral and written exams. Attendance to the class is mandated by use of a "daily quiz" (given in the first 5 minutes of the class) over the materials taught in previous class meetings. |
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| 80270 | MVV1411 | Voice Ⅰ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
| This course is restricted to Music Majors - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... Depending on your degree path (and in some cases the seriousness with which you apply yourself to your study), you may be eligible for two, four, six, or eight semesters of applied voice lessons. In every case, we have precious little time to prepare you for the next step in your vocal future. It is my goal to help you achieve your highest potential during this brief time period. That is the concept which drives the ever-more-regimented program instituted in this studio. Each student must attend our voice studio class from 11:30-12:20 each and every Wednesday, and will be assigned one 50-minute individual lesson per week |
|||||
| 80018 | MVV1873 | Secondary Voice | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
| No Description Available | |||||
| 80273 | MVV2421 | Voice Ⅱ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
| This course is restricted to Music Majors - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... Depending on your degree path (and in some cases the seriousness with which you apply yourself to your study), you may be eligible for two, four, six, or eight semesters of applied voice lessons. In every case, we have precious little time to prepare you for the next step in your vocal future. It is my goal to help you achieve your highest potential during this brief time period. That is the concept which drives the ever-more-regimented program instituted in this studio. Each student must attend our voice studio class from 11:30-12:20 each and every Wednesday, and will be assigned one 50-minute individual lesson per week |
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| 80276 | MVV3431 | Voice Ⅲ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
| This course is restricted to Music Majors - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... Depending on your degree path (and in some cases the seriousness with which you apply yourself to your study), you may be eligible for two, four, six, or eight semesters of applied voice lessons. In every case, we have precious little time to prepare you for the next step in your vocal future. It is my goal to help you achieve your highest potential during this brief time period. That is the concept which drives the ever-more-regimented program instituted in this studio. Each student must attend our voice studio class from 11:30-12:20 each and every Wednesday, and will be assigned one 50-minute individual lesson per week |
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| 80527 | MVV3431 | Voice Ⅲ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
| This course is restricted to Music Majors - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... Depending on your degree path (and in some cases the seriousness with which you apply yourself to your study), you may be eligible for two, four, six, or eight semesters of applied voice lessons. In every case, we have precious little time to prepare you for the next step in your vocal future. It is my goal to help you achieve your highest potential during this brief time period. That is the concept which drives the ever-more-regimented program instituted in this studio. Each student must attend our voice studio class from 11:30-12:20 each and every Wednesday, and will be assigned one 50-minute individual lesson per week |
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| 80279 | MVV4441 | Voice Ⅳ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
| This course is restricted to Music Majors - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... Depending on your degree path (and in some cases the seriousness with which you apply yourself to your study), you may be eligible for two, four, six, or eight semesters of applied voice lessons. In every case, we have precious little time to prepare you for the next step in your vocal future. It is my goal to help you achieve your highest potential during this brief time period. That is the concept which drives the ever-more-regimented program instituted in this studio. Each student must attend our voice studio class from 11:30-12:20 each and every Wednesday, and will be assigned one 50-minute individual lesson per week |
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| 80832 | MVV5451 | Voice Ⅴ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
| This course is restricted to Master of Arts [Music] degree students who have auditioned and been accepted into that major as voice principals - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... Each student must attend our voice studio class from 11:30-12:20 each and every Wednesday, and will be assigned individual lesson times – Master of Arts students receive one 50-minute lesson each week. |
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| 80584 | MVV6452 | Voice Ⅵ | Face2Face | W 11:30AM - 12:20PM | Available |
| This course is restricted to Master of Arts [Music] degree students who have auditioned and been accepted into that major as voice principals - see the Music Department website for information about auditions into the major, if interested... Each student must attend our voice studio class from 11:30-12:20 each and every Wednesday, and will be assigned individual lesson times – Master of Arts students receive one 50-minute lesson each week. |
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No courses found for Summer 2016.
Updated: Aug 20, 2017
