Sue Wallin

Susan Wallin, soprano, holds a master of music and bachelor of music in vocal performance from Kent State University. She teaches applied voice to music and theatre majors, voice class and singers' phonetics.

A native of Akron, Ohio, her sparkling coloratura launched a career with notable performances as Queen of the Night in "Die Zauberflöte" with New York City Opera, Oper Der Stadt Köln, Central City Opera and Opera Carolina to name a few. She has performed the tour de force role of Zerbinetta in "Ariadne Auf Naxos" with Arizona Opera and Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Yum Yum in "The Mikado" and Adele in "Die Fledermaus" with New York City Opera and Arizona Opera. She has also performed with the Kentucky Opera, Chattanooga Opera, Greensboro Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre, Opera Columbus and Opera Grand Rapids. Other roles include, Mabel in "Pirates of Penzance," Josephine in "HMS Pinafore," Nanetta in "Falstaff," and Despina in Cosi fan Tutte. With Opera Cleveland she performed in "A Little Night Music" and "Il Barbieri di Siviglia" as Berta to rave reviews.

Wallin has appeared with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Akron Symphony, Canton Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Ashland Symphony, Akron Baroque and Richmond Symphony. Works include, "Mozart’s C Minor Mass," "Fauré Requiem," "The Creation," "Lord Nelson Mass," "Bach Magnificat" and others. She made her Carnegie Hall debut as soprano soloist in the "Messiah" with The Masterworks Chorus under the direction of David Briskin. In 2016, she performed in the World Premier of colleague Peter Mowrey’s new opera Sangreal, as the Mad Woman/Grail Maiden and sang Exsultate Jubilate in New York City as part of the 100th Anniversary Celebration with the Wooster Symphony.

Awards include a $10,000 first prize at the MacAllister Awards, as well as first place with Opera Columbus and Metropolitan Opera Regional Auditions. Wallin won first place twice with both the Tuesday Musical Club Gertrude Pflaum Scholarship and the Akron Symphony Chorus John MacDonald Vocal Scholarship.

In 2017, Wallin joined the voice faculty at the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Performing Arts. She also owns a thriving private studio, West Side Vocal Academy in Akron. She previously taught at The College of Wooster and the Akron School for the Arts. Her students have been accepted into music theatre or music programs such as CCM, BWU, AMDA, NYU, Wright State, Michigan, Eastman, Northwestern, Berklee, Oberlin, UNC and more. Many have appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, national tours, Disneyland and regional and national theaters.

Since joining the National Association of Teachers of Singing in 2009, her college and high school students consistently win at NATS competition, as well as VOCI, the Schmidt Competition and Classical Singer. Wallin made her directorial debut in 2018 with "Bye, Bye Birdie," and "School of Rock" in 2019 at Weathervane Community Playhouse.

Recent accomplishments include performances with Akron Baroque, a unique collaboration with Verb Ballet and Chamber Music Society of Ohio, as soloist in "Ravel's Shéhérazade," creating and hosting the first Independent Voice Teachers Conference in 2018, and her students have won Best Actress at the Dazzle Awards in Cleveland for three consecutive years. Wallin was recently elected to serve a two-year term as vice president on the board of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Ohio Chapter.