Christopher Michel
Christopher Michel, MM
Associate Professor of Voice
GPAC, 220A | 936.294.1379 | cmichel@shsu.edu
Division | Voice
Lyric baritone Christopher Michel serves as Associate Professor in the School of Music at Sam Houston State University, where he is widely recognized for his dynamic teaching and artistic leadership. He also serves on the voice faculty of the Accademia Vocale Lorenzo Malfatti in Lucca, Italy, and the Houston Grand Opera High School Voice Studio, extending his mentorship to emerging vocalists at both international and pre-professional levels. Professor Michel’s commitment to vocal excellence and personalized pedagogy has helped cultivate a studio known for producing exceptional talent.
Over the past ten years, more than 40 of his students have reached finalist status in the TEXOMA Regional Competition of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). In 2014, two students from his studio were invited to perform in the National Opera Association Aria Competition in New York City. His former students have gone on to graduate studies at esteemed institutions including the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Rice University, Manhattan School of Music, University of Tennessee, University of Houston, University of Alabama, and Baylor University. Their professional credits include engagements with Houston Grand Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, Sarasota Opera, Opera in the Heights, Lone Star Lyric Opera, Syracuse Opera, and Des Moines Metro Opera.
A versatile and expressive performer, Professor Michel maintains an active career in opera, oratorio, concert repertoire, and art song. He has appeared on operatic and concert stages throughout Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia. Recent performances include Mozart's Requiem with Mercury Baroque Orchestra and a solo tour of Italy with the Cypress Creek Chorale, which culminated in an audience with Pope Francis. Other notable appearances include Haydn’s The Creation and Lord Nelson Mass, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah. His operatic credits feature leading roles such as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, the Count in Le nozze di Figaro and The Secret Marriage, Danilo and Count Cascada in The Merry Widow, and Don Alhambra in The Gondoliers.
An active member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Professor Michel has served in numerous leadership positions, including TEXOMA Region Auditions Chair, Vice President of Workshops, Secretary, and President of the Greater Houston Chapter. He is frequently sought after as a guest clinician and adjudicator, and his students consistently win honors at both district and regional levels of NATS competition.
Before his appointment at SHSU, Professor Michel served as Director of Opera Theatre at the University of Alabama. There, he was awarded a generous grant from the Alabama Council on the Arts to support productions of The Old Maid and the Thief, The Medium, and An Afternoon of Operatic Vignettes. While pursuing doctoral studies at Florida State University, he was recognized with the 1999–2000 Outstanding Teaching Associate Award, a distinction given for excellence in collegiate instruction.
He holds a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Baylor University. His vocal training has been shaped by distinguished teachers, including Barbara Clark, Joyce Farwell, Stanford Olsen, Roy Delp, Jack Coldiron, Robin Rice, and Karen Peeler.