Kevin Hanrahan
Tenor
Teaching Philosophy
Every singer is unique and has something to offer. My goal as a voice teacher is to help the student find their unique voice and move toward their desired goals, whether that be an opera singer, a recitalist, a teacher, a choir director, a musical theater performer, etc. I encourage my students to think critically about their art, to be independent, to find what it is they want to say in every performance, and to help them discover the vocal ability to realize that expression. By focusing on personal growth, musicianship, performance practice, and vocal technique, the student explores how to use their instrument in a way that will give them confidence in their vocal ability and allow them to be as expressive as they desire. I use research- and evidence-based methods along with an exploratory approach focused on the student’s own unique sensations and imagery to improve breath management, consistency of sound, ease of dynamics throughout the student’s range, optimization of resonance, ease of projection, and variation of color and flexibility for authentic emotional expression.
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Tenor Kevin Hanrahan has performed nationally and internationally in opera, oratorio, and recital performances. Some favorite roles have been Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Sam Polk in Susannah, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Alfred in Die Fledermaus, Harold Hill in The Music Man, and Harlequin and the Soldier in Viktor Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis. Dr. Hanrahan has performed the Mozart Requiem, Bach’s Magnificat, both sets of Mozart Vespers, Mozart’s Coronation Mass, the Messiah, Gounod’s St. Cecilia Mass, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and Dvorak’s Stabat Mater.
A frequent recitalist, Dr. Hanrahan has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and India. Highlights include Schubert’s Die Schöne Müllerin with fortepiano in Phoenix, AZ and Lincoln, NE, and Beethoven’s An die ferne Geliebte in Pune and Mumbai, India. Dr. Hanrahan has performed Brahm’s Liebeslieder Walzer, Barber’s A Hand of Bridge, and John Greer’s Liebesleid-Lieder Waltzes. Dr. Hanrahan has performed as a soloist with the Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh, the Lyric Opera Theater at Arizona State University, the Catalina Chamber Orchestra, the Arizona State University Chamber Orchestra, the Phoenix Bach Choir, the AIMS Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria, The Poona Music Society in India, Abendmusik in Lincoln, the McKeesport Symphony, the Lincoln Symphony, City of Prague Orchestra, the Chattanooga Symphony, the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra.
Dr. Hanrahan has worked with numerous influential conductors including Robert Page, Charles Bruffy, David Stocker, Bruce Chamberlain and Gunther Schuller, as well several esteemed directors such as Elizabeth Bachman, Rhoda Levine, Gregory Lehane and Graham Whitehead. Through his collaboration with composer Diana Blom, Dr. Hanrahan has performed and recorded her songs on multiple albums including Songs of Diana Blom, Art Songs of the Pacific Rim, which features songs by Diana Blom, Anthony Ritchie, Gwenyth Walker, and other composers from around the Pacific Rim, and Tangling with the Epic, a double CD which features songs by Diana Blom and Tyler Goodrich White and poetry by Kwame Dawes and John Kinsella, all under the Wirripang label, and is available for streaming on various streaming platforms like Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, Naxos, and etc.
Dr. Hanrahan has held teaching positions at Arizona State University, Scottsdale Community College, Grand Canyon University, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. As a researcher and teacher, Dr. Hanrahan has presented at national and international conferences including the National Association of Teachers of Singing National Conventions in 2006 and 2010, the International Congress of Voice Teachers (2009) in Paris, France, (2013) in Brisbane, Australia, (2017) in Stockholm, Sweden, and (2022) in Vienna, Austria, the Phenomenon of Singing International Symposium (2009) in Newfoundland, Canada, and the International Society of Music Education World Conference (2006) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, (2008) in Bologna, Italy, (2010) in Beijing, China, (2012) in Thessaloniki, Greece, (2014) in Porto Alegre, Brazil, (2016) in Glasglow, Scotland, (2018) in Baku, Azerbaijan, and (2022) in Brisbane, Australia. Dr. Hanrahan is also published in the Journal of Singing published by the National Association of Teachers of Singing and is a frequent reviewer for the Metropolitan Opera’s Opera News. He has given masterclasses/workshop sessions in India, New Zealand, and Australia. In addition to his research and concert presentations, Dr. Hanrahan is the founder of the Glenn Korff School of Music Voice Lab.
At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dr. Hanrahan is Professor of Voice and Voice Pedagogy and the Program Advisor for the PhD in Vocal Pedagogy degree. His students go on to continue their studies with assistantships at prestigious institutions such as the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and Northwestern University, with apprenticeships with Central City Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, and the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program at Washington Opera. They can be heard on the stages of opera companies such as Arizona Opera, Kentucky Opera, West Australia Opera, and Virginia Opera, among others.