Makeda Hampton
Soprano
Delaware native Makeda Hampton is recognized for her warm and shimmering soprano voice. Dr. Hampton has studied and performed across the United States and parts of Europe, including Portugal, Spain, Germany, and Austria. Performances with the American Institute of Musical Studies, Tyrolean Opera Festival, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, New Jersey State Opera, Huntsville Youth Orchestra and Sinfonietta Nova Orchestra were all instrumental in launching her early professional career. In recent seasons, Makeda made solo debuts with the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey, University of Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Baltimore, OperaDelaware, and the Long Island Concert Orchestra, and has performed as an extra chorister at the Metropolitan Opera since 2019.
Dr. Hampton has won several vocal competitions and music awards, including a Grammy Award “Best Opera Recording” for her performance in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. She won first place in the 2020 MIOpera Vocal Competition, the Montpelier Arts Center Classical Recital Competition, and the Austrian-American Society of Wilmington Music Competition. In 2016, she won the sought-after first place award in the University of Kentucky’s 11th Alltech Voice Competition. A notable recognition is Dr. Hampton’s 2020 induction into the National Pine Forge Academy Alumni Association’s “Fine Arts Hall of Fame,” an honor shared with many nationally acclaimed African American artists.
From 2010-2016, Dr. Hampton was an assistant professor of voice at Oakwood University in Huntsville, AL, and has continued teaching and mentoring young singers. She has since taught on the voice faculties of the University of Kentucky, Kentucky State University, and the University of Delaware. Over the course of her years teaching vocal studies, Dr. Hampton recognized a need for music spaces that provide equitable access to resources, networking opportunities, and encourage freedom of cultural expression. In 2020, she founded CodaSwitch™, a consulting service that partners with arts and culture professionals, occupational voice users, and students on how to improve every aspect of their vocal needs. The 2022-2023 term of CodaSwitch is providing undergraduate voice majors from HBCUs with coachings, mentoring, and graduate school preparation.
Dr. Hampton earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Kentucky, where her scholarship focused on early-20th century African American poetry found in Art Song literature. She earned a Master of Music in voice performance and pedagogy from Westminster Choir College and a Bachelor of Music in voice performance and pedagogy from Oakwood University.