Sequina DuBose

Faculty Research Connections Profile

Dr. Sequina DuBose serves as Assistant Professor of Classical and Contemporary Voice and Coordinator of the Musical Theatre Certificate Program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her research focuses on performance practice and pedagogy for 21st-century hybrid vocal literature. She has presented her research at the NATS Summer Workshop, the Music by Women Festival, the 2nd International Scientific and Practical Conference (virtual, Azerbaijan National Conservatory), the Association for Theatre in Higher Education conference, The International Congress of Voice Teachers (Toronto, Canada), and through several masterclasses and lecture-recitals with academic institutions and conferences nationwide. Her interests include hybrid works that fuse classical music with contemporary commercial music, musical theatre, folk music traditions, and music of the African diaspora.

An interpreter of contemporary and hybrid works, Dr. DuBose recently recorded composer B.E. Boykin’s provocative song cycle, Moments in Sonder, set to lesser-known text by Maya Angelou, as part of the WDAV (89.9 Classical Public Radio) Recording Inclusivity Initiative in 2023. In 2022, she launched her debut album, Blurred Lines: 21st Century Hybrid Vocal Literature, on the Albany Records label. Highlights of her 2024-2025 season include her debut as soprano soloist in André Thomas’ Mass: A Celebration of Joy and Love with the Charlotte Master Chorale and as soprano soloist in Carmina Burana with the Western Piedmont Symphony.

Dr. DuBose has made notable role debuts, including Donna Elvira in Eve Summer’s modern adaptation of Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Opera Carolina and Clara in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess during the 2022-2023 season. She also premiered two chamber operas with the Virginia Arts Festival: Companionship by Rachel Peters and Tales from the Briar Patch by Nkeiru Okoye. Other significant engagements include performances with Michigan Opera Theatre (now Detroit Opera), Tulsa Symphony, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Royal Danish Opera, and Ojai Youth Opera Company. She has performed as a soloist and ensemble member with Kathleen Battle in Underground Railroad: A Spiritual Journey in a U.S. tour that culminated in a performance at the Metropolitan Opera.

A versatile actress and crossover artist, Dr. DuBose has performed Off-Broadway as Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra and in regional theatre productions as Lady in Blue in For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf, Chloe in 7:32, The Musical (New York Musical Theater Festival), and Deena Jones in Dreamgirls. She has also appeared in Most Happy Fella and Showboat with Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre Company.

With a commitment to contemporary works, Dr. DuBose has premiered significant pieces, including Elegy: In Memoriam of the Emanuel Nine by Leonard Mark Lewis in 2019, dedicated to the victims of the Emanuel AME Church tragedy. She also created the role of Philomena in the world premiere of the electronic chamber opera Nightingale and the Tower by Jason Treuting, Rebecca Comerford, Beth Meyers, and Mikael Jorgensen, integrating technology and acoustic instruments to explore innovative storytelling.

Dr. DuBose is an active concert soloist, performing with prestigious ensembles such as The American Spiritual Ensemble (Dr. Everett McCorvey, Dir.) and Chorale Le Chateau (Damien Sneed, Dir.). She was a featured soloist in Wynton Marsalis’ Abyssinian Mass with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and performed as soprano soloist with the Tulsa Symphony in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre.

An avid arts advocate, Dr. DuBose serves as Board Vice-President of The International Florence Price Festival, a founding board member and current Board President of Baltimore-based theatre company ArtsCentric, and a member of the Community Advisory Board of WDAV 89.9 FM Classical Public Radio.

A Detroit native, Dr. DuBose earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Morgan State University, a Master of Music degree from George Mason University, and an Artist Certificate from Manhattan School of Music. She completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Pedagogy at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she studied with the late renowned opera singer Carmen Balthrop. Dr. DuBose continues her work as an arts advocate, educator, and performer while maintaining an active concert and performing arts career. She is a member of the American Guild of Musical Artists and faculty advisor for Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity. For more information, visit www.SequinaDuBose.com.