Dr. Joseph Perniciaro

Phone: (785) 628-5329
Email: jcperniciaro@fhsu.edu

Dr. Joseph Perniciaro, tenor, has sung with opera companies across the United States, including the Wichita Grand Opera, New Orleans Opera, Opera Southwest (Albuquerque), Longview Opera (Texas), Pensacola Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Shreveport Opera, Houston’s Moores Opera Center and Opera in the Heights, and Des
Moines Metro Opera. His repertoire is as extensive as it is varied, encompassing operas from Monteverdi, Mozart, Puccini, Verdi, and Strauss to late twentieth century operas by Benjamin Britten, Douglas Moore, and John Corigliano.

His recital and concert repertoire is equally diverse. His first Doctoral recital, April 2002,
at the Louisiana State University was recorded and broadcast on Louisiana Public Radio.
Of his first faculty recital at Fort Hays State University (April 2006), a reviewer from The
Hays Daily News noted, “…he displayed superb vocal skills as well as formidable
dramatic talent and a gift for languages.” He has been heard recently as a soloist in
Handel’s Messiah and Mozart’s Requiem.

He has discussed opera and vocal music on High Plaines Public Radio’s “Monday with
the Maestro” and will be featured again this season. He also contributed and consulted on
Italian and Spanish International Phonetic Alphabet transcriptions for the recently
published (Fall 2006) A Chanticleer Christmas (Hinshaw Music, Inc.)

He is currently Artist-Teacher of Voice and Director of Opera at Fort Hays State
University where he has served since Fall 2005. As Director of Opera he is administrator,
producer, stage director, and musical coach for all productions and performances. His
directing credits include a successful new production of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas,
which brought in over 50% more revenue than recent productions. Dr. Perniciaro also
directed the Kansas and regional premieres of Robert Nelson’s Tickets, Please and an
updated version of W. A. Mozart’s The Impresario. This season featured Samuel
Barber’s A Hand of Bridge and Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Medium. Other credits include
excerpts from J. Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, Menotti’s
The Medium and Bizet’s Carmen. Before arriving at Fort Hays State University, Dr.
Perniciaro taught applied voice, diction, and directed the opera workshop at Wartburg
College in Waverly, Iowa.

In February 2008, Dr. Perniciaro was selected as a YOUNG LEADER’S AWARD
WINNER by the Board of Directors of the National Association of Teacher’s of Singing
and the NATS Foundation. As an adjudicator, he is in high demand in Kansas and
Missouri and maintains an active private voice studio with students from Hays and
surrounding areas. His students have been regional NATS winners and semi-finalists,
Federated Music Club Scholarship winners, Hays Symphony Orchestra Concerto
Competition Concerto Competition 2nd Place Winner, NAFTGER Young Artist
competitors, Kansas Region and State Choir members and have received superior ratings
at the Kansas Regional and State Solo Contest at the high school level. His students have
participated in the Cedar Rapids Opera Young Artist Program and the Johanna Meier
Summer Opera Institute.

Dr. Perniciaro is a cum laude graduate of Simpson College with a Bachelor of Music in
Vocal Performance, an honors graduate of the University of Houston with a Master of
Music in Vocal Performance degree, and received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree,
also in performance, from the Louisiana State University in 2007.

He is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda International Music Honor Society, College Music
Society, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

Upcoming engagements include debuts with the Salina Symphony debut as the tenor
soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and the Mid-Kansas Symphony as the tenor
soloist in Mozart’s Vesperae Solennes and Bach’s Magnificat.

Student Performances