Christopher Puckett, D.M.A.

He/Him/His

Full-Time Faculty
Associate Professor

Phone: 801.832.2316

Email: cpuckett@westminsteru.edu

Office Location: Jewett Center ST A

Office Hours: T 01:00PM 03:00PM

Degrees

D.M.A. University of Missouri-Kansas City
M.M.U. University of Northern Colorado
B.M. Wright State University

About

A native of Dayton, OH, tenor Christopher Puckett has maintained an active career as both a performer and teacher over the last decade. Dr. Puckett made his professional debut as a member of the prestigious Gerdine Young Artist's Program at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, appearing as Wolfram in The Tales of Hoffmann. Other operatic credits include leading roles in The Turn of the Screw, Così fan tutte, Street Scene, Cendrillon, A Midsummer Night's Dream, La Sonnambula, Don Giovanni, Little Women, The Mikado, Le Nozze di Figaro, and Susannah. Equally at home in concert repertoire as on the operatic stage, Dr. Puckett has also performed roles in a variety of oratorios, including Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, Mozart's Requiem, Handel's Messiah, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Dubois' Seven Last Words of Christ, and Haydn's Missa in tempore belli. Dr. Puckett has a particular interest in the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and has frequently appeared as a soloist in performances of Bach's church cantatas. In 2016 he made his debut as the Evangelist in Bach's St. Matthew Passion as a part of the Southwest Area Choral Directors' Association Regional Conference in Kansas City, MO. A champion of new music, Puckett recently sang the role of Sergeant Edward Younger in the world premiere of Timothy C. Takach's oratorio We, the Unknown with the Heartland Mens Chorus of Kansas City, and also sang the Alabama premiere of Evan Mack's A Little More Perfect, a musical setting of Justice Anthony Kennedy's majority opinion in the ground-breaking SCOTUS marriage equality ruling. In addition to Bach, Dr. Puckett is an ardent interpreter of the music of Benjamin Britten, and also holds a particular interest in both the study and performance of the music of modern LGBTQ composers. As a teacher, Dr. Puckett has taught extensively at both the private and collegiate level. He served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at both the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. He was also an Adjunct Professor of Music at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, CO and Rockhurst University in Kansas City, MO. In 2017 he completed a residency as Visiting Artist-Teacher of Voice at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, MO, where he taught private lessons to both voice and musical theatre majors in addition to presenting a Master Class. Most recently, Dr. Puckett served as Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Voice Area at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Former students have gone on to performance careers at both the regional and national level, as well as careers in both music and theatre education. Dr. Puckett holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, a Master of Music degree from the University of Northern Colorado, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Wright State University.

Areas of Expertise

Tenor

Dr. Christopher Puckett