Courtney Carey

Courtney Carey is an American baritone, conductor, composer, and arts administrator with extensive experience in opera, concert, recital, choral music, and arts education. His work is grounded in the classical vocal tradition and informed by decades of experience as both a performer and conductor. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of Courtney’s Stars of Tomorrow, a New York City–based classical music organization through which he has produced orchestral, choral, operatic, educational, and recording projects.

As a singer, Carey has performed throughout the United States and Europe. He made his European operatic debut as Morales in Bizet’s Carmen with the Komische Kammer Oper München and has performed roles including Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Don Alfonso and Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette, and Belcore in L’elisir d’amore. He created the role of Lantello in the world premiere of Noam Sivan’s Fruits of Folia and has worked with conductors including Joseph Colaneri, David Effron, Joshua Greene, Matthias Kuntzsch, Jay Meetze, and Ted Taylor.

His concert repertoire includes Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem, Bach cantatas, Vaughan Williams’s Mass in G Minor and Fantasia on Christmas Carols, as well as the developmental presentation of Ricky Ian Gordon’s Intimate Apparel in collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera and Lincoln Center Theater. His experience as a conductor gives him an additional perspective on musical preparation, ensemble singing, phrasing, interpretation, diction, and the relationship between the singer and the score.

Carey is also an active composer and arranger whose choral works have been published by GIA Publications, The Lorenz Corporation, and Carus Verlag. His recording A Baroque Fantasy: Dialogues with Vivaldi, released by Navona Records, presents his original Stabat Mater alongside two vocal works by Antonio Vivaldi. His work as a composer, conductor, and producer allows him to help singers understand music not only vocally, but structurally, stylistically, and dramatically.

A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Carey earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Morehouse College, a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the Eastman School of Music, and a Professional Studies Diploma in Voice from Mannes College of Music. He works with singers seeking to strengthen their technique, musicianship, confidence, and ability to communicate through song.

I believe every voice is unique, and my role as a teacher is to help each student discover a healthy, expressive, and sustainable technique. Whether working with beginning singers or experienced professionals, I create a supportive, encouraging environment that balances technical precision with artistic exploration. Lessons are tailored to each student's goals, whether preparing for auditions, developing classical repertoire, building confidence, improving musicianship, or simply singing with greater freedom and enjoyment. As an active performer, conductor, and composer, I strive to help students become not only better singers, but more thoughtful, well-rounded musicians.