Lyric baritone, Brad Hougham was born and raised in Saskatchewan, Canada, where, with the influence of the CBC and an immensely supportive family, he developed a love for classical vocal music.  He studied music at the University of Saskatchewan, receiving a Bachelor of Music degree in performance with Great Distinction.  While living in Saskatchewan, he sang with the Saskatoon Opera Association and the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Festival.  Once he found himself earning money by singing, he developed greater ambition. In the fall of 1996, continued studies and professional aspirations brought him from Saskatchewan to New York City.

Mr. Hougham holds graduate degrees in vocal performance from The Mannes College of Music, and The City University of New York.  He has performed many roles with various companies, but among his favorites are:  Il Conte (Le Nozze di Figaro), Demetrius (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Mercutio (Roméo et Juliette), and Schaunard (La Bohème).  He sang at the Metropolitan Opera for eight seasons, and has appeared in their productions of Benvenuto Cellini, Fidelio, Götterdämmerung, Lohengrin, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Moses und Aron, Oedipus Rex, Parsifal, Tannhäuser, and War and Peace.

Mr. Hougham’s career goal is to make great music with great musicians, and he has had the fortune of working with some of operas most celebrated maestri, including James Levine, Valerey Gerghiev, Paul Goodwin, Jane Glover, and Richard Auldon Clarke.  He has appeared as a soloist in many notable venues (Avery Fisher Hall, Merkin Hall, and Brooklyn Academy of Music, to name a few).  He has worked with companies such as The Metropolitan Opera, The Aldeburgh Festival, Bronx Opera, Jarvis Conservatory, New Rochelle Opera, Manhattan Opera Ensemble, and he has been featured as a soloist on National Public Radio.  Mr. Hougham’s singing can be heard on two recordings: Rossini in Venice (Albany Records), and Soldier Stories (Mulatta Records), with the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, available at www.mulatta.org.

In addition to his busy performance schedule, Mr. Hougham is enjoying the reputation as a much sought-after vocal pedagogue and clinician. In the fall of 2006, he joined the full time voice faculty at Ithaca College School of Music.  Each summer, he travels to Spoleto, Italy, where he teaches voice at the Spoleto Vocal Arts Symposium, an international institute for vocal studies and opera performance. He has taught masterclasses and clinics in the United States, Europe and Canada, and maintains a private studio in New York City.