Cody Medina, Bass-Baritone
In an age when both adaptability and specialization are highly valued, bass-baritone Dr. Cody Medina has proven that he comfortably fits both bills. Able to both perform and teach a myriad of vocal genres and styles, he has become one of the most flexible artists and pedagogues of the day.
On the operatic stage, Dr. Medina has performed with a variety of companies, including Houston Grand Opera, Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, Arbor Opera Theater, Cleveland Opera Troupe, Lamont Opera Theatre, and Indiana University Opera Theater. He has been featured in roles such as Méphistophélès in Faust (Gounod), Olin Blitch in Susannah (Floyd), Figaro and Antonio in Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart), Colline in La Bohème (Puccini), Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore (Donizetti), Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini), Falstaff and Herr Reich in Die Lustige Weiber von Windsor (Niccolai), Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte (Mozart), Escamillo in Carmen (Bizet), Frère Laurent in Romeo et Juliette (Gounod), Il Re in Aida (Verdi), Snooks in A Wedding (Bolcom), Achilla in Giulio Cesare (Handel), St. Peter in Too Many Sopranos (Penhorwood), Comte des Grieux in Manon (Massenet), the Colonel in Patience (Gilbert and Sullivan), Il Prefetto in Linda di Chamounix (Donizetti), the 5th Jew in Salome (Strauss), and Simone, Betto, Guccio, and Pinellino in Gianni Schicchi (Puccini).
Dr. Medina has also appeared as a guest artist with many orchestras, including the Carmel Symphony Orchestra, the Columbus Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hendricks Symphonic Society, the Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestra, The Rome Festival Orchestra, the Maud Powell Festival Orchestra, the Indiana University Philharmonic Orchestra and Oratorio Chorus, and the Lamont Symphony Orchestra. His solo repertoire with these orchestras includes Verdi’s Requiem, Brahms’ Ein Deutches Requiem, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, not to mention evenings of “Opera Heroes and Villains,” “Opera Hit Parade” selections, and tributes to American music.
As a pedagogue, Dr. Medina has an equally impressive pedigree. He holds Doctor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the prestigious Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, as well as a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. Dr. Medina also holds a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University. He has taught and co-directed the graduate opera workshop class with acclaimed soprano Carol Vaness and taught private secondary voice at the Jacobs School of Music, private studio voice and music history at Bellarmine University, and directed the Lyric Theater at Butler University. His time at these institutions has given him an opportunity to examine a very diverse cross-section of higher education as both a student and an instructor, thereby providing him a great deal of information when advising students who are either discerning entering higher education or who are already entrenched in academia.
Recently, Dr. Medina has built a very active studio in the Spring/The Woodlands, TX area, teaching voice, guitar, piano and song writing/composition. With students of all ages, who span various experience levels and personal musical goals, he works with people in genres that are not always fitting within the classically-driven, conservatory-style educational model. These genres include Broadway, country, gospel, blues, pop, rock, Disney show tunes and even some Latin fusion. Through the inclusion of these genres, he has aided the artistic endeavors of a much broader student base than those within the classical community, thereby serving the musical art in a much more wide-reaching fashion. Dr. Medina's students have gone on to earn full scholarships from schools such as Golden State University, Tulane University, and Brigham Young University
Originally from Beulah, CO, Dr. Medina and his family now reside in the greater Houston area. While he has had the fortune of gaining experience through a variety of opportunities and responsibilities, his most important roles to date came in April of 2010 when he and his wife Lindsay welcomed twin daughters, Harper Lee and Anne Marie, and in March, 2015 when they welcomed their third daughter, Piper.
On the operatic stage, Dr. Medina has performed with a variety of companies, including Houston Grand Opera, Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, Arbor Opera Theater, Cleveland Opera Troupe, Lamont Opera Theatre, and Indiana University Opera Theater. He has been featured in roles such as Méphistophélès in Faust (Gounod), Olin Blitch in Susannah (Floyd), Figaro and Antonio in Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart), Colline in La Bohème (Puccini), Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore (Donizetti), Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini), Falstaff and Herr Reich in Die Lustige Weiber von Windsor (Niccolai), Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte (Mozart), Escamillo in Carmen (Bizet), Frère Laurent in Romeo et Juliette (Gounod), Il Re in Aida (Verdi), Snooks in A Wedding (Bolcom), Achilla in Giulio Cesare (Handel), St. Peter in Too Many Sopranos (Penhorwood), Comte des Grieux in Manon (Massenet), the Colonel in Patience (Gilbert and Sullivan), Il Prefetto in Linda di Chamounix (Donizetti), the 5th Jew in Salome (Strauss), and Simone, Betto, Guccio, and Pinellino in Gianni Schicchi (Puccini).
Dr. Medina has also appeared as a guest artist with many orchestras, including the Carmel Symphony Orchestra, the Columbus Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hendricks Symphonic Society, the Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestra, The Rome Festival Orchestra, the Maud Powell Festival Orchestra, the Indiana University Philharmonic Orchestra and Oratorio Chorus, and the Lamont Symphony Orchestra. His solo repertoire with these orchestras includes Verdi’s Requiem, Brahms’ Ein Deutches Requiem, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, not to mention evenings of “Opera Heroes and Villains,” “Opera Hit Parade” selections, and tributes to American music.
As a pedagogue, Dr. Medina has an equally impressive pedigree. He holds Doctor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the prestigious Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, as well as a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. Dr. Medina also holds a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University. He has taught and co-directed the graduate opera workshop class with acclaimed soprano Carol Vaness and taught private secondary voice at the Jacobs School of Music, private studio voice and music history at Bellarmine University, and directed the Lyric Theater at Butler University. His time at these institutions has given him an opportunity to examine a very diverse cross-section of higher education as both a student and an instructor, thereby providing him a great deal of information when advising students who are either discerning entering higher education or who are already entrenched in academia.
Recently, Dr. Medina has built a very active studio in the Spring/The Woodlands, TX area, teaching voice, guitar, piano and song writing/composition. With students of all ages, who span various experience levels and personal musical goals, he works with people in genres that are not always fitting within the classically-driven, conservatory-style educational model. These genres include Broadway, country, gospel, blues, pop, rock, Disney show tunes and even some Latin fusion. Through the inclusion of these genres, he has aided the artistic endeavors of a much broader student base than those within the classical community, thereby serving the musical art in a much more wide-reaching fashion. Dr. Medina's students have gone on to earn full scholarships from schools such as Golden State University, Tulane University, and Brigham Young University
Originally from Beulah, CO, Dr. Medina and his family now reside in the greater Houston area. While he has had the fortune of gaining experience through a variety of opportunities and responsibilities, his most important roles to date came in April of 2010 when he and his wife Lindsay welcomed twin daughters, Harper Lee and Anne Marie, and in March, 2015 when they welcomed their third daughter, Piper.