Dr. Paula K. Patterson

Department

Music

Role: Faculty
Campus: Springfield

Postal mail

Missouri State University
Music
901 S. National Ave.
Springfield, MO 65897

Details

Education

  • EDD, University of Missouri-Columbia
  • MM, University of Texas-Austin

Teaching

  • MUS 153, 253, 353, 453, 653: Applied Voice
  • MUS 198, 298, 398, 498: Opera Workshop - Integrated Service Learning
  • MUS 398 and MUS 498: Junior and Senior Recital
  • MUS 272, 472, 672: Small Ensemble
  • GEP 101: First-Year Foundations

Research and professional interests

  • Musical Theatre
  • Song and Opera Literature

Mezzo-Soprano Paula Patterson made her European debut with the Spanish National Opera in Madrid as Feodor in Boris Godonov with Ruggero Raimondi. Since then, she has also performed leading roles with numerous American Opera companies including San Diego Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Ohio Light Opera, Texas Opera Theatre out of Houston, and Opera Carolina. She was a regional finalist and education grant recipient of the Metropolitan Opera auditions as well as a finalist in the San Francisco Opera Center, Chicago Lyric Opera and Pittsburgh Opera Center auditions. Paula studied voice and music education at Baylor University in Waco, Texas and taught Ear Training and Sight-Singing as a graduate teaching assistant at University of California at Santa Barbara. She graduated from Missouri State University with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a Performer’s Certificate in voice, completed a Masters of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied with Elizabeth Mannion and taught private and class voice lessons as a graduate assistant. Paula Patterson is well-known to Springfield audiences through her work in opera, theater, oratorio, and recitals. At Springfield Little Theatre, her roles included Eva Peron in Evita, Anna in The King and I, Maria in The Sound of Music, and Amnesia in Nunsense, and she appeared with Rudy Gatlin as Laurie in Oklahoma! in Branson. At the Vandervort Center Theatre, she performed in the musical revues of A Grand Night for Singing, The World Goes Round, and All Night Strut as well as The Cemetery Club.

Awards and honors

  • Faculty Summer Research Award, College of Arts and Letters, Missouri State University, 2009
  • Summer Faculty Fellowship, Office of the Provost, Missouri State University, 2008
  • Outstanding Performance Award, Landers Theatre, 1990
  • Semi-finalist-Loren L. Zachary Auditions, Loren L. Zachary, Los Angeles, California, 1987
  • 3rd Place-Gulf Coast District Metropolitan Opera, Metropolitan Opera Auditions, 1986
  • Regional Finalist-Merola Auditions, Texas, San Francisco Opera, 1986
  • 2nd Place Western Regional Metropolitan Opera, Metropolitan Opera Auditions, Los Angeles, 1985
  • Finalist-Chicago Lyric Opera Center, Chicago Lyric Opera Center for American Artists, 1985
  • Metropolitan Opera Education Grant Recipient, Metropolitan Opera, New York, 1985
  • Winner-Vocal Division-San Angelo Symphony, Hemphill-Wells Sorantin Competition, San Angelo, 1982