A native of New Orleans , Thomas Jamerson holds Bachelors and Masters of Music degrees in voice from Louisiana State University, where he studied with Loren Davidson. After moving to New York, he continued his studies with Cornelius Reid.

A finalist in the Metropolitan Opera national auditions, Mr. Jamerson began his professional career with the Metropolitan Opera National Company and was a leading artist for 15 years with the New York City Opera, where he sang over 60 roles. He also performed with many regional opera companies and symphony orchestras, and in concerts from coast to coast as well as in South America, Mexico and Canada.

He is featured in the movie Foul Play with Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase, as well as on recordings of The Merry Widow with Beverly Sills, and La Traviata with Monserrat Caballe, Carlo Bergonzi and Sherrill Milnes . He has has worked with many of the top conductors and stage directors in the field of opera, including Tito Capobianco, Imre Pallo, Christopher Keene, Julius Rudel, Frank Corsaro, Sarah Caldwell, Nathaniel Merrill, Sergiu Comissiona, and Walter Susskind.

As a teacher, Mr. Jamerson emphasizes the importance of strong technique, consisting of coordination of the physical vocal instrument through good posture, good breathing, free vocal production and good diction.

“I work with my students to build a strong technical foundation through a legato style of singing involving a good balance of vocal registers, with emphasis on the upper registers, especially in the young voice. This is done generally through the study of classical Italian Songs and English and American Art Songs. Other repertoire may be used as well with more advanced students. The assigned repertoire must always be appropriate to the age and technical development of the student.”

In Mr. Jamerson’s studio, musical theatre pieces are sung with the benefit of a classical technique, thereby ensuring the greatest health and longevity of the voice – projecting without forcing. Each individual voice is allowed to develop at the appropriate pace, in a safe manner, with sufficient challenges being presented to keep the student engaged in the lessons, with the student gaining confidence in his or her instrument when performing.

Photo/Pinsky Studio