A native of Bremen, Ohio, Dr. Raymond Feener has performed throughout the United States, Holland, Austria, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, and Italy. Raymond made his professional stage debut in 1995 with the Columbus Light Opera as Giuseppe in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers, his international debut with the Opera Theatre of Lucca in Lucca, Italy in 1998 in the title role of Giuseppe Gazzaniga’s version of Don Giovanni. Since that time, he has made a home in the operatic, oratorio, concert and art song repertoire, and is known for his beautiful lyric voice and outstanding acting ability. Examples of his operatic repertoire ranges from Figaro in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Escamillo in Bizet’s Carmen, Marcello in Puccini’s La Bohème to the Man with a Shoe Sample Kit in Argento’s Postcard from Morroco, Silvio in Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci, and Strephon in G & S’s Iolanthe. In 2000 he was accepted into the Sarasota Opera, Studio Artist Program, where he sang the role of Fiorello in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and covered the role of Zurga in Les Pecheurs de Perles. That same year, Raymond was also accepted into the Lake George Opera Festival Apprentice Program where he had the opportunity to work with Maestro Daniel Beckwith, stage director Mark Verzatt, and Metropolitan Opera coach Craig Ruttenburg. In 2003 Dr. Feener was selected as one of the twelve, interns for the prestigious NATS Internship in Fredonia, New York, where he had the opportunity to work with several master teachers including Jerrold Pope and Judith Nicosia. He has also had the opportunity to perform in Master Classes with the world’s top operatic performers, Stanford Olsen, Phyllis Curtin, and Marilyn Horne. His solo, concert, and recital work has taken him across the United States, as well as internationally to the Vianden Summer Music Festival in Luxembourg, the Varna International Summer Music Festival in Bulgaria, and to The Netherlands where he was invited to perform for the 40 th Anniversary of N.A.T.O. in Brunssum, Holland in 2008. He has also had the opportunity to perform his lecture recital entitled, The Evolution of Everyman, at the Hawaii International Conference on Arts & Humanities. This recital is his own lecture and multi-media, semi-staged production of Frank Martin’s work, Sechs Monologue aus Jedermann, using his own English translation as well as text from Hugo von Homannstahl’s play, Jedermann. From 2001 to 2005 Dr. Feener served as Assistant Professor of Voice at Ohio University where he taught Applied Voice, Opera Workshop, and directed the 80 voice male ensemble, The Singing Men of Ohio. Dr. Feener has served on the voice faculty for many top summer music festivals such as the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, Bay View Summer Music Festival in Bay View, Michigan, the Vianden Summer Music Festival in Luxembourg, the Varna International Music Festival in Bulgaria, and currently at the Sun Valley Summer Music Festival, in Sun Valley, Idaho. Raymond received his Bachelor’s degree in Choral Education and Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from the Ohio University School of Music. He earned his doctoral degree from the Florida State University School of Music in Vocal Performance/Opera Emphasis. While attending FSU, he was awarded the Gallagher Memorial Award for outstanding performance and academic achievement. Over his 25 years of teaching, his students have found a great deal of success in the professional world, being accepted into top apprentice programs such as Sarasota Opera, Merola Opera Program, Wolf Trap Opera, Seagle Music Festival, Des Moines Opera, Saratoga Music Festival, Portland Opera Resident Artis Program, the Kansas City Lyric Opera Young Artist Program, as well as performing at the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Bayerische Staatsoper, and the professional a cappella male ensemble, Cantus. Dr. Feener is currently an Associate Professor of Voice and Chair/Coordinator of the Vocal Studies Area at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music.