Sequina DuBose

Sequina DuBose is a distinguished interpreter of contemporary and hybrid works, celebrated for her dynamic artistry across diverse genres. In 2023, she recorded B.E. Boykin’s poignant song cycle, Moments in Sonder, set to lesser-known texts by Maya Angelou, as part of WDAV's (89.9 Classical Public Radio) Recording Inclusivity Initiative. Her 2022 debut album, Blurred Lines: 21st Century Hybrid Vocal Literature, released on Albany Records, exemplifies her commitment to innovative repertoire.

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In the same season, DuBose debuted with the Virginia Arts Festival in chamber operas Companionship by Rachel Peters and Tales from the Briar Patch by Nkeiru Okoye, presented through the John Duffy Institute for New Opera. She also appeared as Donna Elvira in Eve Summer’s contemporary adaptation of Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Opera Carolina and returned as Clara in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess during their 2022–2023 season.

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Recent highlights include her 2024 debut as soprano soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Western Piedmont Symphony and as a soloist in Wynton Marsalis’ work All Rise with the Tulsa Symphony, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in the BOK Center’s commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre. In 2020, she performed in live-streamed concerts as part of Opera Carolina’s iStream Virtual Concert Series and collaborated with the Mint Museum in Voice and Vision Live at the Mint.

In 2019, Dr. DuBose premiered Elegy: In Memoriam of the Emanuel Nine by Leonard Mark Lewis, honoring the victims of the 2015 Emanuel AME Church tragedy. She also created the role of Philomena in the world premiere of the electronic chamber opera Nightingale and the Tower by Jason Treuting, Rebecca Comerford, Beth Meyers, and Grammy Award-winning artist Mikael Jorgensen. This groundbreaking work integrated neo-classical and electronic elements, highlighting the movement toward technology-driven hybrid operatic works.

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DuBose’s career features performances as an ensemble member and soloist in Kathleen Battle’s Underground Railroad: A Spiritual Journey at the Metropolitan Opera, performances as 4th Maidservant in Strauss’ Elektra with Michigan Opera Theatre (now Detroit Opera), and as Annie in Porgy and Besswith both Lyric Opera of Chicago and Royal Danish Opera. Her portrayal of Clara in the 75th Anniversary National Tour of Porgy and Bess earned critical acclaim, with the South Florida Classical Review praising her “lovely lyric soprano” and “stature as a figure of tragic grandeur.”

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Additional roles include Clorinda in Rossini’s La Cenerentola with Opera Memphis and Dicapo Opera, Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème, Rachel in Nkeiru Okoye's Harriet Tubman: When I Cross That Line to Freedom with American Opera Projects, and performances with Opera Company of Philadelphia and Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre Company.

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DuBose is also featured on several notable recording projects, including as a soprano soloist and ensemble member on Wynton Marsalis’s All Rise with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, released by Sony Music Entertainment in 2002, and as an ensemble member on Chandrika Tandon’s Shivoham – The Quest, released by Soul Chants Music in 2017.

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Equally adept in musical theater and spoken drama, Dr. DuBose has portrayed Cleopatra in Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, Lady in Blue in For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf, and Deena Jones in Dreamgirls. Her extensive touring includes engagements as a soloist with the American Spiritual Ensemble and with Chorale Le Chateau alongside Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in performances of Marsalis’ Abyssinian Mass.

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Dr. DuBose has been a finalist of the Kurt Weill Foundation Lotte Lenya Vocal Competition and a third-place winner of the prestigious American Traditions Competition. Through her artistry and versatility, she continues to redefine the boundaries of 21st-century classical and hybrid vocal literature.

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Sequina DuBose has served as the Director of Development for ArtsCentric an African-American-led theater company, since 2016. In this role, she has successfully coordinated with board and company members to write and submit grant proposals resulting in over $100,000 in funding to date. She continues to serve as a board member for ArtsCentric and is also the current Board Vice-President for The International Florence Price Festival, and a board member for the WDAV (89.9 FM) Advisory Board.

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Dr. DuBose serves as Assistant Professor of Classical and Contemporary Voice at UNC Charlotte and serves as Co-Coordinator of the Musical Theatre Certificate Program. Her research is centered on the impact of genre fusion and improvisation in 21st-century operas on vocal pedagogy and performance practice. Her interests span to include hybrid works that incorporate contemporary commercial music, musical theater, and music of the African diaspora.

DuBose received her bachelor’s degree in Music from Morgan State University, a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from George Mason University and an Artist Certificate in Vocal Performance from Manhattan School of Music. Dr. DuBose completed her doctoral degree in Vocal Pedagogy at the University of Maryland College Park where she was a member of the inter-departmental I.D.E.A. Committee (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) and studied with the late renowned opera singer, Carmen Balthrop. 

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DuBose continues her work as an arts advocate, educator, and administrator while maintaining an active concert and performing arts career. She is a member of the American Guild of Musical Artists and serves as faculty advisor for Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity.