Chris Turner, baritone, is a native of Pascagoula, Mississippi. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in church music and vocal performance, double majoring at the undergraduate level, from Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi. His Doctor of Musical Arts in voice performance with a minor in vocal pedagogy was earned at Louisiana State University under the guidance of Robert Grayson, a leading tenor at the New York City Opera for many years and a teacher to many accomplished professional and internationally well known singers such as Lisette Oropesa, Paul Groves, and Chad Shelton.  His post-doctoral study was in vocal pedagogy at the Eastman School of Music under the experienced tutelage of Dr. Robert McIver.

Turner also gained experience through the years having worked with legendary teachers and coaches such as Virginia Botkin and Harold Heiburg of the University of North Texas and the internationally renowned vocal pedagogue Richard Miller of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

Turner's performance experience in opera and musical theater is quite extensive.  A few examples of his performance credits include:

• Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro by Mozart

• Don Alfonso in Cosi Fan Tutte by Mozart

• Silvio in I Pagliacci by Leoncavallo

• Maletesta in Don Pasquale by Donizetti

• Figaro in Barber of Seville by Rossini

• Grand Chancellor Ping in Turandot by Puccini

• Neville Craven in The Secret Garden by Simon

Some examples of his oratorio credits include the baritone soloist in:

• Ein Deutches Requiem by Brahms

• Requiem in D Minor by Mozart

• The Creation by Haydn

• Messiah by Handel

• Elijah by Mendelssohn

• Mass in G by Schubert

• In Terra Pax by Finzi

• The Crucifixion by Stainer

• St. Matthew Passion by Bach

• Requiem by Duruflé

• Christmas Oratorio by Saint-Saëns

His professional affiliations include membership in the Texas-Oklahoma Chapter, and National Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the Texas Music Educator's Association, the Voice Foundation, and the International Phonetic Association.