Dr. Lori Celeste Hicks; classically trained soprano, composer, voice coach, professor, and owner of LCH Studios, has moved audiences with her warm voice, magnetic personality, spiritual arrangements and soulful compositions.  Her training, research, and passion have allowed Dr. Hicks to embark upon numerous projects in the areas of Black Music and African American Repertoire. 

 

As the creator of the “5S Vocal Method” Dr. Hicks has presented numerous workshops and masterclasses on healthy singing techniques and exercises to singers and speakers of all ages, vocal styles, and skill sets, particularly in Gospel and Musical Theater.

 

Her lecture workshop, “From The Black Church To The Opera Stage: Transforming Students from the Gospel Belt to The Classical Sound” presented at the 2018 National Association Of Teachers of Singing (NATS) National Conference.  Her recital series, “Music of My Voice: A Portrayal of the African American Experience through Classical Music: In Stage, Song, and Spirit” is a multimedia presentation of songs and arias by black composers which continues to be performed at universities and churches all over.

 

Her debut CD, “Music Of My Voice” released In 2014, is a collection of spirituals and songs all composed, arranged, and performed by Dr. Hicks.  2011 marked a pivotal year for Dr. Hicks, becoming the youngest composer commissioned by the Negro Spiritual Scholarship Foundation (NSSF), and making her much-anticipated Carnegie Hall debut, singing Robert Ray’s Gospel Mass.   Since, she has returned to the Carnegie Hall stage with the professional voices of the EXIGENCE ensemble and the SPHINX organization. 

 

Dr. Hicks has performed title roles with several opera companies such as Arbor Opera, La Musica Lirica, Asheville Opera, and Opera Theater of Pittsburgh where she debuted as Bess in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess in 2009. 

 

A native of Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Hicks holds a Bachelors of Music Education from Kentucky State University, a Masters of Music from Bowling Green State University, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.