Makeda Hampton
ABOUT -
Makeda Hampton
MAKEDA HAMPTON captivates audiences with her warm, shimmering soprano voice, gracing stages across the U.S. and Europe for the last 15 years. Makeda’s exceptional talent has led her to perform with some of the most esteemed institutions, including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Des Moines Metro Opera. Her recent solo debuts with the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey, University of Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Opera Baltimore, OperaDelaware, and the Long Island Concert Orchestra have only solidified her status as a premier soprano.
Alongside her stage performances, Makeda co-produced and performed a multi-genre cabaret show at New York City's renowned Feinstein’s/54 Below, demonstrating her versatility and commitment to pushing artistic boundaries. As a soprano in the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers, she performed alongside pop stars Coldplay and Jacob Collier on NBC's Saturday Night Live. She is also a vocalist in the Mushadirapamwe Singers, a group of classically trained singers from the Pan-African Diaspora that celebrates Southern African musical traditions. Makeda is the featured vocalist on the world-premiere recording, United Sounds of America – a symphonic work that blends the urban poetry of the Twin Poets with the music of Mark Hagerty.
Makeda has won several vocal competitions and honors, including a Grammy Award & Nomination for her performances with the Metropolitan Opera Chorus. Her impressive list of first-place wins includes the MIOpera Vocal Competition, the American Prize in Music, Montpelier Arts Center Classical Recital Competition, and the Austrian-American Society of Wilmington Music Competition. The 2016 first-place award in the University of Kentucky's 11th Alltech Voice Competition came with a full scholarship and fellowship, allowing her to pursue her doctorate. In recognition of her achievements, Makeda was inducted into the National Pine Forge Academy Alumni Association's “Fine Arts Hall of Fame" in 2020 and Oakwood University's “40 Under 40” alumni honor class in 2024.
Teaching has consistently been a fundamental aspect of Makeda’s career. With nearly 15 years of experience as an educator, she has held faculty positions at the University of Delaware, Oakwood University, Alabama A&M University, Kentucky State University, and participated in summer programs like the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. Her students, who have excelled in competitions, opera, musical theater, and popular music, are a testament to her strategic and comprehensive teaching approach.
Recognizing the need for equitable access to musical resources and networking opportunities, Makeda founded CodaSwitch Vocal Arts in 2020. This service aims to enhance the vocal performance skills of developing singers. The 2024-2025 term of CodaSwitch is dedicated to providing undergraduate voice majors from HBCUs with coaching, mentoring, and graduate school preparation, reflecting Makeda’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of artists.
Currently an assistant professor of music at Lincoln University (PA), Makeda earned her Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Kentucky, focusing on early-20th century African American poetry in Art Song literature. She holds a Bachelor of Music from Oakwood University and a Master of Music from Westminster Choir College, both in vocal performance and pedagogy. Her journey continues to inspire, as she dedicates herself to both her own artistry and the development of her clients and students.
African Romances Discography
African Romances
AFRICAN ROMANCES is an album that brings new life to a historic collaboration between composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. First published in 1897, their song cycle — titled African Romances, Op. 17 — is widely recognized as the first Black art song cycle to appear in print. This body of work represents an early assertion of Black creative partnership in classical music: a Black British composer and a Black American poet creating art song at a high literary and musical level in the late 19th century. The release also coincides with the 150th birthday of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, underscoring the urgency of revisiting and re-centering his contributions to vocal literature.
The album features Hampton in collaboration with two extraordinary artists, Tanyaradzwa Tawengwa (mbira) and Aurelien Eulert (piano), whose partnerships helped shape the soundscape and interpretive depth of the project. AFRICAN ROMANCES is both an artistic statement and an act of preservation. “This music is personal to me,” says Hampton. “After Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s untimely death, a lot of his vocal music faded from the repertoire, especially these 7 songs. AFRICAN ROMANCES is about restoring that voice to the center, and acknowledging the intellectual and emotional sophistication that Black composers and poets were bringing to classical music more than a century ago.”
Makeda Hampton’s recording can be found on your favorite streaming services, please visit Ms. Hampton’s website for more information and upcoming performances.