Rate My Professor Cory Renbarger

Cory J. Renbarger serves as Professor of Music specializing in vocal performance and opera, and Director of Bemidji Opera Theater at Bemidji State University, a position he has held since joining the faculty in 2012. His academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota (2000), a Master of Music in Voice from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (2002), an Artist Diploma in Opera from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (2004), and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice from the University of Minnesota (2010). Before arriving at Bemidji State, Renbarger taught voice at Houghton College and Luther College, and served as a graduate instructor of record at the University of Minnesota. During his doctoral studies, he was the official anthem singer for the Minnesota Wild hockey franchise.

Renbarger pursues an active performing career as a baritone, with extensive credits in opera, oratorio, and recital. Key opera roles encompass Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Tarquinius (The Rape of Lucretia), Marullo (Rigoletto), Alfio (Cavalleria Rusticana), Sharpless (Madame Butterfly), Sciarrone (Tosca), and Gianni Schicchi (Gianni Schicchi), performed with ensembles such as Florida Grand Opera, Dayton Opera, Opera Theater Festival in Lucca, Italy, Minnesota Opera, Lyric Opera Cleveland, Chicago Opera Theater, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, Ashlawn Opera, and Sorg Opera. Oratorio highlights include Mozart’s Requiem, national broadcasts of Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Creation, Fauré’s Requiem, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. In 2008, he achieved national semi-finalist status in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, performing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. His scholarly contribution includes co-authoring the book Musical Performance: A Comprehensive Approach: Theory, Analytical Tools, and Case Studies with Dr. Guerino Mazzola in 2011. As director of Bemidji Opera Theater, he has produced works such as Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Michael Ching’s Speed Dating Tonight!, Lehár’s The Merry Widow, Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief, and Amahl and the Night Visitors. Renbarger’s recital engagements feature collaborations like Boundaries and Borders: The Search for Identity (toured, presented at 2016 MUSCAN conference), Schubert’s Winterreise with Stephen Carlson (multiple performances, commercial recording 2022), and the premiere of Nathan Jones’ Three Ojibwe Stories (2017).