Marlin Directory

Born in Texas, Dr. Ball began his vocal career at Baylor University, studying with master voice teacher Dr. John Van Cura, receiving his BM and MM in Vocal Performance.  Dr. Ball received a Performance Certificate from Boston University Opera Institute, and his DMA in Vocal Performance, Pedagogy and Literature from James Madison University.  During his time at JMU, Dr. Ball studied with world-renowned singer and pedagogue Kevin McMillan.  The title of Dr. Ball’s dissertation “The Development of a Fach System for the Tenor Oratorio Repertoire” is a comprehensive research document on delineating tenor voice types for over 180 roles in oratorio repertoire.  Dr. Ball has sung with many prestigious opera houses and theatres all over the world, including Ft. Worth Opera, Waco Lyric Opera, Opera North, Santa Fe Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Opernhaus Zürich and the Luzerner Theater.  He has sung over 35 opera roles with the universities, opera houses and theatres listed above, and in Europe sang over 250 performances in opera, musical theatre, and concert repertoire.  Dr. Ball was an Adjunct Professor of Voice at the University of Virginia from 2012-2016 and is currently the Director of Worship Music and Arts at Great Bridge United Methodist Church in Chesapeake, VA.  Dr. Ball is a member of the Virginia Chorale, which is the premier professional vocal ensemble in the Commonwealth of Virginia.