Praised for her “bright and passionate tone” (Houston Chronicle), soprano Gwendolyn Alfred made her Houston Grand Opera debut in a newly-commissioned work which landed her in the prestigious Texas Monthly magazine. Her Houston Symphony debut featured her as a soloist in their touring Summer Community Concert Series and she additionally sang the soprano solos in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (Houston Civic Symphony & Fort Bend Symphony) and Carmina Burana (Fort Bend Symphony). Her most notable opera roles include: Emeline (What Wings They Were), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Giulietta (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Magda (The Consul), Contessa Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro), Madama Cortese (Il Viaggio a Reims), Mrs. Gobineau (The Medium), Cinna (Lucio Silla), and Maria Corona (The Saint of Bleecker Street) with such companies as HGOco, Opera in the Heights, Miami Music Festival, and The Moores Opera Center. Alfred recently made her off-Broadway debut as a soprano soloist in the original dramatic work The Women Have Something to Say.

Dr. Alfred is an Assistant Professor of Voice at Texas Christian University. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Houston, Master of Music from Lamar University, and Doctorate of Musical Arts in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Houston. Her research on William Grant Still’s opera, Troubled Island, has been published in Black Americans in Higher Education: A Review or Social Science Research, Volume 8. Alfred has also published research on black women composers in the NATS Journal of Singing and has presented at the International Florence Price Festival. She has toured “The Black Female Composer” recital nationally and will soon be debuting her newly-curated recital, featuring contemporary black women composers, in Toronto, Canada. Her mission is to influence and build well-rounded musicians from diverse backgrounds with her love for a wide array of genres, and her eclectic experience with various musical styles.