2026 Virtual Adjudicators

Denise Milner Howell, mezzo-soprano, is a versatile performer whose work  spans opera, musical theatre, concerts, and recitals. Her singing has been 
praised as “superb” by Cleveland Classical. Ms. Howell has appeared as a  soloist with Cleveland Opera, Chautauqua Opera, the Kent/Blossom Festival, 
Nightingale Opera Theatre, Akron Symphony Orchestra, Akron Lyric Opera  Theatre, Akron Baroque, the Tanglewood Festival, Carousel Dinner Theatre, and 
the Buffalo Philharmonic.

Recent performances include the title role in Johnathan Dove’s contemporary  opera Pinocchio, Little Women (Meg), Amahl and the Night Visitors (Mother), 
Carmen (Mercédès), La cambiale di matrimonio (Clara), Robert Ward’s The Crucible (Rebecca Nurse), and the 2025 world premiere of The Higgler (Mrs.  Witlow). A frequent concert soloist, Ms. Howell has performed the alto solos in  Handel’s Messiah, Mozart Requiem, Bach Magnificat, Haydn Lord Nelson Mass, 
Verdi Requiem, Vivaldi Gloria and Duruflé Requiem. Additionally, Ms. Howell is  committed to the performance of new works by living composers, and has been 
heard at Cleveland Ingenuity Festival, The Cleveland Composers Guild, and New  to New York Concert Series.

Ms. Howell holds a bachelors degree in music education from from LIU Post, and a Master of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music. She has further refined her vocal and pedagogical skills through extensive study at the LoVetri Institute for Somatic Voicework™. Ms. Howell is a member of the 
National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and currently serves as Webmaster for the Ohio Chapter.

In addition to her performing career, Ms. Howell maintains an active private voice studio in Medina County, Ohio where she mentors and trains the next 
generation of singers and future music educators. Her students can be heard performing with regional opera companies and theatres throughout the United 
States, as well as on Broadway.