Michael Womack

• MM—Baylor University
• BM—Southwest Baptist University

Originally from Claremore, OK, Michael Womack is the Director of Theatre, Assistant Professor of Music & Musical Theatre, and Collaborative Pianist at Southern Arkansas University. He has previously worked at Baylor University, Southwest Baptist University, and Texas Tech University.

Mr. Womack is primarily a collaborative pianist, music director, and vocal coach/voice teacher. He has had the privilege of working with several renowned choral conductors including Rick Bjella, Jerry Blackstone, Kristina Caswell-MacMullen, Eph Ehly, Lynne Gackle, and Donald Neuen, serves annually as the pianist for the Arkansas Intercollegiate Choir, and is the current pianist for the Southwest Arkansas Chamber Singers. Since 2008, he has worked on over seventy opera and musical theatre productions. Some of his most recent collaborations are Daddy Long Legs, Dogfight, Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, The Last Five Years, Little Women, Next to Normal, The Spitfire Grill, and A Year with Frog and Toad. Mr. Womack’s voice students have been finalists and winners in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, MTNA Young Artist Performance Competition (Arkansas and South Central), and NATS Student Auditions (Arkansas, National, Southern, and Texoma).

As a champion of new music, Mr. Womack has had the privilege of premiering several new works, including John Ervin Brooks’ 7 Deadly Signs of Love, J. Todd Frazier’s medical opera Breath of Life, Edmund Hartzell’s Sonatina for Violin and Piano, and Dale Sakamoto’s So Pass the Hours and Le Petit Prince. He is also a founding member of the Trescendo Trio, a flute, saxophone, and piano chamber group that performs throughout the United States.

Mr. Womack is also dedicated to his research interests in chamber music, musical theatre song cycles, and the works of Stephen Sondheim. He has performed and given presentations at College Music Society Regional Conferences, Encuentro de Pianistas Costa Rica, Mid-South Flute Festival, National Flute Association, SHE: Festival of Women in Music, and Song Collaborator’s Consortia. He was also selected as a 2019 Collaborative Piano Intern for NATS’s prestigious intern program, where he studied with J.J. Penna and Kevin Wilson.

Mr. Womack holds an MM in Collaborative Piano from Baylor University and a BM in Church Music from Southwest Baptist University. He has also completed his certification as a Somatic Voicework™ teacher. He has studied with Jane Abbott-Kirk, Kae Hosoda-Ayer, Jeffrey Peterson, and Melinda Smashey-Jones.

Teaching Philosophy:
My goal as an educator is to connect to the whole student – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. My academic courses are driven by a focus on critical thinking, cultural and historical context, and analytical evaluation. As a voice teacher and music director, I assist my students in developing healthy body and mind connections with singing that will allow them to achieve personal and professional success. I believe that music and theatre are powerful tools for personal transformation that also nurture our sense of humanity. I am committed to helping my students find where their inspirations lie while still providing the skills and tools needed to imagine, trust, and respect their roles as citizen artists.