About me

Doug Culclasure, tenor, is a second-year masters student in the Maryland Opera Studio–an intensive performance program housed within the University of Maryland school of music. Culclasure is a student of Dr. Teri Bickham. He is also a graduate of the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University. Recently, Culclasure was honored as a District Winner of the South Carolina District and Encouragement Award Winner of the Southeast Region of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. This spring, Culclasure will appear as Fabian/David in Jake Heggie’s If I Were You with the Maryland Opera Studio and perform the tenor solo in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Choralis. Also this season, Culclasure will join Des Moines Metro Opera’s Apprentice Artist Program for Floyd’s Of Mice and Men performing as Pete and Curley (cover).

In the 2025-26 season, Culclasure appeared on the studio mainstage as Count Belfiore in Mozart’s early gem La finta giardiniera and as Fabian and David in Jake Heggie’s If I Were You. Previously with the studio, Culclasure portrayed Spärlich (and covered Fenton) in Nicolai’s Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor (April 2025) and created the role of Shadow Advisor in the workshop of Ashi Day’s The Fishwife (February/April 2025). Additionally, he has appeared in the UMD School of Music’s Bach Cantata series, singing the tenor solo in BWV 45, 81, and 161. Outside of the studio, Culclasure was recognized with an encouragement award at the 2025 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition (South Carolina District). 

In the summer of 2025, Culclasure joined Des Moines Metro Opera as an Apprentice Artist and was seen in the choruses of Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer, Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, and Janaček’s The Cunning Little Vixen. Additionally, Culclasure performed scenes from Le Comte Ory, L’italiana in Algeri (Lindoro), and Albert Herring.

While at Northwestern University, Culclasure was an active participant in OPUS (Opera Projects for Undergraduate Singers), a student organization that served as Northwestern’s all-undergraduate opera company. He served on the OPUS executive board for three years, serving two terms as PR/Social Media Chair and one term as Treasurer. With OPUS, he appeared as Florville (Il Signor Bruschino), Gernando (L’isola disabitata), Lamparilla (El berberillo de Labapiès), Vanderdendur/Crook/Chorus (Candide), and 6th Spirit (Cendrillon/Massenet). Also at Northwestern, Culclasure was frequently seen on the mainstage with Northwestern Opera Theater, starring as Ferrando in Così fan tutte and Harlequin in Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis. Also with Northwestern Opera Theater, he was seen in the choruses of Heggie’s If I Were You, Puccini’s La bohème, Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Handel’s Alcina. Also at Northwestern, Culclasure performed in a student project production of Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito in the title role and as Tom Rakewell in a recital performance of scene one of Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress. Culclasure performed with the University Chorale and Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensembles and appeared as a soloist in Janaček’s Otče naš and BWV 4. Outside of Northwestern, Culclasure was seen as The Magician in Menotti’s masterpiece The Consul with Third Eye Theater Ensemble and appeared as Monostatos/1st Armored Man/2nd Priest (Die Zauberflöte), Dr. Caius (Falstaff), and Flaminio (Il trionfo dell’onore/Scarlatti) with summer training programs in Europe.

Outside of opera, you’re most likely to find Culclasure riding roller coasters at amusement parks across the country, catching up on the Big Brother live feeds, or working on a foreign language. Culclasure has a passion for language education and has worked for many years as a counselor and instructor at the Concordia Language Villages Russian program “Лесное Озеро/Lesnoe Ozero” in Bemidji, Minnesota. In addition to Russian, Culclasure enjoys proficiency in Spanish and a working proficiency in Italian. Doug also speaks conversationally in French and has studied German, Dutch, Japanese, and Ukrainian. He is originally from Greenville, South Carolina.