Dr. William Nield Christensen, tenor
Dr. Christensen holds the B.A., M.A., M.M. and the D.M.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara with additional vocal training at the School of Music at Indiana University, the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst Stuttgart, the Opernschule Stuttgart, and the Chor und Konzertverein International Operastudio Meran.
Dr. Christensen has studied voice with Donna Roll, Elizabeth Mannion, Carlos Montané, Luisa Bosabalian, Elizabeth Mosher, and James King. He has worked with Master Teachers Virginia Zeani, Warren Jones, Anne Epperson, Klaus Nagora, Jeanine Altmeyer and Martial Singher. Dr. Christensen has taught voice at the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of California at
Santa Barbara Summer Sessions Young Artist Vocal Institute, Westmont College, the School of Music at Indiana University, the Cate Preparatory School, and the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival.
Dr. Christensen is currently a member of the vocal faculty at the Key West Symphony Young Artist Program. Dr. Christensen has conducted Vocal Master Classes at the Interlochen Arts Academy, the Governor’s School of the Arts in
Virginia, the Key West Symphony Young Artist Program, and the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival.
A frequent soloist, Dr. Christensen has performed with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, the Fort Smith
Symphony, Brightmusic Society of Oklahoma, the Key West Symphony Young Artist Program, the Hawaii
Performing Arts Festival, the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, the Santa Barbara Choral Society, Grand
Opera Santa Barbara, Opera Santa Barbara, the Adriatic Music Festival, and the Würtembergishe
Philharmonie Reutlingen. He has sung many leading roles including the Tenor Soloist from Verdi’s Requiem,
Siegmund from Die Walküre, Don Josè from Carmen, Max from Der Freischütz, and Cavaradossi from Tosca.
In 2004 Dr. Christensen partnered with the Santa Barbara County Board of Education and The Children’s
Creative Project to form and co-direct a summer music camp for underprivileged and “at risk” elementary
school aged students. To date the Performing and Visual Arts Camp has provided core arts education to over three hundred underprivileged and “at risk” elementary school aged students in the Santa Barbara area.
Currently Dr. Christensen lives in Edmond, Oklahoma with his wife, Nancy and his son, Steffan.