Profile
Dr. DeMar Austin Neal, IV is a critically acclaimed baritone and voice teacher whose academic work includes courses in music history, literature, and theory. Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, his career also spans conducting, stage direction, arranging, and research.
Dr. Neal enjoys a diverse performance career with regular engagements in opera, operetta, music theater, concert, and choral organizations across the United States and abroad. He has appeared as a soloist with the North Carolina Opera, Palm Springs Opera Guild, GLOW Lyric Theatre,, the Raleigh and North Carolina Symphonies, and the Tiber Sinfonia Festival. Favorite roles include Papageno, Junius, the Modern Major General, and King Herod. He is also a founding member of the classical quartet VOX, featured on the 10th Anniversary Season of NBC’s America’s Got Talent. Additional ensemble credits include the NC State Choral Scholars, Duke University Evensong Choir, North Carolina Master Chorale, and Voices of a New Renaissance.
As an educator, Dr. Neal serves in multiple capacities. He is an Associate Professor of Music at Wake Technical Community College, where he teaches music appreciation and the history of rock music. He also teaches at North Carolina State University and Meredith College, offering private voice lessons as well as courses in lyric diction, music literature, history, and theory, in addition to directing ensembles. His scholarship includes presenting his doctoral treatise, The Song Cycles for Baritone and Piano by Jake Heggie, and lectures on topics such as “How (Not) to Ruin Your Voice,” “Warm Ups That Work,” and “Practica Maxima!” at the SoJam and Boston Sings A Cappella festivals.
Dr. Neal is an active member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), where he served two consecutive terms as National Vice President for Workshops. At the state level, he has held multiple leadership roles on the Executive Board of the North Carolina District, including Secretary, Vice President/Auditions Coordinator, President, and District Governor, and has also coordinated district events and adjudicated student auditions at the district, regional, and national levels, including the NATS Artist Awards.
Dr. Neal’s additional interests include arranging, stage direction, and conducting. His a cappella arrangements have been featured on the Best of College A Cappella (BOCA) and SING compilation albums. He has worked as an assistant stage director for the International Young Artists Project and created and directed his own Mozartean pastiche, A Prelude to Romance, for the Meredith College Opera Workshop. His conducting credits include a 2014 debut with Britten’s Albert Herring at Meredith College, guest conductor of the 2015 Chatham All-County Choral Festival, and director of the Northern Wake Tech Chorus in Raleigh.
Dr. Neal holds degrees in vocal performance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Boston Conservatory, and Florida State University. He also holds specialist certifications in Vocology from the National Center for Voice and Speech (University of Utah) and in Commercial Contemporary Music Vocal Pedagogy from Shenandoah Conservatory.
Website: www.demarneal.com
Instagram: @demarnealbaritone
Academic Credentials
M.M. – vocal performance, The Boston Conservatory; D.M. – vocal performance, Florida State University
B.M. – vocal performance, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill