Doug Han
(Doughino)
Opera Coach | Italian Specialist
vocal coach specializzato nel repertorio italiano
available for recordings,
auditions, performances, coaching,
& masterclasses
«Chi son? chi son?»
I'm a NJ-based opera coach,
conversationally fluent in French and Italian,
with over 15 years' experience
focused almost exclusively on
the Italian repertoire from Mozart to Puccini.The primo ottocento «belcanto» repertoire
is a personal specialty of mine:
Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, Pacini, and Ricci.Wagner has long been on my periphery,
and now I'd like to gain full hands-on experience.
«Che cosa faccio?»
Currently I'm a
Metropolitan Opera
official List Hall audition pianist,Rutgers University
pianist co-adjutant,and freelance music-staffer
whose responsibilities run the gamut:
private coach, repertoire consultant,
language coach, prompter,
assistant conductor, chorus master
– as in the following highlight reels from La bohème
and my good-luck title Madama Butterfly –
pianist for performances, recordings, auditions,plus maestro delle nacchere (castanet maestro) for Carmen.Interested, available, and prepared to give masterclasses.
«E come vivo?»
Throughout the work process,
I offer maximum support to my singer colleagues.
They have ranged from young artist program candidates
– what satisfaction I gain from encouraging emerging artists! –
to Grammy Award winners
and Wiener Staatsoper Kammersänger
in Italy, Germany, South Africa, Canada, and the US.But who coaches the coach?
Fervent gratitude to the late great Barbara Conrad
– beloved mentor, champion, and friend –the late Kammersängerin Evelyn Lear,
incorrigibly feisty through days of coaching Strauss and Wagner,and my current guiding lights who keep encouraging me to stay the course:Patricia Kristof Moy, doyenne of French repertoire at San Francisco and Santa Fe Operas,Mo. Caren Levine of the Metropolitan Opera,Dawn Kotoski-Shicoff,and Kammersänger Neil Shicoff.
…«castelli in aria»…
Oddio, if I could play for the following international artists:Cecilia BartoliEleonora BurattoPatrizia CiofiCarmen GiannattasioGünther GroissböckAnnick MassisSaimir PirguDario RussoLudovic TézierSonya Yoncheva… and countless others.
Volere è potere!
…«la speranza»…
For six-plus years my operatic work life was on hiatus.
I needed to work full-time as caretaker for my family
… until one day when my services were needed no more.Once I started again travelling in the name of opera,
I kept meeting more and more people, mostly women,
who had survived the caretakers' journey
and whose experiences resonated profoundly with my own.That is one hell-of-an intense point of empathy.As time goes on, I can't help but wonder
if there's a call for me to address a wider audience
– as public speaker? as author? –
about that caretaking life, casting light on all those unforeseen corners,
and offering reassurance that hope, however hard-earned,
does exist through and after it all?If this holds any serious interest for anyone, please do not hesitate to
E - M A I L M E.
Artists featured in the video footage
on this site:
Michael Colman, bass
Christine Lyons, soprano
Nicholas Simpson, tenor
Abigail Raiford, soprano
Alexis Seminario, sopranoPhotography credit for headshot
at top of site page:
2021 Ken Alswang, At Home Studios
