Deidra Palmour, the Professional

….is a celebrated American opera singer, pedagogue, and director. Being a national winner of the Metropolitan Opera, Baltimore Opera, Eleanor Steber, Loren L. Zachary Society, and NATS National Artists Awards competitions, launched her career as a leading American opera singer and recitalist. The LA Times has called her a “Dream Goddess….tossing off the yo-ho-to-hos with silvery ease.” She has sung major roles with thirty-six American opera companies, including the Metropolitan Opera where she was a cover for Siebel, five major roles with the Washington National Opera, including a production with Placido Domingo conducting, Houston Grand, Dallas, San Diego, Cleveland, Baltimore, Greater Miami, Long Beach, Pittsburgh, Florentine Opera of Milwaukee and Orlando operas. She made her international opera debut with L’Opera de Nice in France as Smeton in Anna Bolena, where later she sang Annio in a celebrated Pet Halmen production of La Clemenza di Tito with Schonwant conducting. More international singing ensued with productions for the Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hamilton Opera in Toronto, and Calgary Opera.

As a concert soloist, Palmour has appeared with the National Symphony singing Messiah solos, which she also sang with The Naval Academy Chorus and Orchestra in a nationally televised Christmas special. Appearances with the Baltimore Symphony, the KRO National Orchestra in Utrecht, Netherlands with Edo de Waart conducting, Washington Concert Opera, Houston Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, and Indianapolis Symphony had her singing in Carnegie Hall, Avery

Fisher and Alice Tully Halls at the Lincoln Center, the Academy of Music in Philadelphia in Symphony No. 8 of Mahler with the New York Choral Society and Robert Page conducting, and the Concert Hall at the Kennedy Center.

As a Pedagogue, Ms. Palmour has served on the faculties of the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, as Associate Professor at Baylor University, the AIMS Vocal Institute in Graz, Austria, The Catholic University of America, Morgan State University, Hood College, Grand Canyon University, and currently as Adjunct Professor of Voice and Opera at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. She is sought after for her performance of master classes where she teaches her special technique. Ms. Palmour most recently has taught masterclasses at WAAPA—Western Australia Academy for Performing Arts in Perth, Australia and Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois.

As a Stage Director, Ms. Palmour is Artistic Director of Three Oaks Opera Company, an organization that she founded in 2008 to meet the needs of students to perform in staged productions. The company has since grown to mount all-professional productions employing singers, orchestra, conductors, and stage personnel.  She has served this company primarily as stage director, but has served in practically every phase of production including musical coaching and preparation, set design (and construction!), casting, costuming, make-up and wigs, but most importantly stage direction. Three Oaks Opera has mounted productions in Virginia, Arizona, Illinois, Florence Italy, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  There is more information on the website: www.threeoaksopera.org.

On the director’s podium, Deidra Palmour as been Director of Music for Belmont United Methodist Church in Richmond, Virginia,  First Christian Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, and at First Christian Church in Bloomington, Illinois.

She has recorded two albums, Charles Martin Loeffler, Forgotten Songs and Charles Martin Loeffler, A Dream Within a Dream, with The Guilford Trio comprised of colleagues Noel Lester, piano and Noah Chaves, viola and herself. The CD’s were commissioned by Koch International Classics, Inc. to bring to life all the known works of Charles Martin Loeffler for voice, piano and viola. Fanfare magazine says, “…More’s the credit to the Guilford Trio for enabling us to hear some magnificent music…a major acquisition to the repertoire.” She also has a recording with Centaur Records called Purrfectly Classical, and a CD of operatic love duets with husband William Gorton recorded in the Czech Republic with the Moravian Philharmonic called When Love Goes Wrong.

Deidra Palmour, at Home

Currently living in Decatur, Illinois, Ms. Palmour is renovating a grand Victorian home built in 1884. This is clearly the most challenging performance she has ever undertaken! Complete with Carriage House and beautiful porte-cochere, this home was originally built for the mayor of Decatur and was home to a second mayor fifty years later.

Family

Ms. Palmour has one daughter and one step-daughter.  Cameron Conklin, her daughter, is Office Manager for Occidental Arts & Ecology Center and Co-Founder of Integra Collective.  She is based in West Sonoma County, California.  Dr. Kristen Conklin-Flank, her step-daughter, is a clinical psychologist and is married to Brian Flank, partner at Neuberger, Quinn, Gielen, Rubin & Gibber, P.A. They live in Baltimore, Maryland with their two sons, Charlie and Pierce.

Deidra is the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Dale Durham of Kerrville, Texas; and has three sisters who all live in Texas as well. Music was not just a big part of her family life, it was the family business! Her voice was given to her by her father, a tenor, who was music director in Baptist churches for sixty years.