Chair, Department of Music and Theater
[email protected]
304-336-8930 (secretary)
Soprano Linda Cowan holds the Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Indiana State University, and the Doctor of Musical Arts from Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts, where she studied with Judith Nicosia and Faith Esham.
She has had many opportunities to perform in the genres of opera, musical theater, theater, oratorio, and the concert hall. Some of her major roles have included the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, Micaela in Carmen, Ariel in Shakespeare’s Tempest, Bellamy in The Fantasticks, M’Lynn in Steel Magnolias, the Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods, and Domina in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Her directing experience includes the musicals Mame, The ThreePenny Opera, and most recently Seussical. She served as vocal director for West Liberty productions of Scrooge, Godspell and A Little Night Music. She held the dual roles of performer and music director for three summers at the ISU Summer Stage Cabaret, an Actors Equity company.
Dr. Cowan made her New York City debut singing the Brahms Requiem at the church of St. Luke’s in the Fields in Greenwich Village. Other oratorio performances include Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Haydn’s Creation, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, the Durufle and Mozart Requiems, Handel’s Messiah and Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ. She has concertized extensively in NJ, IN, PA and West Virginia.
At West Liberty, Dr. Cowan teaches private and class voice, diction, and musical theater/opera workshop classes. She also maintains a small private voice studio consisting of some of the area’s top high school voice students.