Will Upham, tenor, born in Franklin and raised in Bedford, Indiana, is emerging as a versatile artist recognized for his keen dramatic instincts, vocal stamina, and deep commitment to storytelling on the operatic stage. He has built a diverse portfolio of principal and cover roles with leading American opera companies and academic institutions, marking him as a tenor of both promise and accomplishment.

In the 2024–2025 season, Will made a series of important professional debuts. He sang Herod in Salome with Union Avenue Opera—a role he first covered at Des Moines Metro Opera in 2024 while also performing as the First Jew. That same summer, he returned to DMMO to cover Steuermann in Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer. With Indianapolis Opera, he performed Action and covered Tony in West Side Story, continuing a growing relationship with the company, where he has previously appeared as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Donald Hopewell in Douglas Moore’s Gallantry, and the VA Psychiatrist in Veteran Journeys. At Indiana University Opera Theater, he performed Beadle Bamford in Sweeney Todd and helped create the role of Comrade Belka in the workshop premiere of Hennessy’s Swimming in the Dark. At The Glimmerglass Festival, he sang Benvolio and covered Roméo in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette.

On the concert stage, Will has appeared frequently as a tenor soloist. In 2025, he performed Jesus in Beethoven’s Christ on the Mount of Olives, the tenor solos in Beethoven’s Mass in C Major with The Masterwork Chorus in Morristown, NJ, and Uriel in Haydn’s The Creation at Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis. Other recent performances include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Carmel Symphony Orchestra, Puccini’s Messa di Gloria at Second Presbyterian, Schütz’s Musikalische Exequien with the IU Conductors Chorus, Schnittke’s Requiem with IU NOTUS, and Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil at Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas.

As an Education and Outreach Artist with The Dallas Opera (2021–2022), Will toured schools and communities as Nemorino in a shortened, English-language version of Donizetti's The Elixir of Love—an experience that continues to shape his artistic philosophy and his belief in opera’s power to connect across cultures and generations. He also had a chance to perform the role on the Winspear Opera House stage.

A dedicated teacher as well as performer, Will currently serves as an Adjunct Voice Instructor at both Anderson University and Taylor University in Indiana, where he teaches applied voice and mentors young singers preparing for professional careers and graduate study. His teaching is informed by his extensive stage experience and by a commitment to building healthy, sustainable vocal technique.

Will earned his Performer Diploma in Voice from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, studying with Peter Volpe. He holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Southern Methodist University, where he studied with Clifton Forbis, and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from DePauw University, where he trained under Caroline Smith. He has been recognized with numerous awards, including Indiana Resident Winner of the Heartland Sings Vocal Competition (2024), the Jimmy and Kay Garrison Student Grand Prize at the Orpheus Vocal Competition (2023), the Roy and Sue Johnson Opera Theatre Award at SMU (2022), and Concerto Competition Winner at DePauw University (2020). He was also a semifinalist in the American Pops Orchestra’s NextGen Competition (2020) and held multiple performance fellowships and assistantships throughout his graduate studies.

In addition to his artistic and academic pursuits, Will is active as a church musician, most recently serving as a Tenor Section Leader at Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis under Dr. Michelle Louer.

Will is represented by Atwater Reed Artists, who support his expanding professional career. Grounded in his Indiana roots, he balances a career that spans the country with a passion for investing in his home community through teaching, outreach, and mentorship. His artistry reflects both the discipline of his training and the honesty of his personal journey, making him a singer equally at home in the concert hall, the opera house, and the classroom.