Award Winning Educator
Dr. Justin John Moniz currently serves as Associate Director of Vocal Pedagogy and Music Assistant Professor of Vocal Performance at New York University’s (NYU) Steinhardt School, where he teaches courses in pedagogical theory and practice, applied voice, and supervises the graduate vocal pedagogy program. Prior to joining the NYU faculty, Dr. Moniz served as Chair of Vocal Studies at Millikin University and Visiting Instructor at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
Highly regarded as one of the preeminent teachers of classical and contemporary commercial music, Moniz’s current and former students have performed on Broadway, off-Broadway, on national and international tours, in regional theaters and opera houses, on national television (including The Voice: Season 15), and in bands touring throughout the United States. In great demand for his presentations and master classes on classical, commercial, and musical theatre voice, he has presented at both national and regional conferences for the National Opera Association (NOA), National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC), and at institutions including Oklahoma City University, University of Miami, Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, Auburn University, Berklee College of Music, Temple University, Duke University, St. Olaf College, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Universidad La Salle Laguna. Dr. Moniz was recently selected as the 2020 Featured Educator and Keynote Speaker for the upcoming Boston Sings (BOSS) Festival, featuring the internationally acclaimed a cappella ensemble, Fork.
An avid researcher and author in high demand, Moniz has written numerous scholarly articles for peer-reviewed publications and recently contributed to So You Want to Sing Light Opera by Linda Lister, published by Rowman and Littlefield. His review of Robin Rice’s Great Teachers on Great Singing was featured in The Opera Journal (June 2019). In addition, Moniz’s research on the canonization of musical theatre in the operatic canon will appear in The Journal of Singing later this year. He is currently completing work on two new books including, Your Pop/Rock Prescription, a vowel-driven approach to laryngeal manipulation in contemporary commercial singing, and A Fight for the Light: Underrepresented Journeys to the Stage with co-author Minnita Daniel Cox.
A three-time winner of The American Prize in Vocal Performance, Moniz’s “superb high tenor” (South Florida Classical Review) and “commanding stage presence” (TalkinBroadway.com) has been thrilling audiences in opera houses, theaters, and concert halls across the nation, among them Opera Grand Rapids, Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre, Sarasota Opera, Florida Grand Opera, the Opera Company of Middlebury, Opera New Jersey, DreamCatcher Theatre/Adrienne Arsht Center, Orchestra Miami, Gulfshore Opera, Palm Beach Dramaworks, the Orchestra of Northern New York, and Chicago Symphony Center. His unique style and versatility have afforded him an active career in opera, concert, and musical theatre, having sung over 90 roles to date. Most recently, Moniz’s star turn as Prince Karl Franz in The Student Prince with Opera Grand Rapids received high praise and great acclaim, the press hailing his performance as “simply outstanding…glorious” (Encore Michigan). Highlights of the 2019/20 season include Handel’s Messiah with Columbus Philharmonic, Sammy in Shanghai Sonatas with Yangtze Repertory Theatre/UD Master Players, Luc Du Lac in the fully orchestrated cast recording of Charles Bloom’s Pablo, Orff’s Carmina Burana with (TBA), Stage Director for As One with Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, a return to Teatro Isauro Martinez (Torreon, Mexico) with Cantos para Hermanar al Mundo, and a series of concert and recital appearances in North Carolina, Florida, and Hawaii.
Dr. Moniz holds four degrees from Florida State University, the University of Miami, and SUNY Potsdam, as well as certificates in Nonprofit Leadership and Sustainable Business Strategy from Duke University and Harvard Business School, respectively. He has received young alumni awards from all three of his alma maters, having recently been named one of Florida State University’s Notable Noles and University of Miami’s 30 Under Thirty. In addition, Moniz was awarded the Rising Star Award by SUNY Potsdam. He currently serves as Executive Director of Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, a training and performance program on The Big Island of Hawai’i. Throughout his administrative tenure, Moniz has earned the organization over $300,000 in public and private grant funding, increased the annual operating budget by nearly 40%, and yielded the highest student enrollment in the festival’s 15-year history. He also serves as Hawaii Governor and Chair of the Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Access (I.D.E.A) Initiative for the National Opera Association. Moniz is a proud member of the American Guild of Musical Artists and the Actors’ Equity Association.
