MINNITA DANIEL-COX

Dr. Minnita Daniel-Cox, a native of Columbus, Ohio, attended Bowling Green State University, where she received a Bachelor of Music in Music Performance, and the University of Michigan, where she earned both her Master of Music and her Doctorate of Musical Arts degrees.

In 2014 Dr. Daniel-Cox established the Dunbar Music Archive after extensive research regarding the musical settings of texts by poet and Dayton native Paul Laurence Dunbar. She has performed and presented her research for organizations around the world including the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), the National Opera Association (NOA), College Music Society (CMS), Society for American Music (SAM), National Association for Music Education (NAfMe), International Society for Music Education (ISME), Song Collaborators Consortia, Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA), the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives, Detroit Musicians Association, African American Art Song Alliance, Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago, Aural Compass Projects, and the International Congress of Voice Teachers.  Her academic performances, presentations, and residencies include the University of Michigan, Bowling Green State University, University of Puget Sound, Ohio Northern University, Central Michigan University, Taylor University, Hanover University, Luther College, University of California (Irvine), Columbus State University, Texas Lutheran University, Memorial University (Newfoundland), Bowling Green State University, University of Michigan (Flint)and Eastern Michigan University with a recital tour in Stara Zagora, Haskovo, and Plovdiv, Bulgaria.  Dr. Daniel-Cox has received over 350k in funding for her Dunbar work, including two National Endowment for the Humanities grants and a Mellon Foundation presidential initiative grant for the Dunbar Project. This funding provided support to University of Dayton faculty in planning and interdisciplinary curriculum based on Dunbar’s work and legacy. Additionally, the funds supported the design of the Dunbar Library & Archive, a searchable, virtual database to include the Dunbar Music Archive.

 

Dr. Daniel-Cox is an active member of the African American Art Song Alliance, National Association of Negro Musicians, National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), and is an alumna of the NATS Intern Program. She serves on the board of directors for the National Opera Association (NOA) and is Co-Chair of the Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Initiative for NOA.

 

A performing scholar with roots firmly planted in American Music, her notable roles include Anna Gomez in Menotti’s The Consul and Sister Rose in Dead Man Walking with Dayton Opera. She is regularly featured in broadcasts for WDPR Discover Classical and will be featured as host for the Dunbar Music Series with WDPR Discover classical.  Her recent collaborations with the Bach Society of Dayton and Dayton Philharmonic 2022 seasons included both performing and consulting.

Dr. Daniel-Cox’s roots in American opera began with the role of Leonora in the world premiere of the opera Witness by Zae Munn, and Irene in the world premiere of James P. Johnson's The Dreamy Kid, which the Ann Arbor News described as “compelling and beautifully sung.”  Most recently, Dr. Daniel-Cox has appeared with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, the Miami Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Bach Society of Dayton. In recent seasons she has performed the roles of Anna Gomez in Menotti’s The Consul and Sister Rose in Dead Man Walking with Dayton Opera.

 

In addition to her stage work, she has won numerous awards as a concert artist including with The American Traditions Competition (finalist, semifinalist), the Hartford Memorial Scholarship Competition, and the Marjorie Conrad Peatee Art Song Competition. She is also a two-time recipient of the Sigurd I. Rislov & Jarmila H. Rislov Award. 

 

In demand as an adjudicator, she has served as judge for organizations across the United States, including Music in the Parks, the Schubert Competition, the Yee Competition, The Schubert Club Student Competition, The Wayland Chamber Music Competition, and the Dayton Opera Guild.

 

As a dedicated educator, Dr. Daniel-Cox has taught music courses or applied voice for programs at Western Michigan University, University of Michigan, Bowling Green State University, and within the award-winning music program at Grosse Pointe South High School. Dr. Daniel-Cox has had residencies at University of Puget Sound, Eastern Michigan University, and Luther College. With extensive experience in contemporary technique and pathological rehabilitation, she regularly works with patients from the Blaine Block Institute for Vocal Analysis and Rehabilitation.  Her applied students have gone on to perform professionally and have matriculated into graduate music programs across the United States.

 

She began her tenure at the University of Dayton in 2009 as an Artist-in-Residence and is currently Associate Professor of Voice and Coordinator of the Voice Area where she teaches applied lessons and music courses, serves as Artistic Director of the yearly musical/opera productions, coordinates the Dayton Opera Apprentice Program, and coordinates the Vocal Performance Institute, a summer program for high school-aged singers.