Elizabeth Graham Fund

About the Fund
The Elizabeth Graham Fund for Opera is named in honor of Dr. Elizabeth Graham, who worked worked extensively over her tenure at UF to grow and build the workshop into the world-class opera education workshop that it is today. The fund will provide much needed support for opera students by providing funding for opera productions including, costumes, sets, scholarships, travel, guest artists, music and other needs of the opera program.

Your support plays a direct role in the future of opera at UF! Help share this wonderful art form with a broader community and create life-changing arts experiences for our students and their audiences.

"Dr. Graham is not only an incredible mentor, teacher, voice builder, and friend, but she's also one of the most incredible performers I've ever seen. She built my voice and I have been able to weather many pitfalls of the business with perfect vocal health thanks to the fundamentals that she imparted to me when I was first starting out. I'm not sure I'd be able to sing 7 shows in 6 days in addition to double rehearsals every day for 5 days a week if she hadn't taught me how to use my instrument properly. I am truly blessed to have her in my corner and am forever in her debt." - Meredith Woodend, UF School of Music Vocal Performance alumna and Metropolitan Opera singer.

About Dr. Elizabeth P. Graham
Dr. Elizabeth P. Graham made her professional debut with the Houston Grand Opera Company in the Tony Award-winning revival of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess under the direction of renowned stage director Jack O’Brien. In addition to Broadway, this Tony award-winning production toured the major performance venues in the United States, Canada, Italy and Switzerland. Dr. Graham has also won international acclaim in opera houses from Genoa, Italy to Seattle, Washington to the Spoleto Festival of Three Worlds in Melbourne, Australia.

Dr. Graham has toured extensively singing with such companies as the Houston Grand Opera, Seattle Opera, Virginia Opera, Charlotte Opera, and the Orlando Opera in such diverse roles as Cio Cio San in Madama Butterfly, Liu in Turandot, Suor Angelica in Suor Angelica, the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, and Nedda in I Pagliacci.

Dr. Graham starred in and directed the Living Arts Production of Porgy and Bess, which toured on five continents including major cities in Europe, Japan and Australia. She was featured in the title role of Tosca at the University of Florida Center for Performing Arts and as featured soloist at the International Classics in June Concert, Kingston, Jamaica. Most recently she was featured soloist for Dance Alive at the University of Florida Center for Performing Arts.

Dr. Graham has won such prestigious competitions as the Metropolitan Opera District and Regional Auditions, the Palm Beach Civic Opera Competition and the National Young Artist’s Award.

In addition to being a performer on the international stage, she has won teaching awards at the University of Florida for her outstanding work with students in voice. Her students have gone on to become professional performers at the Metropolitan Opera, Chanticleer, Virginia Opera, the New York City Opera, and the Santa Fe Opera, to name a few. She was also recently awarded the National Education Award by the National Association of Negro Musicians for her work as a music educator.

A native of Shelby, North Carolina, Dr. Graham received her Bachelor’s degree from North Carolina School of the Arts and her Master’s and Doctorate degrees from Florida State University. Dr. Graham is a Professor Emeritus of Music at the University of Florida in the School of Music voice area.