Tichina Vaughn (born 19 September 1965) is an American operatic dramatic mezzo-soprano active internationally in opera, concert halls and recitals. Starting at the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera, her American career expanded into Europe, as member of the permanent ensembles of the Semperoper in Dresden and the Stuttgart Opera, where she was awarded the title of Kammersängerin in 2006. She has been a regular at the Arena di Verona and other major theaters worldwide, singing a wide repertoire span, with a "voluminous and dark mezzo" voice the dramatic Verdi roles such as Amneris in Aida, Eboli in Don Carlo, Azucena in Il trovatore and Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera, Wagner's Ortrud Lohengrin, Venus Tannhäuser, Fricka Die Walküre, Waltraute in Götterdämmerung and Strauss, Herodias in Salome and Klytemnestra in Elektra. According to Opernglas, Vaughn has a natural "great intensity" on stage, with an ample "voice, which flows richly, even in the low registers." The Neue Zürcher Zeitung describes her voice as an "enchanting satisfyingly rich mezzosoprano". Bernard Holland of The New York Times called hers "A voice of quality", which had "the presence and personality that might well fit the Met... a mezzo-soprano whose strong upper register gave hints of a dramatic soprano to come". Early life and education Born in Baltimore, Maryland to Lucinda Vaughn, a single mother, Tichina Vaughn was raised in Winston-Salem, NC where she began singing at 6 years old in the Tots Choir at Shiloh Baptist Church. She studied the clarinet and played in concert and marching bands. At Northside High School for the Performing Arts (currently North Atlanta High School) she began performing as featured singer with the Touring Company graduating in May 1983. In September 1983 Vaughn began formal vocal study with the mezzo-soprano Florence Kopleff at Georgia State University. In January 1985, Vaughn studied at the University of North Carolina school of the Arts (now UNCSA) under Prof. Fredric Moses. Vaughn also attended the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, where she was a finalist in the Meistersinger Competition in 1987. She earned her bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance from UNCSA in 1989 and was engaged at Wolf Trap Opera as a Filene Artist in the summers of 1989 and 1990. American career She began her professional career as a member of The Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera after winning The Metropolitan