Born in Franklin and raised in Bedford, Indiana, tenor Will Upham is emerging as a versatile artist recognized for his keen dramatic instincts, vocal stamina, and commitment to storytelling on the operatic stage. A native Hoosier, he has built a diverse portfolio of principal and cover roles across leading American opera companies, academic institutions, and international programs, 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 Strauss’s Salome with Union Avenue Opera, a role he first covered at Des Moines Metro Opera in 2024. 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 had already been featured in productions such as Monostatos (and Tamino cover) 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 created 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.

Will’s international experience included Rinuccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and covering Rodolfo in La bohème with La Musica Lirica in Italy, where he also covered Alfredo in La traviata. With SMU Lyric Theatre, he performed The Prince in The True Story of Cinderella and Rev. Samuel Parris in Robert Ward’s The Crucible. At DePauw Opera, his roles included Il Principe Aprile in Respighi’s La bella dormente nel bosco, Le Prince Charmant in Cendrillon, Don Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro, and Lippo Fiorentino in Street Scene. His early training also encompassed work in musical theatre and operetta, including performances at the College Light Opera Company in Mary Poppins, The Red Mill, Bye Bye Birdie, and Crazy for You, as well as Eddie Souther in Sister Act with DePauw Theatre.

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 L’elisir d’amore, an experience that continues to shape his artistic philosophy and belief in opera’s ability to connect across cultures and generations.

On the concert stage, Will has appeared frequently as a tenor soloist. In 2025, he sang 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. Recent credits also included 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.

A dedicated teacher as well as performer, Will currently serves as 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. He also maintains a growing private studio in Bloomington and Indianapolis and has served as a guest instructor at the high school level. His teaching is informed by his own performance experiences and by his commitment to building healthy, sustainable vocal technique.

Will completed a Performer Diploma in Voice at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, studying with Peter Volpe. He previously earned a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Southern Methodist University, where he studied with the renowned heldentenor Clifton Forbis, and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from DePauw University, where he trained under Caroline Smith. His summers have included work as an Apprentice Artist with Des Moines Metro Opera (2024, 2025), Young Artist with The Glimmerglass Festival (2023), and Young Artist with La Musica Lirica in Italy (2021, 2022).

He has been recognized with numerous awards, including the 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 the Concerto Competition Winner at DePauw University (2020). He was also a semi-finalist in the American Pops Orchestra’s NextGen Competition (2020) and held 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 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. Upcoming seasons promise further engagements in both dramatic and lyric repertoire, reflecting his ability to bring warmth, intensity, and a vivid sense of character to every performance.

Grounded in his Indiana roots, Will balances a career that spans the country and abroad with a desire to invest in his home community through teaching, outreach, and mentoring. 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, or the classroom.