New Orleans native Carl Hellmers first began singing as a chorister in the St. Louis Cathedral Boychoir under the tutelage of Dreux Montegut. He studied with Tyler Nelson and earned his Bachelor’s degree at Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music in Nashville, double majoring in Vocal Performance and Economics. He then studied with Richard Fracker while earning his Master’s degree in voice with a concentration in music theory at Michigan State University.
Carl is an active performer, having appeared in productions of Orpheus in the Underworld (Orpheus), La clemenza di Tito (Tito), Die Zauberflote (Tamino), Little Women (John Brooke), MASS (Street Player), Die Fledermaus (Dr. Blind), Le nozze di Figaro (chorus), Tosca (chorus), La traviata (chorus), Rigoletto (chorus), and La bohème (chorus) with theaters including Nashville Opera, Vanderbilt Opera Theatre, Utah Vocal Arts Academy, and MSU Opera Theatre. Carl has also served as a featured soloist in Nashville Opera’s Opera On Wheels program.
Carl is also an active oratorio soloist and has performed in roles such as Uriel in Haydn’s The Creation with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and the Tenor Soloist in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. Carl's interest in the art song repertoire has led him to study Schubert lieder with Graham Johnson at the Vancouver International Song Institute and a broader survey of art song with Roger Vignoles in Nashville.
Carl is a dedicated teacher and has taught for nearly a decade in Tennessee and Michigan. He is now an Adjunct Professor of Voice at Vanderbilt University. He teaches all classical and contemporary vocal styles, and his students have won numerous scholarships, roles, and places in collegiate music programs across the country.
