Faculty Profile
DANA LYNNE VARGA

Vocal Studies

Dana Lynne Varga is founder and artistic director of MassOpera as well as Vocal Studies faculty at Longy. Aside from classical vocal music, her influences include pop, hip-hop, and jazz. Much of her work has focused on empowering musicians and on gender parity in classical and vocal music. 

It’s so exciting to be part of an institution that challenges restrictive, outdated paradigms of what is “allowed” in the classical and operatic fields. I work to empower students to expect and to build a fair and inclusive industry, one where musicians can live in any body and be put on stage when they’re talented.

Longy’s focus on collaboration, real-world experience, and entrepreneurship prepares students to make a real difference, and our project-based courses force students to create rather than simply study music created by others. All of this happens in a space of belonging for all genders, nationalities, and lived experiences—it’s truly the academia of the future.