Gayle Seaton

Gayle Seaton, Music Theatre Program Director, received the B.M. degree from the College of Wooster. She came to Florida after several years of an active performing career in New York City, where she earned her M. M. degree in vocal performance at the Manhattan School of Music. She completed her doctorate in voice performance at Florida State, where she now teaches singing and acting, as well as music-directing music theatre productions for the School of Theatre. Her former students are currently performing on Broadway and Off-Broadway, as well as in touring companies and regional theatre all over the United States.

Dr. Seaton has appeared in operas, musicals, oratorios, solo recitals, and as a soprano soloist in New York and throughout the United States. Her leading roles in opera and operetta have included Mimi in Puccini’s La Boheme, the Countess in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, Fiordiligi in Mozart's Cos fan tutte, Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata, Rosalinda in Strauss's Die Fledermaus, and Mabel in Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance. Among her musical theater credits are the roles of Amalia Balash in She Loves Me, Lily in The Secret Garden, Guido’s Mother in Nine, Cinderella in Into the Woods, both Adelaide and Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls, and Maria in The Sound of Music.

She has won particular praise for her performances of contemporary music, including several world premieres. In the spring of 2008 in New York City she performed the world premiere of the song cycle Blood Mountain which was written by composer Harold Schiffman especially for her. She has recently recorded the cycle and it will be available soon on North/South Recordings.

Gayle is a proud member of Actors' Equity.