Bio

DeMar Austin Neal, IV is a critically-acclaimed performer, educator, researcher, arranger, stage director, and conductor currently based in Raleigh, North Carolina.

DeMar enjoys a diverse performance career, with regular engagements in opera, operetta, music theater, concert, and choral organizations across the United States and abroad.  He has performed as a soloist with the North Carolina Opera, Palm Springs Opera Guild, Greenville Light Opera Works, the Raleigh and North Carolina Symphonies, and the Tiber Sinfonia Festival among others. His favorite roles include Papageno, Junius, Ko-Ko, the Modern Major General, and King Herod. He also performs as a founding member of the classical quartet VOX, who were featured on the 10th Anniversary Season of NBC’s America’s Got Talent.

As an educator and academic, DeMar serves a variety of interests and needs. He currently works as an Associate Professor of Music at Wake Technical Community College, where he teaches Music Appreciation and History of Rock and Roll. He also holds positions at North Carolina State University and Meredith College as an adjunct instructor, where he has taught private voice lessons, lyric diction for singers, music literature, history, and theory courses, and directed the a cappella ensemble Encore!.  He has presented his doctoral treatise, The Song Cycles for Baritone and Piano by Jake Heggie, in conference; his current research efforts focus on the songs of Sidney Homer, as well as on semi-occluded vocal tract rehabilitative therapy. Other presentations include “How (Not) to Ruin Your Voice,” “Warm Ups That Work,” and “Practica Maxima!” at the SoJam and Boston Sings A Cappella festivals.

DeMar is also a proud member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). He served as the National Vice President for Workshops from 2021-2024 and has spent the decade prior on the Executive Board of the North Carolina District, including terms as Secretary, Vice President/Auditions Coordinator, President, and District Governor. He has coordinated district events as a site host, and has adjudicated for district- and regional-level student auditions, including the NATS Artist Awards.

Further interests for DeMar include arranging, conducting, and stage direction. His a cappella arrangements have been featured on both the Best of College A Cappella (BOCA) and SING compilation albums. He has served as an assistant stage director for the International Young Artists Project, and created and directed his own Mozartean pastiche, A Prelude to Romance, for the Meredith College Opera Workshop. He made his conducting debut with Britten’s Albert Herring for Meredith College in 2014, and also served as a guest conductor to lead the 2015 Chatham All-County Choral Festival.

Area(s) of Expertise

My areas of expertise include voice pedagogy, vocal health and rehabilitation, and the study of vocal repertoire. I also specialize in lyric diction and language for singers, as well as performance preparation across a wide range of vocal styles, including classical, musical theatre, and contemporary commercial music.