Bass-baritone David Okerlund has performed more than 100 operas, recitals, symphonic works, and oratorios in the past 25 years throughout North America, Europe and Asia. He has received several honors for his singing, including winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Regional auditions, the National Opera Association Competition runner-up, semi-finalist for the Richard Tucker Competition, and semi-finalist in the International Belvedere Competition in Vienna, Austria.

Okerlund’s students have won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions at the district, regional, semi-final, and grand final levels in addition to being semi-finalists and finalists at the Palm Beach Opera and National Opera Association Competitions. Recently, his students have held positions at the following professional young artist programs in North America including: Santa Fe Opera, Kentucky Opera, Pensacola Opera, Opera Theater of Virginia, Nashville Opera, Minnesota Opera, Sarasota Opera, Palm Beach Opera, The Atlanta Opera Studio, Opera Colorado, Arizona Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Central City Opera, Chautauqua Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Portland Opera, The Florentine Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, the Los Angeles Opera Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, the Washington National Opera Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, the San Francisco Opera Merola and Adler Fellowship programs, the Lyric Opera of Chicago Ryan Center Artists, and the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.

In the 2023-24 season, Okerlund’s students sang as main stage artists at the Houston Grand Opera, the San Francisco Opera, Minnesota Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Washington National Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theater of St. Louis, Los Angeles Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Omaha, Sarasota Opera, Dallas Opera, Palm Beach Opera, The Atlanta Opera, Arizona Opera, Opera Colorado, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Wiener Staatsoper, and the Metropolitan Opera.

In addition to his faculty responsibilities at the Florida State University College of Music, Okerlund regularly gives masterclasses, workshops, professional consultations, and lessons at many of the premiere young artist programs throughout the United States.