Countertenor Corey Hable is recognized for his rich, Italianate sound and passionate performances of oratorio and opera. Hable possesses a deep love of Baroque music, and has enjoyed interpreting the alto solos in Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Magnificat, and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater; and portraying the role of Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina and the title role in Handel’s Orlando. This month, Corey performed as a soloist in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with Cuesta Concord chorus in San Luis Obispo. 

When asked what he loves to do when he’s not singing, Corey laughs, “I’m alwayssinging!” Corey was born and raised in San Diego, California into a musical household. “Music was always a big part of my life,” Corey says. “My grandmother was a singer, my mom was a singer. I started on the musical train very early.” Corey’s mom taught him to match pitch before he could walk. He was in his first theatrical production at the age of four, performing musical theater on stage at the Starlight Theater and The Old Globe in his hometown alongside his mom and sister.  

Despite his love of being on the stage, Corey decided to choose a different career path, entering into California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo as a double major in biology and music. He quickly changed course. “About a week before school I started realizing how many subjects I wasn’t interested in,” Corey laughs. “I dropped the bio degree almost immediately.” With the wholehearted support of his parents, Corey studied vocal performance and composition, and made history as the first student to have his compositions performed by the university’s Symphonic Orchestra and the elite Cal Poly Polyphonics choir. 

Since then, his works – ranging from poignant choral pieces to evocative orchestral works – have been featured in venues worldwide, including his French chanson, “Ophélie III: Et le Poète dix,” which premiered at the Llangollen Eisteddfod in Wales and his “Psalm 27,” performed at the Coventry Cathedral in England.

While an undergrad, Corey also discovered his love of classical music. “My gateway drug into classical music was Eric Whitacre’s Cloudburst, because before that I was just a theater geek,” he says. “It’s just gorgeous. I didn’t realize that voices could make that kind of sound and those colors.” Though he had always sung as a baritone, he began playing around with his soprano voice, and found a comfort there he hadn’t known before. 

In his last year of undergrad, Corey saw that the acclaimed ensemble Chanticleer was auditioning for new members. On a whim he auditioned, both as a baritone and as a soprano. With a smile, Corey recalls, “I literally just took some of my baritone rep and sang it up the octave. And I got a callback!”

Although he wasn’t offered the job, Corey saw the audition as a turning point in his singing career. “Once I started singing as a countertenor, everything felt so much better. Everything fell into place.”

Having made the switch to countertenor at the end of his undergraduate studies, Corey knew he needed to seek more training. He was accepted into the Royal Academy of Music, where he honed his skills under the guidance of mentors Raymond Connell, mezzo-soprano Caitlin Hulcup, and repetiteur Joseph Middleton, and performed his first title role in Handel’s Orlando. After earning his master’s degree in vocal performance, he returned home to California, where he sang in his first professional concert as the countertenor soloist in Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with the San Luis Obispo Symphony. 

Since graduation, Corey has enjoyed engagements with the Dream Orchestra of Los Angeles, the Saluzzo Opera Academy, the La Jolla Music Society, and San Luis Obispo’s Bach Week. Earlier this season, he sang as a soloist in the Palm Springs Opera Guild’s Opera in the Park concert. 

He has also excelled in competitive settings, earning recognition as a Finalist in the 2024 Annual Opera Ithaca Edward M. Murray International Competition of Voice, a District Winner in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in 2022, as a finalist in the Palm Springs Opera Guild Competition in 2023, and as a semi-finalist in the Pasadena Vocal Competition in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Corey is currently continuing his studies with soprano Jennifer Rowley, and appreciates coaches like the late Nic Raveles and San Diego Opera’s Resident Conductor and Chorus Master Bruce Stasyna who have helped him find his voice. 

And while he’s always singing, Corey also enjoys hobbies like creating and experimenting with cocktails (his favorite right now is one he has dubbed The Esquire – a concoction boasting whiskey and crème de cacao), and spending time outside in the sunshine. During COVID, he and his husband – an award-winning musical director and pianist – started a series of online performances at happy hour, with Corey’s mom singing harmonies. They have continued to perform live together since, including an annual Christmas show complete with a big band. 

Corey met Miguel Rodriguez of Athlone Artists at the Opera Ithaca competition, and is excited about what is to come. “Every day I pinch myself,” he says. “I really feel like Miguel is taking a big leap of faith with me, and I’m really inspired and excited for this chance to build my career!”