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Kara Cornell, Mezzo-soprano                                      

 

Home     Biography     Resume     Engagements     Sounds     Photos     Contact

 

 

 

Opera and Musical Theater

 

Kara has portrayed numerous roles in the opera and musical theater genre. Operatic roles

includeCherubino” in Le nozze di Figaro, “Dorabella” in Cosi fan tutte,

Sesto” in La Clemenza di Tito, “Mercedes” in Carmen and “Jo” in Little Women. 

Musical theater roles include “The Mother Abbess” in The Sound of Music, “Marie” in

The Most Happy Fella, “Catherine” in Pippin and “Eliza Doolittle” in My Fair Lady.

 

Kara has been featured in staged productions with numerous professional companies, including

Hubbard Hall Opera Theater (New York), Center City Opera (Philadelphia), Union Avenue Opera (St. Louis),

Capital Opera (New York) and as a repeated guest artist with Stony Brook Opera (New York).

Kara is currently a member of “Venus”, a diverse four woman singing group that travels the globe,

performing repertoire ranging from opera to Chinese folk song.

 

Contemporary Music

 

Kara’s passion for contemporary music has led her to exciting new projects!

Kara enjoys collaborating with composers, and has sung numerous world premiere operas, song cycles and

orchestra pieces, including “Sacred Songs and Interludes”,  an oratorio written by Nancy Galbraith.

Contemporary operatic roles include “Miss Jessel” in Turn of the Screw by Benjamin Britten, “May” in

Footfalls by Earl Kim and “Jo” in Little Women by Mark Adamo. In December 2008,

Kara will premiere art songs inspired by the poetry of Emily Dickinson.

 

Oratorio and Sacred Music

 

Kara enjoys performing oratorio and sacred works. She has performed the alto solos in many fully-orchestrated

oratorios, including Handel’s Messiah, Judas Maccabaeus and The Utrecht Te Deum, Mendelssohn’s Elijah,

Honegger’s King David and Musikalische Exequien by Schütz. Kara has had the privilege to work most notably

with The US Naval Academy, The Pittsburgh Camerata, Aoede Music Consort, Williamstown Early Music,

The Brooklyn Philharmonic, Octavo Singers and in April 2009 with Albany Pro Musica.

 

Education

 

A graduate of Smithtown High School (New York), Kara earned her bachelors degree,

with college and university honors, from Carnegie Mellon University. She earned her masters degree

from Stony Brook University. Both degrees are in vocal and music performance.

 

Teachers, coaches and conductors

 

Kara currently studies with Irene Gubrud and coaches with pianist Michael Clement.

Her previous teachers have been Elaine Bonazzi, Mimi Lerner and Mildred Miller.

She has had the privilege to work with conductors Dr. Robert Page, Arthur Haas, David Griggs-Janower,

George Moross, Andrew Kurtz, Dr. David Lawton, Rebecca Rollett, Timothy Long, Timothy Mount,

Richard Giarusso, Michael Musial and Scott Schoonover.

 

Awards

 

Kara has won several vocal awards, including “The Phyllis Bryn-Julson Award” through

The Civic Morning Musicals Competition, and the 5 Towns Scholarship Competition Award.

During college, Kara was awarded the “Award and Scholarship for Vocal Excellence”

three years in a row, and also won numerous awards through NATS.

 

Teaching

 

In addition to being a performer, Kara also prides herself in being a dedicated voice teacher.

Kara has been teaching voice since 2002, and is currently an adjunct professor of voice

in the musical theater department at Russell Sage College in Troy, NY. She also continues to teach

privately from here home in Albany County, NY. Kara instills an awareness of vocal ease and

technique in all of her students, who range from beginners to professionals in all musical genres.

 

Hobbies

 

When Kara is not singing, she enjoys spending her time helping others. 

She is a speed crocheter, donating over 500 hats and scarves for New York area orphans since 2004.

She is a marathon walker, walking 40 miles and raising over $2,000 for The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in 2005.

She is a cat tamer, fostering and domesticating over 30 feral cats who were then adopted by loving families.

She is a platelet donor, donating platelets and blood to the New York Blood Bank every 2-3 months.

Kara is an energy healer, working with clients as a Reiki Master.