“[Katharine’s] vocals...are rich and velvety, and she owns the part.”
— EncoreMichigan
The first ever female singer with low-vision to sing with Detroit Opera
Katharine Meagher is excited to return to in-person performing for the 2022 season. As a low-vision artist in the performing arts, she is a champion for the differently abled especially in the opera realm. 2022 highlights include appearing as the first ever female singer with low-vision with Detroit Opera in their Artist Outreach program as a regular appearing performer. Other highlights include Soprano Soloist in the Haydn Missa Brevis at St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church at Grosse Pointe, Michigan.
During the pandemic, Katharine performed alongside organist, Dr. Andrew Meagher, for the virtual University of Michigan Organ Conference. Pieces performed included the Puccini Salve Regina, Ave Maria from Verdi’s Otello, and Inflammatus et accensus from Rossini’s Stabat Mater.
2019 saw Katharine premiere as La Cieca in La Gioconda with Opera Modo to great acclaim. EncoreMichigan wrote, “[Katharine’s] vocals...are rich and velvety, and she owns the part.”
Katharine was a semifinalist in the Lois Alba Aria Competition. She was also a semifinalist in the Elizabeth Connell Prize for Dramatic Sopranos and a finalist in the NYC NATS Competition.
Past opera credits include: Fiordiligi-Cosi fan tutte, Sorceress-Dido and Aneas, Third Spirit-Magic Flute, Geraldine- A Hand of Bridge, Anna Maurrant (cover)-Street Scene, Leonora (excerpt)- La forza del Destino, Norma (scene)-Norma, Magda (scene)-The Counsul, Countess (scene)-La Nozze di Figaro, Desdemona (scene)-Otello, Donna Anna (scene)-Don Giovanni, Mimi (partial role) La boheme, and Miss Pinkerton (scene)-Old Maid and the Thief.
Past soloist credits include: Saint-Saëns A Christmas Oratorio (Grosse Pointe Woods Presbyterian Church).
Katharine has participated in various summer festivals including the Intermezzo Young Artist Program, the Wesley Balk Institute, Prelude to Performance, the American Institute of Musical Studies, the Opera Training Institute of Chicago, the Harrower Opera Workshop, and the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. She was an auditor at the Institute for Young Dramatic Voices. Katharine was an Emerging Artist with Arbor Opera Theater.
Katharine is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Music. While there she received her Master of Music in vocal performance studying with Martha Sheil. She holds both a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Arts in voice from the New England Conservatory of Music and (studying with D’Anna Fortunato) New York University (studying with Lori McCann). Katharine currently studies with Darrell Babidge and resides in the Metro Detroit Area.