Behind the Music

American soprano, Kristen Sullivan, is an engaging performer who shines bright. Her dream is to sing on the opera stage, educate young artists, and bring people together- transcending them through music. Kristen’s love of performing began when she was little. She grew up watching her two older sisters perform in show choirs and quickly fell in love with the stage. Her drive and passion for opera sets her apart as one of the up-and-coming sopranos of this generation. She continues to work hard each and every day to keep her musical journey moving forward.

 

In 2022, Kristen was accepted into the prestigious American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, where she received a scholarship to attend as a student in the Opera Studio. During her time abroad, she had the opportunity to sing with the AIMS Festival Orchestra during their concert, O Mia bella Napoli, at the Kunsthaus Weiz. Other recent opera credits include: a chorus member in La bohème at OperaDelaware, Adele in Die Fledermaus at Peabody Opera Theatre, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel at Annapolis Opera, a Grace in Venus and Adonis at Peabody Opera Theatre, Sprite 4 in Cendrillon at Peabody Opera Theatre, Tailleferre in The New World Of Opera- four comic operettas at Shenandoah Conservatory, Agnes in Der Freischütz (scenes) at Shenandoah Conservatory, Tourières in Suor Angelica at Shenandoah Conservatory, chorus member in La bohème at IN Series Opera, chorus member in Orfée et Eurydice at IN Series Opera. Kristen also has a passion for concert and choral work. Some performances include as a soloist for CORO Vocal Artists at the Des Moines Choral Festival, A Night at the Opera at Shenandoah Conservatory, and A Christmas Spectacular at the Middleburg Concert Series.

 

Growing up Kristen begged her parents for dance, piano, and voice lessons. She continued private study throughout middle and high school. During this time, she participated in All-County, All-District, and All-State honors choirs. She was also the Vocal Captain in her competition Show Choir team at her high school for many years, which instilled in her a love of teaching and education. Kristen was consistently learning musical theatre repertoire and participated in many shows through her high school and community theatres; including the roles of Cosette in Les Miserables, The Witch in Into The Woods, and Anita in West Side Story. It was in her later high school years that she realized that classical repertoire was her strong suit and she started pursuing her dreams of going to school to study opera.

 

Kristen recently graduated with a Master of Music degree in Voice Performance from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. She is honored to continue studying under the tutelage of Margaret Baroody and the world-renowned Denyce Graves-Montgomery post graduation. Kristen received her Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA in 2022, where she studied with Dr. David Meyer.

 

Kristen currently resides in Baltimore, MD, but spent her childhood years in Mechanicsville, VA. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking/baking, hiking, watching operas and Broadway shows, and spending time with her friends and family. Kristen also loves to travel. She has been to numerous countries and hopes to continue traveling and exploring the world through her work as a performer.