Michaela Kelly, soprano, is a doctoral candidate and head graduate teaching assistant at the University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music. She is a visiting lecturer of voice at Scripps College and is the vice president of programs for NATS-LA. In the fall, Michaela will join the faculty at Chapman University to teach vocal pedagogy as well as classical and musical theater performances courses. Michaela joins Los Angeles Opera Chorus in 2024 for Puccini’s Turandot and Madama Butterfly. Michaela is a recipient of the inaugural American Art Song Prize at SongFest for this coming summer. She will also present her doctoral research “What Is In a Voice Lesson Anyway?” as a poster presenter at the NATS National Conference this July.
Previously, Michaela was an Art of Song Fellow with the Toronto Summer Music Festival and a voice teaching fellow at the Classical Music Institute. Recently, Michaela has sung as a soloist with the Claremont Concert Orchestra and Thornton Wind Ensemble for the Bach Christmas Oratorio with I Cantori di Carmel. Previously, Michaela sang the role of Blanche in Dialogues of the Carmelites with the New England Conservatory Opera Theater. While at NEC, she was a soprano soloist in Die Schöpfung with NEC chorus and orchestra.
Michaela holds a Bachelor’s of Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Master’s of Music in Vocal Pedagogy from the New England Conservatory.