cross 25 years of opera and concert performance, mezzo-soprano Katherine Pracht has established herself as a leading opera-singing actress. She has collaborated with esteemed singing colleagues, conductors and directors in repertoire spanning from Baroque to contemporary American opera, singing leading roles with Virginia Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Central City Opera, Madison Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Florentine Opera, West Edge Opera, and Opera on the Avalon (Newfoundland). As a concert soloist, she has premiered works by Karl Jenkins and Richard Wernick in Carnegie Hall, and sung performances at Alice Tully (David Geffen) Hall, and the Kennedy Center.
Pracht’s penchant is for new works. She has sung over 30 roles composed after 1945, including lead roles in the world premieres of Gendel’s & Flores-Strand’s Everlasting Faint (Madison Opera, 2026), and Kaminsky’s and Moore’s February (Opera on the Avalon, 2023). Additional contemporary highlights include the title role in Puts’ Elizabeth Cree, Maddie in Heggie’s Three Decembers, Mary Johnson in Fellow Travelers, Anna Maurrant in Street Scene, Lady Wang in Dream of the Red Chamber, Mark Adamo’s Little Women, Britten’s The Turn of the Screw and Owen Wingrave, and Sondheim’s A Little Night Music.
Ms. Pracht has participated in numerous workshops for new operas, including Nu Nah-Hup, The Road to Wellville,Bulrusher, A Thousand Splendid Suns, The News From Poems, The Scarlet Professor, and Rev 23. Additional world premiere performances include Joseph Summer’s Hamlet, Kirke Mechem’s The Rivals, Christopher Dietz’s Dignity, and John Tavener’s concert work, Tu ne sais pas. She frequently collaborates with her husband, baritone Keith Phares, including her upcoming roles as Misha/Sally/Emil in Heggie’s Before It All Goes Dark with Piedmont Opera, and Desirée Armfelt in A Little Night Music with Eugene Opera.
Ms. Pracht graduated with a Doctorate in Contemporary Music from Bowling Green State University, where she had joined the faculty in 2023 as an Assistant Professor of Voice. She is proud to help train the next generation of young singing actors in their craft.