Katherine Dobbs is an American mezzo-soprano from Grafton, Wisconsin, originally hailing from Houston, Texas. Starting in September of 2024, she is now in pursuit of an Artist Diploma as a First-Year Resident Artist at the Academy of Vocal Arts, under the tutelage of the highly renowned voice teacher, Bill Schuman.

 

In May of 2024, Ms. Dobbs earned her Master of Music in Vocal Performance at the highly prestigious Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, under the guidance of Dr. Robin Rice, Ms. Dobbs has so far performed as Lucretia in Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, Filipievna (Olga cover) in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, Ottavia in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, and as Mrs. Jones in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene. Alongside these main stage performances, she won 2nd place in the Houston Gilbert & Sullivan Society’s Career Grant Competition and was a feature performer in the artist lecture “Honor”, which was originally commissioned by MetLiveArts. During her second year at Rice she developed a love for collaboration, performing in eight peer recitals and recording for young upcoming composers such as Daniel Zlatkin, Oliver Dubon, Paul Mortilla, Tian Qin, and Bartolomeo Cosenza. Past summer engagements include the performance of Ježibaba in LAH-SOW's Rusalka (2023), the position of Studio Artist in Music Academy of the West's Lehrer Vocal Institute (2023), and participation in the Intermediate Program at Dolora Zajick's Institute for Young Dramatic Voices (2020-2023).

​

In May of 2022, Ms. Dobbs earned her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at the DePauw School of Music along with two minors in German Studies and Italian Cultural Studies. At DePauw University She had the privilege to portray many dynamic characters, such as Orfeo in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, Miss Todd in Menotti's The Old Maid and the Thief, Die Knusperhexe in Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel, Miss Marietta Shingle in A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, and Madame de la Haltière in Massenet's Cendrillon. Despite still being an undergraduate student at the time, in 2022 she was discovered and hired as the cover for Miss Todd in Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief at Opera Project Columbus, where she had her first taste as a professional artist. Upon entering DePauw University, she studied voice under the combined tutelage of Caroline Smith, Dr. Kerry Jennings, and Dr. Thomas King. During this time, she also was regularly coached and accompanied by Amanda Hopson. Besides her focus on music, she academically challenged herself daily and was on the Dean's List every semester.

 

Ms. Dobbs has always had a passion for the stage. As a child, she participated in KidStage productions while being an active choral member in the Lawrence Community Girl Choir. She then began her classical training in middle school with private piano and music theory lessons with Erin Krebs at the age of 12, and built her solo repertoire through private voice lessons with Carol Jegen at the age of 13. While studying with Erin Krebs and Carol Jegen, Ms. Dobbs was involved in many musicals, plays, and eventually three choirs during her time attending Appleton West High School, including Dr. Meidl's Badger State Girl Choir. During this time, she also attended the Renaissance School for the Arts, where she regularly took classes in acting, directing, stage presence, ballroom dance, stage combat, and improvisation for four years.​

​​

​

​

​