Mezzo-soprano Katya Powder is originally from the suburbs of our great Motor City – Detroit, Michigan. She received her BM in both Music Education and Vocal Performance from Oakland University, and graduated with her Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music in 2010. Since 2005, she has been teaching private voice and piano lessons, adjudicating national competitions, giving master classes, and working as an opera singer in both Metro-Detroit and New York City. She is a classically trained mezzo-soprano; most recent operatic roles include Zita in Gianni Schicchi and Cléone in Pénélope, both of which received praise in Opera News and The New York Times, respectively. She also sang the world premiere of Margaret Ellen in Bettina Sheppard’s opera Stillwaters, a role written specifically for her voice by the composer. Also an active church musician, she has performed as the alto soloist in Haydn’s Grosse Orgelsolomesse, Schubert’s Mass in C, and Mozart’s Missa Brevis in G. Ms. Powder enjoys performing contemporary music, most recently with New York composer and guitarist Andrew McKenna Lee. She was a lead vocalist with Mr. Lee’s contemporary group, The Knells, and recorded and released a self-titled album with New Amsterdam Records in 2013. The album received wide critical acclaim in The New York Times, “Top 10 Best Overlooked Albums of 2013” in The New Yorker, “Best of 2013” in The New Republic, “Top 10 Albums” in Textura Magazine, and Time Out New York’s “Critic’s Pick”. Most recently, she enjoyed her New York City musical theatre debut as Mrs. Gardner in Pride and Prejudice, and was met with rave reviews, most notably by Nite Life Exchange who praised, “…her burnished mezzo-soprano gleamed effortlessly”. She currently lives in New York City as a vocalist and educator.