Kenning, Kristin

Title
Adjunct Professor of Music
Office:
Jenson-Noble 121
Phone:
+1.563.387.1562
Email:
Degree:
M.M., A.B.D., Univerisity of Minnesota
Interests:
Voice
Kristin Kenning, a Detroit native, lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she works as a vocalist, teacher, and stage director.  A soprano, she has a diverse background of experience performing in opera, musical theatre, jazz, and concert settings.  Recent opera roles include Poppea in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, Rose in Street Scene, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro.  While working on her D.M.A. at the University of Minnesota she was a graduate instructor of both voice and opera workshop, and performed leading roles for the University Opera Theatre, the Xperimental Theatre, and the Minnesota Centennial Showboat.  As a vocalist, she has performed throughout the Midwest and in New York, Europe, and South Africa – recently performing a recital of art song and musical theatre in Żyrardów, Poland, and a Midwest tour of Paul Schoenfield’s Camp Songs.  Her voice teachers have included Jane Giering De Haan and Elizabeth Mannion.

As a stage director, current projects involve collaboration with composer Carolyn Elerding on Medicine Show, the Opera! and staging Christopher Gable’s new opera The Ladysmith Story, to premiere in 2010.  At Theatre Unbound, Minneapolis, she has worked as a stage director and as a music director, most recently for their production of Quilters.

Ms. Kenning holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance from Western Michigan University and a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Minnesota where she is nearing completion of her Doctor of Musical Arts degree.  Her thesis on the songs of Mieczysław Karłowicz is part of her goal to make Polish song more accessible to American singers.