Mezzo soprano, Katherine Saik DeLugan, is a cross-genre vocalist and performing arts educator who currently serves as a Senior Lecturer in Music at Smith College; the largest women’s liberal arts college in the United States. She holds a Bachelor of Music from UMass Amherst, and a Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music. As proud member of The National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and a champion for cross-genre vocal training, Katherine works with young singers in multiple styles of music to develop their unique sound and musical identity. From Western classical to pop, rock R&B and musical theatre, her students have won regional and national recognition in competitions and successfully gone on to careers in the arts all over the globe.

 

As a performer herself, Katherine has been active in local and regional performing arts. Her operatic roles have been described by MassLive as “gloriously sung” with a voice that “sparkled easily above the orchestra”. Praised for her acting and characterization, she was most recently described by the Berkshire Eagle and the Boston Music Intelligencer as having “channeled flashes of brilliance” and leaving “an indelible impression”.

 

Her most recent operatic roles include Komponist in Ariadne Auf Naxos, Wellgunde in Götterdämmerung and Das Rheingold, and Sieglinde in Die Walküre. She also regularly appears as a concert soloist with regional orchestras, choirs, colleges and universities. Katherine holds a deep passion for Lieder and art song and programs multiple recitals throughout the academic year exploring the rich traditions of Western Art Music.

 

In addition to performing and teaching, Katherine has served as a stage director, producer, arts administrator and board member for many local arts organizations and school districts. She holds a strong commitment to working within her community to strengthen, diversify and create greater accessibility to the arts.