Faculty Detail Page

Kathleen Sasnett directs Opera Workshop, Sunderman Opera Studio, and teaches applied voice. A former Miss Washington, and top ten finalist in the Miss America Pageant, Kathleen has performed leading operatic roles in America, Italy, Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. As a Seattle Opera Young Artist, Kathleen performed over 15 roles in three years to standing ovations, including Liu, Rosalinda, Vitellia, Butterfly, Maddalena, Leonora, and Isolde. Equally at home in musical theatre, Kathleen has performed over 16 leading roles, including Maria in The Sound of Music, Lili in Carnival!, Marian in The Music Man, Fiona in Brigadoon, Golde in Fiddler on the Roof, and Aldonza in Man of La Mancha where she “completely submerged herself into the character”. A Finalist in the Altamura/Enrico Caruso International Vocal Competition, this “lovely soprano” with a “voice vividly alive” has performed with over 30 American and International professional groups. This past year, Kathleen performed Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Gettysburg College Symphony Orchestra; performed Kate Keller in a world premiere of Susan Russell’s musical Helen and Teacher; and will premiere John William Jones’ new oratorio We The People as the Soprano Soloist for the Lincoln Centennial in November. Kathleen will perform the role of the Mother and direct the production of Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors at the Majestic Theatre in January 2010, for Music, Gettysburg!. In March, 2010, she will be a guest artist performing Leonore in a concert version of Beethoven’s opera Fidelio with the Ohio State University Symphony Orchestra. Kathleen was the Soprano Soloist (Gabriel) in Haydn’s oratorio Die Schöpfung (The Creation) in the Varna, Bulgarian premiere last May, and will return in June, 2010, as Soprano Soloist for the Mozart Requiem and Voice Master Class Clinician for the Varna International Music Academy and Festival, performing in Varna, Vienna, Prague, Bratislava, Budapest, and Israel. Teaching has always been a part of Kathleen's career with over 30 years experience teaching private voice and 7 years as a Vocal Music Specialist in the public schools. A member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Kathleen has an earned Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Vocal Performance from The Ohio State University, where she was awarded a University Graduate Fellowship and the Graduate Outstanding Achievement Award. She is Assistant Professor at Sunderman Conservatory of Music in Voice and Opera.