Recent Engagements
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2019
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Rosina | THE BARBER OF SEVILLE
Raylynmor Opera
Friday, May 17th, 2019 | 7:30pmSunday, May 19th, 2019 | 2pmPeterborough Players | Peterborough, NH
This is a fully orchestrated production of Rossini's mad captale of the Barber, but set in a South Beach Miami performance gym (Seville). New English libretto by Artistic Director, Ben Robinson.
Betty | MISTER ROGERS' OPERAS
Pittsburgh Festival Opera
July 13th through 25th, 2019Falk Auditorium | Winchester Thurston School | Pittsburgh, PA
Composed by Fred Rogers and originally appearing on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, the operas Windstorm in Bubbleland and Spoon Mountain are whimsical, engaging musical stories that speak to audiences both young and old. Each is endearingly odd and heartwarming, and has a moral lesson to be learned - as only Mr. Rogers can teach it! Pittsburgh Festival Opera will re-stage the operas for the first time since they were filmed at Pittsburgh’s own WQED studio. Directed by Tomé Cousin, who performed as “Ragdoll Tommy” on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood!
Glorianna | Roger Zahab's HEGEMONY
Music on the Edge
Saturday, October 5th, 2019Bellfield Hall Auditorium | University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA
This celebration of Roger Zahab’s remarkable contributions as composer, performer, and teacher will feature cellist David Russell and conductor/pianist Rob Frankenberry, violinist Lilit Hartunian, vocalists Kara Cornell, Anna Elder, Alexandra Johnson, John Teresi, Mitch Fitzdaniel, and pianist Eric Moe. The all-Zahab program includes the young person’s guide to convergence, Sonata for Winter, not later, reaching after, and the premiere of his opera Hegemony: Scenes.
A Sentimental Journey | The Golden Age of Broadway
Aria412
Sunday, October 27th, 2019 | 2pm
Allegheny RiverStone Arts | Foxburg, PA
Enjoy the music of Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Irving Berlin and George Gershwin sung by Aria412 founders Desirée Soteres and Kelly Lynch, joined by Kara Cornell, Erich Lascek and Samuel Viggiano, with Amy Kapp on the Steinway – and directed by the distinguished Seamus Ricci. Preview performance Friday, October 25th at Chatham University.
Alto Soloist | MESSIAH
Calvary United Methodist Church
Saturday, December 7th, 2019 | 4pmSunday, December 8th, 2019 | 4pmCalvary United Methodist Church | Pittsburgh, (North Side) PA
Alto Soloist | MESSIAH
Butler County Symphony Orchestra
Saturday, December 7th, 2019 | 7:30pmBring the entire family for a festive seasonal double bill, featuring the Christmas portion of Handel’s masterpiece and a traditional Holiday Pops.
BIHS Auditorium | Butler, PA
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2018
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Isabelle Eberhardt | SONG FROM THE UPROAR
Opera Ithaca
May 5th through 10th, 2018The Cherry Artspace | Ithaca, NY
Kara will portray the lead role in this intimate production, which was hailed by The New York Times as “a visually and aurally ravishing chamber opera…a captivating multimedia spectacle,” Song from the Uproar is a one woman opera that immerses the audience in the surreal landscapes of real-life Swiss adventurer Isabelle Eberhardt's life: the loss of her family, the thrill of her arrival in Africa and the mystery of her demise. Performed with a chamber and electronic orchestra, as well as a 5 person chamber chorus.
Rosina | IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA
Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre
July 5th through August 3rd, 2018Ellen Eccles Theatre | Logan, UT
Kara makes her debut with The Utah Festival in the leading female role in Rossini's comic opera. Performed in Italian with English supertitles.
Rose Lennox | THE SECRET GARDEN
Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre
July 7th through August 4th, 2018Ellen Eccles Theatre | Logan, UT
Kara performs the role of Mary Lennox's deceased mother in this Tony Award winning musical adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel.
Dinah | TROUBLE IN TAHITI
Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra
Saturday, October 13th, 2018 | 7:30 PM Sunday, October 14th, 2018 | 2:30 PMSchrott Center For The Arts, Butler University | Indianapolis, IN
Kara will perform in Leonard Bernstein's famous one-act opera in an evening of his music that celebrates his centennial birthday. This staged production will be rounded out with music orchestral music from Candide and West Side Story.
Creative Collaborations | Solo Vocal Recital
Rodef Shalom Professional Music Series
Monday, November 19th, 2018 | 8pmLevy Hall, Rodef Shalom Congregation | Pittsburgh, PA
Kara and pianist Abigail Eagleson will present a vocal recital of art songs, musical theater and opera works by Clara Schumann, Leonard Bernstein, Rossini and others!
Alto Soloist | MESSIAH
Calvary United Methodist Church
Saturday, December 1st, 2018 | 4pmCalvary United Methodist Church | Pittsburgh, (North Side) PA
Alto Soloist | MESSIAH
Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra
Sunday, December 9th, 2018 | 2:30pmTabernacle Presbyterian Church | Indianapolis, IN
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2017
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Mercédès | CARMEN
Winter Opera St. Louis
Friday, March 3rd, 2017 | 8pmSunday, March 5th, 2017 | 3pm
Skip Viragh Center for the Arts | St. Louis, MO
Kara makes her debut with Winter Opera St. Louis in this production.
Meg Page | FALSTAFF
Resonance Works
Friday, May 12, 2017 | 8pm Sunday, May 14, 2017 | 3pm
Charity Randall Theater | Pittsburgh (Oakland), PA
Kara returns for a second season with Resonance Works to sing in Verdi's comic opera.
Alto Soloist | Dvořák's STABAT MATER
Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra
Friday, June 2nd, 2017 | 8pmSaturday, June 3, 2017 | 3pmSunday, June 4th, 2017 | 3pm
Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley | Berkeley, CA
Completed in 1877, Stabat Mater is a glorious, melodic work that Dvořák composed after he and his wife suffered the loss of four of their young children within a very short span of time.
Vox Novus | Luciano Berio's FOLK SONGS
Nat 28 New Music
Saturday, September 30th, 2017 at 7:30pm
Third Presbyterian Church | Pittsburgh (Shadyside), PA
This concert features the talents of NAT 28 musicians alongside three vocalists who are celebrated for their performances of contemporary music. Soprano Jennifer Aylmer will be featured on two works by the award-winning Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho. The American premiere of NAT 28 composer Jean-Patrick Besingrand’s Aux couleurs du couchant reflété par mes yeux for solo voice will be given by soprano Anna Elder. The concert will end with Folk Songs by the iconic composer, Luciano Berio, sung by Kara Cornell.
Step-Mother | THE TRUE STORY OF CINDERELLA
The Pittsburgh Camerata
Sunday, October 8th, 2017 | 4pm
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts | Pittsburgh (Shadyside), PA
Enjoy an enchanted afternoon during this Pittsburgh Camerata fundraiser event. Members of the Camerata and guest soloists will perform an unstaged musical comedy that tells the TRUE story of Cinderella. In addition to this hour long production which hilariously includes the musical styles of opera, musical theater and vaudeville, there will also be refreshments, food and a silent auction.
Jake Heggie's INTO THE FIRE
Resonance Works | Pittsburgh
Friday, October 20th, 2017 | 8pmPYCO School of Music Recital Hall | Wexford, PA
October 21, 2017 | 8pmLevy Hall at Rodef Shalom | Pittsburgh (Shadyside), PAResonance Works | Pittsburgh open their fifth season with two epic song cycles by romantic & modern masters that explore the heart of an artist. Baritone Daniel Teadt will perform Robert Schumann's Dichterliebe (A poet's love), a pinnacle of the art song repertoire, in a new arrangement for piano quintet. Kara Cornell will perform Jake Heggie & Gene Scheer's Camille Claudel: Into the fire, which depicts the passion, artistry and madness in the French Sculptor's life. Written for mezzo Joyce DiDonato, the work "compresses a tragic life of operatic dimensions into a song cycle of great beauty and emotional resonance" (NY Times)
Alto Soloist | MESSIAH
Calvary United Methodist Church
Saturday, December 2rd, 2017 | 4pm
Calvary United Methodist Church | Pittsburgh, (North Side) PA
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2016
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Alma March | LITTLE WOMEN
Pittsburgh Opera
Saturday, January 23rd, 2016 | 8pmTuesday, January 26th, 2016 | 7pmFriday, January 29th, 2016 | 7:30pmSunday, January 31st, 2016 | 2pmCAPA Theater | Pittsburgh, PA
Kara makes her debut with Pittsburgh Opera in Mark Adamo's charming opera LITTLE WOMEN, based on Louisa May Alcott's famous novel.
Recital | "Creative Collaborations"
St. Petersburg Opera
Thursday, February 18th, 2016 | 7:30pmPreis Hall at Opera Central | St. Petersburg, FL
St. Petersburg Opera hosts an evening of vocal works by Russell C. Andrade, as well as compositions by artistic director Mark Sforzini.
Recital | "Evidence of Things Not Seen"
Resonance Works
Sunday February 21, 2016 | 3pmLevy Hall | Rodef Shalom Congregation | Pittsburgh (Shadyside), PA
"Evidence of Things Not Seen" is a cycle of 36 songs by Ned Rorem for solo voices and piano, using texts of 24 different poets including Auden, Colette, Whitman, Baudelaire, Yeats, and Wilde. Commissioned in 1997 by the Library of Congress and the New York Festival of Song, this work serves as a summation of Rorem's work as a composer of art song. The movements are arranged in three groupings, entitled: "Beginnings", "Middles", and "Ends". Kara is the mezzo-soprano soloist with Robert Frankenerry as music director and pianist.
Alto Soloist | Vivaldi's GLORIA and BEATUS VIR
Akron Symphony Chorus
Sunday, April 3rd, 2016 | 3pmSt. Paul's Episcopal Church | Akron, OH
Maria Sensi Sellner leads the Akron Symphony Chorus in its annual Spring Concert. Kara and Shannon Kessler Dooley are soloists.
Solo Recital | "Creative Collaborations"
Music in a Great Space Concert Series
Wednesday, June 8th, 2016 | 7:30pmShadyside Presbyterian Church | Pittsburgh, (Shadyside) PA
Kara and pianist Abigail Eagelson will present a recital of American Art Song, which will include folk song arrangements, pieces Kara has previously premiered, as well as a world premiere! This concert is part of the "Music for Midsummer Nights", a mini-series of midweek concerts from "Music in a Great Space".
Carmen | CARMEN THE GYPSY
Opera Theater of Pittsburgh
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2016 | 7:00 pmThursday, June 23rd, 2016 | 7:00 pmThe Sphinx Cafe | Pittsburgh, (Oakland) PASaturday, June 25th, 2016 | 7:30 pmSunday, June 26th, 2016 | 2:00 pmArtifacts | Pittsburgh, (West End) PA
Friday, July 1st, 2016 | 7:30 pmSaturday, July 2nd, 2016 | 7:30 pmSnuggery Farm | Sewickley, PA
Saturday, July 9th, 2016 | 7:30 pmWinchester Thurston | Pittsburgh, (Shadyside) PA
Opera Theater is reprising it's flamenco adaption of Bizet's famous opera, which premiered during the first Summerfest in 2012 to sold-out audiences. Kara, who was hailed "an electric presence" by the Post Gazette, and tenor James Flora reprise their roles as the ill-fated lovers Carmen and Don Jose. Performed in English with chamber orchestra, this production is going on tour to funky and intimate venues around the greater Pittsburgh area!
Carmen | CARMEN
Long Island Opera
Saturday, October 8th, 2016 | 8pmSunday, October 9th, 2016 | 3pmThe Madison Theatre | Rockville Center, NY
Kara returns to her native Long Island to sing one of her signature roles! This production is fully staged with orchestra.
Alto Soloist | MESSIAH
Calvary United Methodist Church
Saturday, December 3rd, 2016 | 4pmCalvary United Methodist Church | Pittsburgh, (North Side) PA
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2015
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Soloist | "New Years Day Party"
Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra
Thursday, January 1st, 2015 | 3pmBarnstable Performing Arts Center | Hyannis, MA
Kara and soprano Margot Rood are guest artists along with the infamous Peter Schickele, aka PDQ Bach, in The Cape Cod Symphony's most versatile performance of the season, with music ranging from Viennese waltzes to contemporary musical theater hits.
Soloist | "Opera Therapy"
St. Petersburg Opera
Thursday, March 19th, 2015 | 6pmThe Music Gallery | Clearwater, FLFriday, March 20th 2015 | 11amMuseum of Fine Arts | St. Petersburg, FL
Kara returns to St. Petersburg Opera to participate in a concert series that explores opera characters who REALLY need some therapy! Excerpts include selections from GIULIO CESARE, TROUBLE IN TAHITI and, of course, CARMEN.
Carmen | "Opera Express"
St. Petersburg Opera
Saturday, Mar 21, 2015 | 10am-1pmOpera Central, St. Petersburg, FL
SPO presents a fun-filled look at What Makes an Opera Work. Participants will board the Opera Express and make stops at several educational stations along the way. At each station, passengers will learn about another facet of opera. Interactive sessions will teach about Costumes, Stage Design, Set Building and music learning, which culminates in an interactive performance of CARMEN, where Kara is singing the title role.
Alto Soloist | THERESIENMESSE
Washington & Jefferson College
Friday, April 17th, 2015 | 7:30pmChurch of the Covenant | Washington, PA
Each year the W&J Choir and Camerata Singers are joined by a professional orchestra and soloists to present a choral masterwork. This year they will present Haydn's extraordinary Theresienmesse, a mass written by the classical master in 1799. This work has it all - brilliance, lyricism, quiet passages of simple beauty and moments of exuberant virtuosity. Don't miss this evening of stirring music in a spectacular setting.
Soloist | "Voices Reunited"
The Pittsburgh Camerata
Sunday, May 17th, 2015 | 4pmCarlow University | Pittsburgh (Oakland), PA
Once again The Pittsburgh Camerata will join with former singers from its illustrious past to form an “alumni choir.” Artistic Director Rebecca Rollett has programmed choral music to showcase this special ensemble including pieces by Standford, Billings, Tavener, Paulus and the famous "Miserere" by Allegri. Kara is guest soloist.
Alto Soloist | OHIO ENTELECHRON
Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble
Friday, July 31st, 2016 | 8pmSaturday, August 1st, 2015 | 8pm
City Theater | Pittsburgh (South Side), PA
The grand return of Roger Zahab's Ohio Entelechron PNME production with music by the great Zahabian master, Pulitzer Prize winner Kevin Puts' signature PNME masterpiece Einstein on Mercer Street, replete with political ads, time travel, and the soon to be famous "I'm the Decider!" canon. Kara is a guest artist with this fine musical troupe.
Soloist | Resonance Chamber @ The Cloakroom
Resonance Works
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2015 | 7pmThe Livermore | Pittsburgh (Shadyside), PA
Enjoy food and drink at The Livermore while experiencing intimate performances by Resonance Works artists! This evening, which will be the first of the chamber series, will showcase composers from Resonance Work's upcoming mainstage season. Kara will perform songs by Bernstein and Rorem, as well as perform Respighi's "Il Tramonto" with chamber orchestra.
Dinah | Bernstein Project/TROUBLE IN TAHITI
Resonance Works
Saturday, October 3rd, 2015 | 8pmSunday, October 4th, 2015 | 3pmLevy Hall | Rodef Shalom Congregation | Pittsburgh (Shadyside), PA
A Sonomosaic of works of Leonard Bernstein exploring themes of life, love, and peace. The centerpiece of the program is the one-act, TROUBLE IN TAHITI, where Kara will perform the role of "Dinah". The balance of the program will include beloved selections from Candide and West Side Story, art songs, short instrumental works including a movement of Prelude, Fugues, and Riffs, and several vocal arrangements by Robert Page.
Solo Recital | "Creative Collaborations"
Southwestern University
Thursday, November 12th, 2015 | 7pmSouthwestern University | Georgetown, TX
Kara will present a recital of American Art Song, which will include folk song arrangements, pieces she has previously premiered, as well as a world premiere song cycle by Russell Andrade! This concert is part of the Sarofim School for the Fine Arts recital series. A public masterclass and student discussion will also be scheduled.
