KrisAnne Weiss (she/her), mezzo-soprano, performs an eclectic array of music-theater and concert works, modeling for students the possibilities of a hyper-local, collaborative, genre-bending life in music. She has performed leading roles in many operas, including L’Italiana in Algeri, The Dangerous Liaisons, Die Fledermaus, Le Nozze di Figaro, Così fan tutte, Madama Butterfly, and The Consul. She has appeared with Skylark Opera, An Opera Theatre, Lyric Opera of the North, Pine Mountain Music Festival, Fargo Moorhead Opera, Opera Omaha, Central City Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera on the Lake, Journey North Opera, and Pickup Truck Opera. Her concert appearances include solos in Bach’s B minor Mass, St John Passion, and St Matthew Passion; Mozart’s C minor Mass, Coronation Mass, and Requiem; and Vivaldi’s Gloria and Magnificat. She has performed with Zeitgeist, Valley Chamber Chorale, St. Catherine Choral Society, the Bakken Trio, Lawrence University Symphony Orchestra, Mississippi Valley Orchestra, Plymouth Symphony, Bel Canto Chorus of Milwaukee, Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, Exultate, the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, and Nautilus Music-Theater, among others.
An advocate of contemporary music and art song, Dr. Weiss has premiered and workshopped countless new compositions, among them John Tartaglia’s orchestral work Dark Night, Glad Day, Edie Hill’s dramatic concert work Amy Lowell: A Rare Pattern, and the lead role in Chris Gable’s opera The Ladysmith Story. She has frequently been featured performing new works at Source Song Festival, and has been a performer in Nautilus Music-Theater’s Composer-Librettist studio. Also an accomplished recitalist, chamber musician, and narrator, Dr. Weiss has given many solo recitals in the Twin Cities and can be heard in frequent collaborations with other local musicians. She is also the host of An Opera Theatre’s Voice Labs, a free artistic development resource for local singers at any point in their careers.
Dr. Weiss completed her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees at the University of Minnesota, where she received the University Fellowship, the Graduate Research Partnership Program Grant, and the Schuessler Graduate Prize in Voice. She has previously been on the voice faculties of the University of Minnesota, Lawrence University, Luther College, Mount Olivet School of Music, Lutheran Summer Music Festival and Academy, and Carleton College. She teaches private lessons online and in St. Paul, and is on the voice faculty at St. Olaf College.