The New York Timeshas praised her voice as “excitingly radiant and agile.” Newsdayapplauded her “liquid plangent tones…crystal-clear diction and contained, but simmering, intensity.” With an elegant combination of warm, rich vocal tone and assured artistry, Katharine Goeldner is recognized as one of today’s finest mezzo-sopranos.

This season, Katharine made her role debut as Delilah in Virginia Opera’s Samson et Dalila; she reprised her role as Jacqueline Onassis in JFK,with the Opéra de Montréal; she debuted as Herodias in Strauss’ Salomewith the Minnesota Orchestra; she returned to Hawaii Opera Theatre as Mme. Larina in Eugene Onegin, a role she first performed last season with Lyric Opera of Chicago; she sang the role of the Egyptian Princess Amneris in Aidawith the Opera Theater in the Rockies; and she was nominated by the St. Louis Theater Circle Awards’ “Outstanding Achievement in Opera” for her performances as Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrathwith the Opera Theatre of St. Louis.

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Future projects include Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erdewith the University of Iowa Symphony Orchestra at Hancher; Brigitta in Die tote Stadtat the Opéra du Capitôle in Toulouse, France; Fricka in Wagner’s Die Walküre in Augsburg, Germany; Annina in Der Rosenkavalierat the Metropolitan Opera; and Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrathat Michigan Opera Theater in Detroit.  

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Other recent credits include her Dutch National Opera debut as Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro, Fricka in Das Rheingold with the Minnesota Opera; Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticanawith Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre; Shostakovich’s Songs from Jewish Folk Poetrywith Leon Botstein and The Orchestra Now at Carnegie Hall; a concert with the University of Iowa Symphony to open their new Voxman Concert Hall;  and a recital of German, French, and American art song at Drake University.

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Katharine’s performances also include Carmen, one of her signature roles, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Finland’s Savonlinna Festival, Madison Opera, and at New York City Opera; the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxosin Madrid, Oviedo, Lyon, Toulouse, and in Paris; the title role of Der Rosenkavalierin Lyon, Toulouse, and Seville; Fricka/Das Rheingold,andWaltraute/Götterdämmerungin Toulouse and Seville; Charlotte/Werther, Fenena/Nabucco,and Nicklausse/The Tales of Hoffmann(DVD) in Bilbao; and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erdewith the Royal Ballet Covent Garden. Her many roles at the Metropolitan Opera include Jane Seymour/Anna Bolena; Orlofsky/Die Fledermaus;Nicklausse/The Tales of Hoffmann; Cherubino/The Marriage of Figaro;Ascanio/Benvenuto Cellini; and the Page/Salome.

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A frequent soloist with orchestras in the US and Europe, Katharine has sung with the American Symphony Orchestra at Lincoln Center, the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, the Vienna Symphony, and the Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg.

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Born and raised in Sigourney, Iowa, Katharine received a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Iowa and a Master’s in German Art Song from the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. She lives in Salzburg, Austria, but performs as often as she can in Iowa. Once an Iowan, always an Iowan!

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