Katherine Lerner-Lee

Mezzo-soprano Katherine Lerner Lee enjoys a versatile career performing art song, chamber music, contemporary works, and opera. This season, she reprises the role of Fraarte in Opera Essentia’s distilled production of Handel’s Radamistothroughout New York City. In October, she performed Hindemith’s Die Serenaden with Concerts on the Slope, and this spring looks forward to a performance of Tim Mukherjee’s song cycle So Ist Mein Herz, which she premiered in 2025, as well as a world premiere by composer Clarice Assad.

Described as “lyricism personified” (Oberon’s Grove), Katherine is a staunch advocate for art song repertoire. In May 2025, she made her Merkin Hall debut, premiering Lara Poe’s Songs of Self with double bassist Nina Bernat, and performing excerpts of Allan Blank’s Songs of the Holocaust alongside Bernat and pianist Anthony Ratinov. She has appeared with Cincinnati Song Initiative, Bard Music Festival, and Downtown Music at Grace, and enjoys frequent collaborations with pianists Fifi Zhang, Sophia Zhou, and Erika Switzer. Katherine’s programming often explores connections between canonical works and lesser-known gems of the 20th and 21st centuries. She has presented recitals with Shandelee Music Festival, Concerts in the Village, and The Stissing Center for the Arts. In 2023, she made her European recital debut alongside pianist Cristina Altamura, performing works by Chopin and Tchaikovsky in San Giovanni Valdarno, Italy.

Deeply connected to her passion for art song is Katherine’s lifelong pursuit of exceptional vocal technique and dramatic intent. These have shaped her operatic performances in major roles such as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, The Governess in The Turn of the Screw, and the Fox in The Cunning Little Vixen. She is a frequent performer with Opera Essentia and has collaborated with composers JL Marlor, Kyle Gann, Zachary Seman, and Jacob Elkin in workshops of contemporary operas.

Equally at home with challenging musical idioms, Katherine’s repertoire includes landmark works by George Crumb, Luciano Berio, Kaija Saariaho, Igor Stravinsky, Louis Andriessen, György Kurtág, and Harrison Birtwistle. She maintains strong relationships with living composers, and her list of premieres includes works by John Musto, Juliana Hall, Scott Wheeler, and Jon Deak. Katherine can currently be heard on Susan Botti’s River Spirits (New Focus Records), performing a role written for and originated by Lucy Shelton.

The common thread in Katherine’s work is a fascination with text and language. She sings in Finnish, Nynorsk, Swedish, Russian, Yiddish, Polish, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Danish, Chinese, and English—and is always eager to add to the list.

Katherine holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and Bard Conservatory, and currently serves on the voice faculty at the University of Mount Saint Vincent and Concordia Conservatory. She is herself a devoted student of master teachers, including Lorraine Manz, Bill McGraw, Lorraine Nubar, and countless others who have profoundly shaped her artistry.

For a full biography, upcoming performances, and a list of credits, please visit KatherineLernerLee.com.