Kathryn Hartgrove

Professor/ Mezzo-Soprano

Kathryn Hartgrove has been described as a mezzo-soprano of precision, range and sheer splendor and has been heard throughout the United States, South America and Europe. Her many roles have included Judith in Bluebeard s Castle, Suzuki in Madame Butterfly, Thisbe in La Cenerentola, Siebel in Faust, Emilia in Otello and Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana with such companies as Lyric Opera of Kansas City, San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera's National Tour, Chicago Opera Theater, Łodz National Opera of Poland, Chamber Opera of Chicago, Piedmont Opera Theater and Opera Maine. She has performed as Soloist with the Istanbul National Symphony, the Pesaro Chamber Orchestra and Choir in Italy, the Grant Park Symphony of Chicago, the Hinsdale Chamber Orchestra, the Lake Shore Symphony, the Millikin-Decatur Symphony and the Beloit-Janesville Symphony. She has performed solo recitals in Europe, South America and the United States and has been heard on radio and television in Brazil, Turkey and the United States.

Other performances include Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire in Nuremburg, Germany and at the Dimitria Festival in Thessaloniki, Greece; Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater at the Pasqua Festival in Ravenna, Italy; concerts in Poland at the Krakow Opera House; concerts at the Trujillo Bach Festival in Trujillo, Peru, opera galas in Macerata Feltria and Pesaro, Italy, a recital for the Atelier Concert Series in Paris, France as well as recitals in Bauru, Campinas, Uberlandia and São Paulo, Brazil.  She has gone on to work professionally with many of North America's finest stage directors and conductors.

Ms. Hartgrove is an active professional stage director and recently staged Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi for FIO ITALIA and will be returning to stage Rita and Suor Angelica. She staged Il Canterina for FIO ITALIA’s online summer opera festival in 2021. Prior to COVID-19, Ms. Hartgrove staged Suor Angelica in Uberlândia at the invitation for the famed Brazilian soprano Edimar Ferredi. She was invited to create and stage opera scenes programs for Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Brazil, the Universidade Federal de Uberlândia as part of an Artist in Residence and the Festival of International Opera of the Americas. Other engagements include Dido and Aeneas at the Festival Música das Esferas, Cagnoni’s Don Bucefalo, Haydn’s Il Mondo della Luna and Rita for La Musica Lirica in Italy, Pizza con Funghi by Seymour Barab with the Boston Opera Cooperative, Too Many Sopranos and Pizza con Funghi for Milwaukee Opera Theater, Die Zauberflöte for the University of Campinas, Brazil. She will stage direct a scenes program for the Universidade de Guanajuato in Mexico.

During the 2023 FIO ITALIA season, Ms. Hartgrove established a collaboration with the highly respected Gasparo Spontini Pergolesi Foundation and will cooperate in opera productions for the 2024 season.

As a Master Class technician, Ms. Hartgrove has worked nationally with students at the the Cleveland Institute of Music, Florida State University, Mississippi State University, the University of Mobile, Southeastern Louisiana University, Capital University, the University of Minnesota, the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Augustana College, Concordia College, the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, Illinois State University, the University of Northern Alabama, the University of Minnesota in Mankota, Ohio University, Miami University of Ohio, Central Michigan University, Southwestern University in Texas, Drake University in Iowa, Utah Valley University, Westminster College in Salt Lake City, the University of Memphis, the University of Montana at Missoula, University of Hawai’i in Honolulu, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Butler University in Indianapolis, Tuft’s University, New England Conservatory in Boston, Ithaca College, Brigham Young University, the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Alabama State University, and Florida Southern University. She is an adjudicator and Masterclass clinician for the National Schmidt Vocal Competition.

Internationally, Ms. Hartgrove has presented Masterclasses at the Universidade de Èvora in Portugal, the Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón in Argentina, the University of Trujillo in Peru, the Summer Music Academy in Afytos, Greece, Universidade Estual di Campinas, Universidade Sagrado Coração, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Universidade de São Paulo, Universidade Estual de São Paulo, Festival Música das Esferas, Brazil and in Novafeltria, Italy. She recently was an Artist in Residence for the Universidade de Guanajuato in Mexico, and at the invitation of the Honorary Consul General of the Czech Republic presented a masterclass at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno, Czech Republic.

Ms. Hartgrove was co-founder of La Musica Lirica in Italia. For thirteen years she was the festival’s Artistic Director and program’s coordinator. She was one of their stage directors and voice teachers and was responsible for the development of the festival from a 15-person program to one that works with over 60 singers each summer.

After receiving an invitation and co-operative agreement from the President of the Universidade Estual di Campinas, she stepped down from her position at La Musica Lirica and, along with two of her colleagues, founded Festival of International Opera in the Americas. Ms. Hartgrove was the Artistic Director of this Festival in Brazil in 2013. At the invitation of Giovanni Pasotto , the festival moved to Italy (FIO ITALIA) and opened in-person in the town of Urbania, Italy in July of 2022. The Minister of Culture from Panama visited the festival in the summer of 2022 and expressed interest in discussions of a similar festival with their country. The administration of the Universidade de Guanajuato’s has extended a verbal invitation to open FIO MEXICO in the future. A formal cooperation agreement and invitation is forthcoming.

Ms. Hartgrove’s students have sung in major regional houses throughout the United States such as Minnesota Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Atlanta Opera, Omaha Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera and Opera Theater of St. Louis. Internationally performances include the Amazonas Opera Festival in Brazil, the Municipal Theater in Rio de Janeiro, the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, the Festival Internacional Cervantino, the Orquestra Filharmónica de Ja Ciudad de México and the Orquesta Sinfónica De San Luis Potosí. They have won awards at the State and Regional Metropolitan Competitions and competed on the Semi-finals of the Metropolitan Opera Competition in addition taking top prizes in Houston Grand Opera’s Concert of Arias, the VanderLaan Competition and the Opera Index Competition.  Her students have been heard at the Kennedy Center and have gone on to be accepted into prestigious Young Artist programs with the Houston Grand Opera, the San Francisco Opera, Minnesota Opera, Des Moines Opera, Opera Theater of St. Louis, and Michigan Opera Theater. They are also singing in major regional houses throughout the United States. Many of her students have been admitted to top schools such as Cincinnati Conservatory, Yale University, and the Manhattan School of Music, to name a few.

Ms. Hartgrove is a Professor of Voice at Georgia State University.  She received her Masters degree in vocal performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and continued her study at Northwestern University. She has taught at Roosevelt University, Millikin University, Elmhurst College, and the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater.