Biography
Celebrated for her shimmering tone, effortless high notes, and captivating performances, award-winning soprano Leslie Katter moves easily between new American opera, classic coloratura repertoire, musical theater, and vocal jazz. Her recent work includes Gordon Getty’s Plump Jack, in which she made both her recording and film debuts in the roles of Boy and Clarence, with Maestro Nicole Paiement conducting the album. Getty writes, “We are extremely fortunate to have the brilliant soprano Leslie Katter… It’s been a joy—her natural exuberance is contagious.” The album and feature-length film are both awaiting release.
Among the roles she has especially enjoyed are the comic Lady Lilette Sauvoirfaire, which she originated in the world premiere of Burwell and Sasser’s By Georges! with Lamplighters Music Theatre; the dramatic Aveline Mortimer in Kevin Puts’s Elizabeth Cree with West Edge Opera; the titular role in Domenico Freschi’s Olimpia Vendicata with Ars Minerva, where San Francisco Classical Voice described her as “clever and steely,” praising her for “bringing a fine coloratura to her arias”; and the flirty Sibella Hallward in Steven Lutvak’s A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder with Lamplighters Music Theatre. She made her professional debut as the iconic Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. Critics have called her “triumphant,” “adorably clarion,” and “dynamic yet effortless.” In her Festival Napa Valley debut, San Francisco Classical Voice praised her “bright insouciant soprano” and said she “would be perfect for a Broadway musical.” Her work has taken her to stages throughout the West Coast and beyond.
On the concert stage, Katter has recently appeared as a soprano soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Willamette Master Chorus and Orchestra and Dvořák’s Requiem with the Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra.
A native Oregonian, Katter earned a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Willamette University and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She is a recipient of the Encouragement Award from the Washington District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and has participated in master classes with Frederica von Stade, Victoria Livengood, John Churchwell, Sheri Greenawald, Patricia Wise, and Patricia Craig, among others. Based in San Francisco, she continues to study with soprano Jane Randolph.
Headshot by Gian Andrea di Stefano.
Contact Leslie to request a resume.