KATHERINE SOROKA
Mezzo Soprano
Hailed as “masterful” with “heartfelt vocalism” (Pittsburgh Post Gazette), Mezzo-soprano Katherine "Kathy" Soroka in her world premiere performance of David Stock’s "Songs of Solomon" with the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble was acclaimed for “finding both lush lines and dramatic intensity… commanding the stage”. (TribLive) An accomplished pianist, seasoned actress and gifted comedian, Katherine creates characters and interpretations that are brimming with life, pathos and humor.
Welcome to the Website
We are never too old to be young and enlightened - and living life to the fullest. I am committed to doing just that. This is a portal to my journey musically and artistically as a singer/actress, voice teacher/collaborative pianist, and arts administrator with the intent that it opens doors to new collaborative possibilities and perhaps may inspire you to explore your creative potentials and pursue your path of self expression. Here's TO LIFE!
BIO
Singer, Actress, Pianist, Voice Teacher and Arts Administrator
Katherine “Kathy” Soroka has had a double career both onstage and backstage in the performing arts. Her first career was “backstage” managing concerts and directing programs in some of the country’s major arts organizations, including the New York Philharmonic, Grand Teton Music Festival and Manhattan School of Music.
In her "encore" career as a singer/acress, Katherine won the Pittsburgh Concert Society Auditions and has been performing in the greater Pittsburgh region in recital, chamber music, contemporary music, opera, musical theatre and cabaret. She has been celebrated for connecting with audiences as a singer-actress and creating characters and song interpretations that are brimming with life, pathos and humor.
As a voice teacher and collaborative pianist, both in her position for five years as vocal instructor and collaborative pianist at Mercyhurst University and in her private voice studio in Pittsburgh, Foxburg, and online, it has been her great pleasure to work with singers as they find and express their SOUL SONG - as performers, music educators, and music therapists.
As a Board member of Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts, Katherine manages Artistic Planning, Marketing, Publicity, Development and Education. She resides with her husband and their Hungarian Vizsla, Plato, on their farm near Foxburg, PA.
RECENT CONCERTS
November 6, 2022
Final curtain call for Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts 16th Anniversary Concert with Monique Mead, Walter Morales and Robert Frankenberry in Lincoln Hall in Foxburg, PA. Photo credit - John M. Karian
March 16, 2022
Mercyhurst University Faculty Recital with pianist and tenor Robert Frankenberry, Walker Recital Hall, Erie, PA
March 11, 2020
Mercyhurst University Faculty Recital with pianist Nathan Carterette, Walker Recital Hall, Erie, PA
October 19, 2019
Singing the "Lamentation" from Leonard Bernstein's Jeremiah Symphony with the Edgewood Symphony Orchestra, Walter Morales, Music Director at the Katz Performing Arts Center, Pittsburgh, PA
September 15, 2019
David Stock's "Three Yiddish Songs" with a string quartet of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra members for the debut concert of "If Music Be the Food" concert series at Temple Sinai in Pittsburgh, PA
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Mercyhurst University Faculty Recital with pianist Nathan Carterette, Walker Recital Hall, Erie, PA
Sunday, April 22, 2018
Klytemnaestra in Richard Strauss' Elektra with the Chatham Concert Opera, conductor Walter Morales at the piano - at Chatham University, Pittsburgh
March 10, 2018
Singing Gustav Mahler's Songs of the Wayfarer with the Edgewood Symphony Orchestra, Walter Morales, Music Director at the Katz Performing Arts Center, Pittsburgh, PA
March 3, 2017
Program of Gustav Mahler Songs - Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Das Knaben Wunderhorn and Rückert Lieder - with pianist Nathan Carterette for First Fridays at Redeemer in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh.
July 8 - 9, 2016
Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble world premier of David Stock's "Three Yiddish Songs" at City Theatre, Pittsburgh with Nanette Kaplan Solomon at the piano. Acclaimed for “finding both lush lines and dramatic intensity… commanding the stage”. (TribLive)
All Videos
All Videos
Ah mon fils - for Aria412
Richard Strauss: Elektra Klytämnestra scene - Katherine Soroka, mezzo soprano
David Stock - Three Yiddish Songs
Katherine Soroka sings Schubert's "Die Forelle" in English with pianist David Allen Wehr
P R O J E C T S
Former Mercyhurst University Voice Instructor
On the faculty of Mercyhurst University for the past five years as voice instructor and vocal accompanist, it was my great pleasure to help students develop their voices and hone their self expression in rich repertoire culminating in performances in the D'Angelo Department of Music Student Forum performances, opera productions, drama department musicals, and capstone senior recitals in completion of their degrees in Music Performance, Music Education and Music Therapy.
Private and Cyber Voice Lessons
Since winning the PIttsburgh Concert Society Auditions in 2005, I have been teaching privately in Pittsburgh and Foxburg and via cyber lessons to students ranging in age from their early teens to their seventies - including several Jewish cantors in Pittsburgh and St. Paul and high students who have gone on to music degrees in performance, music therapy, and vocal pedagogy at Baldwin Wallace, Shenandoah, SUNY Fredonia and Cleveland Institute.
Prior to COVID, solo and studio recitals featuring students were presented at Lincoln Hall in Foxburg and at various venues in Pittsburgh. Students interested in learning more about studying voice with me either in person or via cyber lessons can contact me below.
Allegheny Riverstone Center for the Arts
In 2006, I performed the first classical concert for Allegheny Riverstone Center for the Arts in the newly renovated Lincoln Hall in Foxburg, PA. It has been my great pleasure to serve on its Board of Directors since 2011 and as Director of Artistic Planning and Communications since 2014.
My volunteer arts management work for ARCA is based on my twenty-one year tenure in arts administration with some of the country's major performing arts institutions, including the New York Philharmonic, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Grand Teton Music Festival and Manhattan School of Music. I continue to work as a consultant within performing arts management for special projects.
Join us this season in Foxburg, PA for "Glorious Music and Art in the Beautiful Allegheny-Clarion River Valley", exceptional concerts and Red Brick Gallery exhibits presented by Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts, including a 16th Anniversary concert on Sunday, November 6 performed by me with Robert Frankenberry, Monique Mead, and Walter Morales. Sign up for our newsletter or buy tickets at the Website link below.
Daniel Gage,
Tenor
"Katherine Soroka’s technique, personality, and persistence have all shaped me and my voice to be the singer I am today. She doesn’t just push you to do better. She motivates you. Katherine Soroka will inspire you to sound the best you can, to shine like the star she knows you can be!
If I ever end up teaching students myself then I hope to inspire the same musicality she has inspired in me."
Rhyan Komsthoeft, Contralto
"During my four years at Mercyhurst University my voice had a very audible transformation due to the help of Kathy Soroka. She put in countless hours of work with me not only to improve my technique but also to encourage and guide me. She helped me find my soul sound and open up to so many different possibilities as a performer that previously would not have been an option. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with her and her positive energy. I could not have had such success if it was not for her advice and teaching. Kathy will forever be an immensely important figure in my life and I will hold on to all the advice and lessons she has taught me as I continue on my journey as a performer and in my career!"
Grace Smrcka,
Soprano
“I am a firm believer that it takes only one act of kindness and caring to change a person’s life. Kathy impacted my life not only as a musician, but as a young woman. Her wisdom and guidance will stay with me throughout my entire career.”
Carolyn Johnston, Soprano, ATI, RMT
"Kathy is the most masterful teacher/vocal coach, soloist and pianist with whom I have had the pleasure of studying. With her depth of training and superior musicality, her intellectual and psychological knowledge, she presents many ways to help me free my natural voice and gain artistic expression - guiding me to find the fullness of my voice and the freedom of emotion in each piece. As an Alexander Technique Teacher since 1990, I really appreciate Kathy’s ability to hear and see and call to my attention, in loving ways, my smallest non-constructive habits that interfere with my vocal ability. My lessons with her are interesting, fun, challenging and relevant, with vital information imparted for me to apply to practicing, which is improving my singing and addressing my quest for healing a part of my soul."
Student Testimonials
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