Teacher

Katherine Parker is grateful to serve as the coordinator of the voice area, classical voice advisor, and artistic director of Nevada Opera Theatre at the University of Nevada Reno. She is a vocologist, crosstrained performer, and vocal educator. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance from the University of Nevada, Reno, School of Music, Master of Music in Vocal Pedagogy from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and is SVI recognized vocologist through the University of Utah. She holds K-12 music teaching certification in Illinois and Massachusetts.

Dr. Parker has held faculty positions at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Salem State University, Phillips Academy Andover, Walnut Hill School for the Arts. She spent eight years as a middle school and elementary public school general music and choir director in the Greater Boston Area before transitioning to higher education. She is highly sought after as a guest artist and clinician, having presented at institutions and events across the United States. Her research has included workshops on vocal health for music educators, crosstraining musical theatre treble voices, yoga for singers, and acting methods to combat performance anxiety. She has been a guest clinician at Classical Singer Magazine National Competition, National Association Teachers of Singing, Berklee Jazz Fest, Boston Conservatory Vocal Pedagogy Professional Workshop, Massachusetts Music Educators Association and Nevada Music Educators Association, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Brown University. Her most recent research on the work of 19th century Spanish prima donna Isabella Colbran was featured in Classical Singer Magazine and will be featured at the 2025-26 College Music Society National Conference and National Association Teachers of Singing National Conference. In 2021 she was nominated for the UNR Paul and Judy Bible Teaching Award for excellence in teaching.

Her career as a performer spans beyond traditional classical and musical theatre repertoire. She has performed as a soloist with Rochester Opera House, Reno Philharmonic, Reno Chamber Orchestra, premiered works at International Clarinet Association, Boston New Opera and Musical Theatre Initiative, Rochester Performing Arts Center, and two seasons at NEO voice festival Los Angeles. As a dancer and instrumentalist, she spent three summers studying Ewe drumming and dance in Dagbe Cultural Centre in Kopeyia, Ghana and with the National Dance Theatre in Accra. As a stage performer, she has been described as “graceful, precise” and “her voice is a stunner.” by the Portland Herald Press. Her favorite musical theatre credits include Miss Honey in "Matilda," Francesca in "Bridges of Madison County," Kate/Lilli in "Kiss Me Kate," and Claudia in "Nine."

As Artistic Director of Nevada Chamber Opera, Dr. Parker has prioritized community engagement with the Reno/Tahoe arts community. She has directed productions of Acis and Galatea in collaboration with Trinity Cathedral to provide free community performances to the Downtown Reno Community, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Hansel and Gretel with technical direction from Reno Little Theatre, and curated/directed an immersive fine art/Baroque opera exhibit at the University of Nevada, Reno Lilley Gallery with Tahoe-based plein air landscape artist Phyllis Shafer titled Sierra Nevada Pastorale. In 2025, her students will be featured at the Reno/Tahoe International Art Show and in a collaboration with the Lilley Gallery’s “To Hold a Form” sound art exhibition.

Professor Parker’s dedication to mentorship and guidance is evident in the achievements of her students, many of whom have pursued successful careers in opera, musical theatre, and academia. Her current and former students currently perform or have held contracts with Deutsche Oper Berlin, the National tours of Mrs. Doubtfire, Pretty Woman, Beetlejuice, The Cher Show, Broadway for Biden, and regional theatres/opera houses across the world. They have garnered recognition and wins at national competitions including the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, The Jimmy Awards, HGO Eleanor McCollum Aria Competition, NATS Cal-West/Boston/New England and National Competition, Classical Singer, and Hal Leonard Voice Competition. Additionally, they have been accepted into esteemed young artist programs and institutions including Boston University Opera Institute, University of Michigan, Merola, AIMS, and Opera Seme. Developing a habilitation plan that is personal to each student’s vocal goals and needs is a hallmark to her teaching philosophy. It is her goal to help each singer find their most powerful, beautiful, and free voice capable of expressing their unique story.