Biography

Kathryn Riopel is a soprano from Elk Grove Village, IL. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Voice & Opera Performance and Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Northwestern University. While at Northwestern, she was a section leader in the Northwestern University Marching Band (Drum Line), choreographer and director of several Dance Department productions, member of the Opera Projects for Undergraduate Singers (OPUS) and Renaissance Singers, and soprano in the Bienen Contemporary and Early Vocal Ensemble under the baton of Donald Nally.

She relocated to Montreal, QC in 2022 and earned the Master’s of Music in Voice & Opera Performance at McGill University in 2024, studying with Dominique Labelle. Recent credits include Casilda in The Gondoliers (Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Chicago), the title role in Handel’s Semele (Opera McGill), Madame Z (lead role) in Brother 12: A Rock Opera.
She was a semi-finalist in the prestigious Wirth Vocal Prize Competition at McGill University in March 2024 and finalist in the Opera Birmingham Competition in April 2025.

She enjoys performing a wide range of repertoire including contemporary, baroque, oratorio, opera, art song, musical theater, and choral works.