Kansas City Lyric Opera artists to perform at Northwest Jan. 30

Four resident artist performers from the Lyric Opera of Kansas City will visit Northwest Missouri State University for a Wednesday afternoon performance on the campus.

The performance, which begins at 3 pm in the Charles Johnson Theater, is free and open to the public. The artists, who consist of three vocalists and a pianist, will perform a program of songs and arias, followed by a question and answer session.

Like many large opera companies, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s resident artist program finds top young artists through competitive, nationwide auditions. Resident artists undergo intensive training and often sing secondary roles with the company.

More information about Wednesday’s performers is provided below.

Kaylie Kahlich, soprano, received her master’s degree in voice performance from the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music and her bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Baylor University. She has sung roles for Operativo Houston and Miami Summer Music Festival. For the Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s 2018-19 season, Kahlich appears in “High Fidelity Opera” and “Mack the Knife is The Man I Love.”

Kelly Birch, mezzo-soprano, received her DMA in vocal performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She has sung roles for the Topeka Symphony Orchestra, Opera NEO (San Diego) and the Varna International Opera Academy in Bulgaria. For the Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s 2018-19 season, she appears as Kate Pinkerton in “Madama Butterfly,” “High Fidelity Opera” and “Mack the Knife is The Man I Love.”

Joseph Leppek, tenor, received his master’s degree in voice performance from Rice University and his bachelor’s degree from DePauw University. He has sung roles for the Michigan Opera Theatre, Houston Grand Opera, Opera Saratoga and the Glimmerglass Festival. For the 2018-19 season, Leppek appears at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City as Glad Hand in “West Side Story,” in “High Fidelity Opera” and in “Mack the Knife is The Man I Love.”

James Maverick, coach and accompanist, is completing his second year of residency with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and is a graduate of Indiana University. Last season, Maverick served as rehearsal pianist and vocal coach for resident artists in each of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s four mainstage productions. He played in the orchestra during the Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s production of “Everest.” He has also coached at the Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera and at the Indiana University Opera Theater.