Soprano MiKayla Lynn Hatfield ’22, ’26 (Master of Music in Performance, Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance) made her operatic debut this season with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, where she also completed a year-long residency. During her tenure with the company, she performed a variety of roles, including Clorinda in Rossini’s “La Cenerentola,” Querulous String in “The Haberdasher Prince,” and the Strawberry Woman in Gershwin’s “Porgy & Bess,” as well as appeared as soprano in “Langston Hughes: A Lyrical Life.” Her residency offered her the opportunity to collaborate with established artists, refine her craft in a professional setting and engage with a wide range of repertoire spanning both standard and contemporary works.

“Moving directly from Shenandoah Conservatory into this program was very rewarding,” said Dr. Hatfield. “It was exciting to put my training into practice in my professional debut, and to continue developing as an artist through such a wide range of performance opportunities.”

Hatfield studied with Adjunct Artist-in-Residence in Voice (Soprano) Nancy Gustafson, M.M., during her time at Shenandoah Conservatory. While a student, she was awarded first place in the 2023 Student Soloists Competition, Division II. Her performance credits at Shenandoah include Bess in “A Night at the Opera,” Marie Antoinette in “Gothic Opera,” the title role in “Suor Angelica,” Eugénie in “La Pauvre Eugénie,” Lidochka in “Moscow, Cheryomushki,” Galatea in “Acis and Galatea” and Alice in “Falstaff.”