Praised for her “dulcet-toned mezzo-soprano” by the Wall Street Journal, Kayleigh Decker is fast becoming a name to watch in Europe and her native USA.

 

Kayleigh recently finished as an ensemble member of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago where roles included her debut as Second Cretan Woman/Idomeneo, Kate Pinkerton/ Madama Butterfly and a number of notable cover roles, including Le Prince Charmant/Cendrillon, Rosina/The Barber of Seville, Laura/Luisa Miller and Donna Elvira/Don Giovanniconducted by James Gaffigan. 

 

Plans for 22/23 include a return to the Lyric Opera Chicago as Isolier/Le Comte Ory, as well as to Cincinnati Opera as Alisa/Lucia di Lammermoor and Kate Pinkerton/Madama Butterfly. On the concert platform, Kayleigh sings Ruggiero/Alcina with Les Violons du Roy under the baton of Jonathan Cohen. 

 

An alumna of University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and the Oberlin Conservatory, Kayleigh’s roles at CCM Opera include Fox/The Cunning Little Vixen, Le Prince Charmant/Cendrillon, Idamante/Idomeneo and the title role of Ariodante.  Other opera highlights include the title role in La Cenerentola for Queen City Opera, Peggy in Jack Perla’s Shalimar the Clown for Cincinnati Opera, and Fox in Rachel Portman’s The Little Prince for Cincinnati Chamber Opera.

 

A passionate song interpreter, she was named one of Caramoor’s 2018 Schwab Vocal Rising Stars and was a participant in the inaugural season of Renée Fleming’s SongStudio at Carnegie Hall.  She has given recitals produced by the Cincinnati Song Initiative, and recently performed a solo recital at Carnegie Hall and the Chicago Cultural Center.

 

In 2019, Kayleigh was the recipient of three prestigious scholarships: the Luminarts Fellowship, first place in the Musicians Club of Women Scholarship Competition, and a Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation.   Further accolades include first place in the Three Arts Scholarship Fund Competition and The Macdowell Society Scholarship Award in Cincinnati, second place in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions-Great Lakes Region, first place in the CCM Corbett Competition, and the Encouragement award in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions-Cincinnati District in 2016. 

 

Kayleigh was a young artist at the Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and the Utah Festival Opera. Other training programs include the Houston Grand Opera Young Artists Vocal Academy, and Oberlin in Italy. She also participated in the first of Joyce DiDonato’s Masterclass Series at Carnegie Hall, streamed live on Medici.tv.