About
Kat Norman is a soprano who lives and moves comfortably between bel canto, classical repertoire, contemporary works, and musical theatre.
Norman will return to Sarasota Opera as a Resident Artist in the fall. She previously spent time with the company as an Apprentice Artist, where she performed Dodo, a featured chorus role, in Lehár's The Merry Widow during the 2026 Winter Festival, and studied roles including Susannah, Alice, Agathe, Donna Elvira, Violetta, and Lisette through scene work, mainstage concert performances, and cover assignments. She was a featured soloist with the company at their mainstage Welcome Concert and the Stars of Tomorrow concert with the Manatee Opera Guild.
In recent seasons as a young artist, Norman has built a varied and ambitious repertoire. With the Maryland Opera Studio, she performed Frau Fluth in Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor and Despina in Così fan tutte, after covering the title role in Florencia en el Amazonas. She originated the role of Maria Inez de la Paz Garcia in the world premiere of Orgullo at The Public Theatre NYC, working with Christian De Gré Cárdenas and Reese Anderson.
In the 2024 season, Kat sang partial roles of Lucia from Lucia di Lammermoor, Helena from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Calisto from Calisto. She also gave the world premier performance of Jess Langston Turner's Symphony No. 1: If I Am to Leave with the UMD Wind Orchestra, conducted by the late Glen Adsit. She sang excerpts of Susanna from Le Nozze di Figaro in a scenes concert at the National Gallery of Art in collaboration with the Mark Rothko exhibit.
Previous seasons saw numerous other successful role debuts such as Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music at the The Wonder Theatre in San Antonio, the title role in Massenet’s Cendrillion, Pamina from Die Zauberflöte, and the U.S. debut of Aunt Helen by Monica Pearce, in which the composer was in attendance.
Norman has also pursued training beyond the operatic stage, completing a Shakespeare intensive with John Lescault; work that has deepened her approach to text and character across genres.
Kat holds an M.M. in Opera Performance from the University of Maryland, an M.M. in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and a B.M. in Vocal Performance from the University of New Mexico. She has worked with conductors including Victor DeRenzi, David Neely, Craig Kier, and Anthony Barrese, and directors including Stephanie Sundine, Timothy Nelson, Corinne Hayes, and Martha Collins.
She probably agrees with you that she was in school too long, is a deeply opinionated musician, and a devoted Star Wars fan.
