Praised for her “moving, involved expression,” Atlanta-born soprano Kellie Motter is becoming known as a versatile artist in repertoire ranging from baroque to contemporary. She is a graduate of Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she held the prestigious Georgina Joshi Graduate Fellowship and served as an Associate Instructor of Voice.
Kellie's 2023-2024 season featured her role debut as Lucy in Menotti's The Telephone alongside her partner, baritone Nathaniel Hill in a faculty-led performance with Simpson Productions . On the concert stage, she appeared with the Des Moines Choral Festival as the soprano soloist in Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass and with the Haverford Symphony Orchestra as the soprano soloist in Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem.
Kellie's 2022-2023 season included collaborations with Des Moines Metro Opera in Barrie Kosky's acclaimed production of The Magic Flute, where she covers Pamina and Second Lady, and in the role of Caroline in workshop performances of A Thousand Acres by Kristin Kuster. She debuted with Ballet Des Moines as the soprano soloist in the world premiere of Beau Kenyon's Of Gravity and Light. She also appeared in concert with the Grinnell Symphony Orchestra as Ilia in selections from Mozart's Idomeneo.
As a young artist, Kellie has spent her summers with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Central City Opera, and Des Moines Metro Opera. With IU Opera Theater, Kellie has performed the roles of Marie (La fille du régiment), Despina (Così fan tutte), Galatea (Acis & Galatea), Morgana (Alcina) and Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor). Other notable role credits include La Fée (Cendrillon) with the Siena Music Festival and Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) with Harrower Summer Opera. Her 2018-2019 season included her house debut with Opera Naples in the roles of Silvia (L'isola disabitata) and Frasquita (Carmen).
As a concert soloist, she has been featured in Carissimi’s Jepthe, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Kleine Orgelmesse & Schöpfungmesse, Steve Reich’s Tehillim, the requiems of Brahms and Fauré, and in numerous works by J.S. Bach, including his solo cantata No. 51, Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen. As a prolific ensemble singer, Kellie has performed with the University of Maryland Chamber Singers on the Kennedy Center stage and on international tours to France and South Korea and as an original member of the Saint Ambrose Schola Cantorum. An enthusiastic performer of new works, Kellie enjoys collaborating with composers and has premiered a number of works as a soprano soloist, including John Gibson’s In Flight for choir, soloists, and electronics with NOTUS: Contemporary Vocal Ensemble, which was recently released on the album Of Radiance & Refraction under the Innova Recordings label.
Kellie is a 2018 Winner of The American Prize in Opera and a 2016 Georgia District Winner of the Metropolitan National Council Auditions. She received her Bachelor of Music from the University of Maryland and her Master of Music from Indiana University, where she studied with Carol Vaness. Previous mentors include Manny Perez, Delores Ziegler, Edward Maclary, and Elizabeth Nohe Colson. She is currently based in North Carolina where she serves as Assistant Professor of Voice at Appalachian State University's Hayes School of Music.
