+++
date = "2017-11-08T16:57:00-05:00"
discipline = "Soprano"
lastmod = "2017-11-08T16:57:00-05:00"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1510178095687/Otano.jpg.jpg"
publishDate = "2017-11-08T16:57:00-05:00"
related_companies = ["scene/companies/houston-grand-opera.md","scene/companies/washington-national-opera.md"]
slug = "kerriann-otano"
title = "Kerriann Otaño"
website = "https://kerriannotano.com/"
[[social_media]]
platform = "Instagram"
template = "social-media"
url = "https://www.instagram.com/kerriannomg/"
+++

Hailed as a “powerhouse” with “major vocal goods and a feisty personality to match,” young American soprano Kerriann Otano was a 2016 National Semi-Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and a recent graduate of the  Washington National Opera Young Artist Program. In the 2016-2017 season, Kerriann was thrilled to return to Fort Worth Opera Festival in her role debut as Micaëla in Bizet’s *Carmen*.  Praised for her “generous soprano” by The Washington Post, this fall Ms. Otaño reprised the role of Contessa Almaviva in her debut at Opera Memphis in *Le Nozze di Figaro*, and she performed at WNO this season as Kitty Hart in Jake Heggie’s acclaimed *Dead Man Walking*. In 2017-18 she returns to the Washington National Opera for *Candide*, debuts the Lyric Opera of Chicago in *Fellow Travelers* in the role of Mary Johnson (cover), debuts the role of Senta in *The Flying Dutchman* with Opera San Jose, and she will also star in Tom Cipullo’s *Glory Denied* at the Houston Grand Opera.

This past spring, Washington National Opera presented Wagner’s *Ring Cycle* where Kerriann covered Helmwige, Gerhilde, and Ortlinde in *Die Walküre* as well as Third Norn in *Götterdämmerung*. In February 2016, Kerriann was featured in concert with the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra singing duets and arias from *Madama Butterfly* and *La Bohème* with 2013 Metropolitan Opera National Council Grand Final Winner Michael Brandenburg. Prior to that she was heard as the Witch (*Hansel and Gretel*) and Mary Curtis Lee (Glass’ *Appomattox*). Last summer, Kerriann was chosen as a Filene Young Artist and made her debut with Wolf Trap Opera singing La Contessa Almaviva in *Le Nozze di Figaro* at The Barns and High Priestess in *Aïda* at the Filene Center. She returned for summer 2016 to sing Female Chorus in *The Rape of Lucretia* at The Barns and was featured in a Vocal Colors recital at the Phillips Collection.

In the 2014-2015 season at the Kennedy Center, she covered Madame Lidoine (New Prioress) in *Dialogues of the Carmelites* and created the role of Katherine in the world premiere of *Penny* by Douglas Pew. Ms. Otaño was seen in the summer of 2014 at the prestigious Glimmerglass Festival covering soprano lead Roberta Alden in Tobias Picker’s *An American Tragedy* and performed in concert alongside dramatic soprano Christine Goerke. During the 2013-2014 season, Kerriann was the soprano studio artist at Fort Worth Opera where she “nearly stole the show in the highly comedic role of Despina” in Mozart’s *Così fan tutte*. She received rave reviews calling her “vocally attractive and dramatically vivacious” and a “standout.”

In 2012-2013, Kerriann was an apprentice artist with Central City Opera and a 2013 winter apprentice artist at Sarasota Opera where she sang scenes from *La Bohème* (Leoncavallo and Puccini), *A Postcard from Morocco* (Argento), *Ghosts of Versailles*, *Guillaume Tell*, *Die Fledermaus*, and was featured on the closing Verdi’s Times concert as a soloist. In summer of 2012, Kerriann was a young artist at Seagle Music Colony where received acclaim for her “fiery” portrayal of Donna Elvira (*Don Giovanni*) “with richly nuanced voice.” Other recent credits include Maria Corona (*The Saint of Bleecker Street*) and Donna Elvira (*Don Giovanni*) at Mannes Opera and Zweite Dame (*Die Zauberflöte*) at Indiana University Opera Theatre. She was a part of two recent workshops of new operas–as Mrs. Murray in Libby Larsen’s *A Wrinkle in Time* and as Elaine in Act 2 of Christopher Weiss ‘ *In a Mirror, Darkly*.

Ms. Otaño hails from Long Island, NY and holds a bachelors degree from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and a Masters Degree from Mannes College The New School for Music.
