Oberlin's Kayleigh Decker '15 Chosen for Joyce DiDonato Master Class

Kayleigh Decker, a mezzo-soprano in her final year of study at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, has been invited to take part in an exclusive master class hosted by opera superstar Joyce DiDonato at Carnegie Hall. Part of the Carnegie Hall Perspectives residency, DiDonato’s master classes are the centerpiece of a series of events taking place February 21 through 23, 2015.

The news comes during the same week Decker performed in a master class for legendary mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne on the Oberlin campus.

“Words cannot describe how incredibly excited I am,” says Decker, a resident of Woodstock, Maryland, who studies under Professor Timothy LeFebvre. She has been a presence in Oberlin Opera Theater productions throughout her years on campus, including the roles of Mutter in Hänsel und Gretel and Mrs. Herring in Albert Herring, both during the 2013-14 school year. She has participated in the Lyrique-en-mer Festival de Belle-Île in France and the Utah Festival Opera, among others.

Decker is one of only four singers selected nationwide to join DiDonato in New York. Over three days, she will take part in master classes as well as sessions on breathing, diction, and career development. She will also attend a performance of Rossini’s La donna del lago, featuring DiDonato, at the Metropolitan Opera.

DiDonato's master classes will be live streamed. Learn more at carnegiehall.org.

Decker's weekend with DiDonato adds to an already busy month of February: She will also create the role of Sara in the world premiere of Carlota, a three-act opera by Paul Davies presented in San Jose, California.