Michaela Kelly
Education
Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Vocal Performance, University of Southern California
Master of Music (MM) in Vocal Padagogy, New England Conservatory
Bachelor of Music (BM) in Music Education, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Biography
Soprano, researcher, and teacher Dr. Michaela Kelly is Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Previously, she taught as lecturer at Scripps College and Chapman University. Michaela was recently awarded a 2026 Faculty Research Grant from UNCG to support her upcoming album release of Windows: Five Songs of Love by Alan Louis Smith with the Navona Record Label. Upcoming engagements for 2026-2027: soprano soloist for the Brahms Requiem with Cumberland Choral Arts, soprano soloist with Raleigh Camerata, soloist for Vier Letzte Lieder by Strauss with the UNCG Symphony Orchestra, soloist with the Piedmont Wind Symphony saxophone ensemble, as well as recitals in California, Michigan, and throughout North Carolina. Michaela will also be the guest clinician for the 2026 Guilford County All County Treble Chorus.
A flexible and dynamic performer, Michaela has sung with the Los Angeles Opera Chorus and Los Angeles Master Chorale on their GRAMMY award winning album “Ortiz:Yanga.” She is an avid recitalist and passionate about art songs. Recently, Michaela performed as a fellow at the Cincinnati Fellowship of the Song and sang a mini-recital highlighting the benefits of cross training at the NATS National Conference. During her first year on faculty at UNCG, she sang as the soprano soloist with UNCG Chamber Singers in Schubert’s Mirjam’s Siegesgesang, as part of a vocal trio for UNCG’s annual Collage, as well as with the UNCG new music ensemble, Present, Continuous. Michaela was a recipient of the inaugural American Art Song Prize at SongFest where she performed a recital curated and coached by Libby Larsen, John Musto and Martha Guth. She has performed as a recitalist at Toronto Summer Music Festival, the Classical Music Institute, Source Song Festival and has appeared as a soloist with the UNCG Chamber Singers, Claremont Concert Orchestra, Thornton Wind Ensemble, I Cantori di Carmel, New England Conservatory Opera, and NEC Choirs and Orchestra.
Michaela was a recipient of the 2024 Emerging Leader Award from the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). Michaela currently serves as Co-Vice President of North Carolina NATS and previously served as Vice President of Programs for NATS – Los Angeles. Her article “The Composition of a Voice Lesson: How a Motor Learning Classification Framework Affects Teacher Effectiveness” was published in the May/June 2025 edition of the Journal of Singing. She has presented her research at the Pan-American Vocology Association Symposium, Mid-Atlantic Regional NATS Conference, North Carolina Music Educators Association Conference, Cal-Western NATS Conference, and NATS National Conference. This research will culminate in an upcoming online course with Embodied Music Lab titled “The Reflective Studio Music Teacher” which will be released in the spring of 2027.
Dr. Kelly holds a Bachelor’s of Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a Master’s of Music in Vocal Pedagogy from the New England Conservatory, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance from the University of Southern California.