Katherine Gilchrist is a 17-year-old operatic soprano from Allentown, PA. She has studied at the Washington National Opera Institute at the Kennedy Center, classical voice at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, and the Intensive Vocal Performance Seminar at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. She currently studies with private teacher Gail Grossman. She is also a three-time CS All-State singer for Pennsylvania and a featured artist on NPR’s From the Top Daily Joy series.
Katherine has appeared as a soloist with the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, Moravian University Baroque Ensemble, and the Bach Choir of Bethlehem's Zimmermann's Coffeehouse series. She also performs in several ensembles such as the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) All-Eastern Honor Choir, PMEA’s District, Region, All-State choruses, and her school’s honors Chorale.
In addition to voice, Katherine’s other musical pursuits include piano since the age of 4, as well as clarinet, saxophone, and cello. Outside of music, Katherine is an accomplished fashion designer, most recently named a Kennedy Center Access/VSA Emerging Young Artist. She was also awarded a Gold Key National Medal from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. She is an elder at her church and a co-founder of her school's literary magazine. Katherine is captain of her district-champion varsity tennis team and was recently named the 2025 Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (EPC) Scholar-Athlete for Girls Tennis. Katherine enjoys everything related to fashion, sketching, skiing, tennis, adventures with her cousins, and writing.
Since the age of 7, Katherine has battled juvenile scoliosis, which required her to wear a restrictive back brace that compressed her ribcage and limited her ability to breathe. To find success as a vocalist, Katherine had to learn how to breathe correctly in her limited hours out of her brace – an essential skill in opera. Katherine wants to inspire other young artists to remember that no matter what, you shouldn’t let anything hinder you from following your dreams.
10 Questions with Katherine Gilchrist:
1. What’s your favorite part about singing in a choir?
My favorite part about singing in choir is the community I find in it. I have always found my people through music, whether that meant learning to sing with choristers from the Bel Canto Children’s Choir, experiencing the first time away from home with fellow campers at Interlochen Center for the Arts, or turning tentative acquaintances into lasting friendships with colleagues from Bienen’s Voice Intensive.
2. What are some differences and similarities between expressing yourself through music and fashion design?
Opera is my loudest activity, and fashion is my quietest and most peaceful activity. Opera is collaborative, theatric, and in-the-moment, outwardly expressing myself. Fashion starts with me sketching in a quiet space, sewing in a studio while listening to opera in my earbuds. However, both make me search deep within for meaning and creativity, looking for perfection and how to communicate an idea.
3. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a vocalist, and how did you overcome it?
At seven years old, I was diagnosed with juvenile scoliosis–curves in my spine that meant I had to wear a restrictive torso brace for 23 hours every day for the majority of my life. Each year, my progression narrowly avoided the cutoff for spinal fusion surgery. While I count myself blessed that I have not yet experienced severe medical consequences as a result, I still notice the effects of my disease in my life.
Breathing is the foundation of singing: learning operatic breathing technique is the first and most important step for any aspiring performer. Most people have a somewhat intuitive grasp on proper breathing technique based on everyday experiences. My brace compressed my ribcage while I grew, causing the muscles required for operatic posture and breath to atrophy. I was forced to train in my limited hours out of my brace: first, how to breathe ‘normally,’ then how to breathe as a singer.
4. What or who do you consider to be your musical community?
While I find community in every musical group I join, my first and most impactful music community is my cousins. Ever since I was little, I have been inspired by my older cousins, all of whom are incredibly talented musicians. Just among them, we have 6 cellists, 6 pianists, 2 composers, a bassist, a trombonist, and a saxophonist (there's some overlap) - I have carved out my own niche singing opera! To this day, every time we get together, we have a jam session and make beautiful music.
5. What's your favorite thing about Philadelphia?
The Philadelphia Orchestra, of course! My older brother and I love to go, and it has been one of the reasons that I've fallen in love and stayed in love with classical music over the years. My favorite performance: Tchaikovsky's Pathétique Symphony in January 2025.
6. What was an experience that was impactful to you in your musical journey?
After reaping the benefits of a supportive musical community all my life, I realized last summer that as a senior in high school, it was my turn to help create this accepting environment. I prioritized being a mentor throughout my experience at the Washington National Opera Institute. Going into the program, I wanted to make sure working together while learning a new skill was not only educational but fun. Every day, I would wake up excited to collaborate with my friends. When we were not rehearsing, we improvised riffs and put on impromptu a cappella renderings of our favorite well-known songs. We let everyone know they were welcome to join. These skills I learned at WNOI have given me the confidence to not only find but also create a similar musical community, no matter where I am throughout my entire life.
7. Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully, I am performing at the Met or touring across Europe as an opera star. I especially want my performance to show other young musicians with disabilities that they can be successful in the music industry, no matter what. I want to lead by example to show that they can reclaim their art.
8. What are you currently reading?
100 Great Operas and Their Stories by Henry W. Simon
9. What's your favorite way to spend a weekend?
Ski trip with my cousins!
10. Do you have any advice for people just getting started with learning an instrument?
I want to share a message specifically for those out there with disabilities who want to start making music, but may be discouraged because of their physical limitations. Your desire to create music is proof enough that you belong in it. Art was never meant to be reserved for a single kind of body - in fact, differences in background just give your voice depth. For me, making music is the act of reclaiming my creativity from something I never thought I could ever achieve. Every note I sing reminds me that creativity adapts and survives. By choosing to make music, you become proof for someone else that it’s possible. Hopefully, your persistence will inspire others to start, continue, or simply believe that their own art is worth pursuing. Music isn't about perfection, rather it's about expression and joy. So claim your space in it and let your music be yours.
Katherine's Recommended Playlist:
