Mezzo-Soprano
Kimberly Milburn (she/her) is an American mezzo-soprano who is beginning to make her mark on the opera scene in New York City and beyond. A trained actress with a lyric-dramatic instrument, she is at home in a wide variety of styles including Baroque, bel canto, and new music, along with the Romantic repertoire. In August, she was in a scenes concert at the Hungarian House of New York, where she sang Cornelia, Dritte Dame, and Nicklausse. She also presented a full recital with pianist Melinda Morgan with a program of Manuel Ponce-arranged Mexican folk songs, selections from Carmen, Gretchen am Spinnrade and popular lieder, and Golden Age Broadway tunes. In November, she played Lucretia in a scene from The Rape of Lucretia for Opera Atlantic's inaugural season scenes production, directed by Liz Kiger. December performances included the Knusperhexe (performing cover) in Hänsel und Gretel, along with scenes as Augusta Tabor, Mistress Quickly, and Susanna Walcott, all with Music On Site. In January, she was conducted once again by Eric Kramer as Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte at the Connelly Theater, directed by Martin Everall.
In the 2024/25 season, she returned to the Ridgewood Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Co., revisiting the role of Leila in Iolanthe and covering the title role in a preview concert, under the baton of Rider R. Foster and director Brendan Hartnett. In March, she made her role debut as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly in a revival production by Tami Swartz and Adam Klein conducted by Elizabeth Hastings.
In August of 2023/24, she was scheduled to make a role debut as Carmen with the No Strings Theater (Toronto) but was forced to withdraw before the rehearsal period began due to illness. In the spring, she portrayed Second Witch in Dido and Aeneas (dir. Sophia Mortensen) with the Ridgewood Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Co., and she sang Adalgisa in a scene from Norma with the Asian American Music Society for their Kennedy Center emerging artist intensive. She also performed for masterclasses with Kathleen McKellar Ferguson, Joanie Brittingham, Rick Davis, and Kyle Pfortmiller at the REACH and at the Classical Singer convention in Washington, D.C.
She began the extended 2022/23 season with the dell'Arte Opera Ensemble, appearing as Ericlea and covering the soprano role of Giunone for rehearsals in Monteverdi's Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria and covering the dramatic mezzo role of Sor Rafaela for the East Coast premiere of Carla Lucero and Alicia Gaspar de Alba's Juana. After completing her first fall audition season, she was invited to a fully-funded international intensive and was a soloist in concert at the REACH at Kennedy Center with the Asian American Music Society, where she also played Zita in a scene from Gianni Schicchi. In February, she made her Symphony Space debut with the Village Light Opera as Leila in lolanthe (dir. Natan Zamansky). And in May, she returned to the Bronx Opera's outreach program to portray Mère Marie in Poulenc's 20th century masterpiece, Dialogues of the Carmelites.
Kimberly was born in Busan, Korea and grew up in the American South. Her very first engagements were on the concert stage as soloist in Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music, Bach's Easter Cantata "Der Himmel Lacht" (both with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra), and Chailley's Suite du XVe Siècle. She made her operatic debut in 2019 as Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte at Weill Recital Hall (dir. Myra Cordell/cond. Dario Salvi). She was then cast as Ludmila in The Bartered Bride (canceled due to the pandemic) with the Bronx Opera’s outreach program.
In the fall of 2021, she joined the voice studio of Michael Paul. She began taking acting classes at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute and enrolled in a full year of drama school at HB Studio. Her educational background includes some French and Italian, and she is learning to speak German at the Goethe Institut. Offstage, Kimberly is interested in food and wine, travel, current events, and fitness classes. Contact her here, or find her on ig/yt @kimbermusik
