Dr. Katina Mitchell is a musician and teacher based in San Diego, California. From the cathedral to the castle to the parking garage, her interdisciplinary work pairs an adventurous curiosity with historical specialization, spanning medieval morality plays, choral music, musicology, and song. Recent engagements this year (2024) include singing new music in a featured vocal trio with the San Diego Symphony (365 by Joey Roukens), as well as soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with Palomar Symphony Orchestra and Choir. As a soprano she has performed with organizations such as Monday Evening Concerts, Heidi Duckler Dance, MicroFest LA, Mainly Mozart Festival, Vajra Voices, Volti San Francisco, Lautten Compangey Berlin, Da Camera Society of Los Angeles, Sing-Akademie zu Berlin, The Getty, Bach Collegium San Diego, and Ensemble Vocatrix. Her artistic work has been featured at the Medieval History Center in Azincourt (France), on the BBC, on NPR: Life in Berlin, on KPFK.fm, in Ampersand LA, and in the Los Angeles Times. In 2023-2024 she presented her extensive original research on the art song composer Alice Barnett with San Diego History Center in Balboa Park, the Western History Association Conference in Los Angeles, Palomar College, and the San Diego National Association of Teachers of Singing (SDSU). A lover of choral music, Katina can be found performing in churches and choral ensembles around Southern California, and has sung as both soloist and chorister with the Schola Cantorum of St. James-by-the-Sea, Sacra/Profana, and the San Diego Master Chorale. Other recent engagements include performing and guest lecturing at University of San Diego, singing backup for a concert of Beatles music at the Balboa Park Organ Pavilion, and performing self-accompanied chamber music at the Athenaeum in La Jolla. She is a member of the music faculty at Palomar College and the Executive Board of SDNATS, and also teaches voice privately.
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Other recent performance highlights include soprano soloist in the San Diego Master Chorale’s annual Messiah Sing, soprano soloist in BWV 106 under conductor Kathy McKee, soprano solos in Monteverdi chamber repertoire with The Albany Consort led by Jonathan Salzedo, a solo recital of baroque music at Filoli Mansion with Ensemble Draca, a chamber concert with the Encinitas Library Series, soprano soloist with Soli Deo Gloria conducted by Allen Simon, the opera Death With Interruptions with Volti and Left Coast Ensemble, and a chamber music tour to Italy and Germany to perform in medieval castles and churches with guitarist Ines Thomé (in collaboration with UNESCO and Museo Civico Castelbuono). Additionally Katina has fond memories of giving a lecture recital on Luigi Rossi at the Velaslavasay Panorama in Los Angeles, multiple art song recitals with pianist Peter Walsh, and over fifty chamber concerts with Ines Thomé (lute and baroque guitar) in Los Angeles as a Gluck Fellow. Her work with the innovative Sokamba Company saw a premiere with ArtWalk Los Angeles, and she also partook in the world premiere of Mass of the Divine Shepherd by Julian Revie under conductor Stephen Layton at Carnegie Hall (Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage). In addition to voice, she plays medieval and triple harps and has composed songs for harp and voice. Hildegard’s compositions have been a consistent inspiration in Katina’s musical journey: she has edited, arranged, and performed Hildegard’s virtuosic chants for over a decade, and performed multiple roles in the Ordo Virtutum (two productions in Los Angeles and one at the Berkeley Early Music Festival and Exposition).
She holds degrees from Rice University (BM, voice) and the University of Southern California (DMA), where her doctoral research included creating ten original editions of virtuosic chamber music for multiple voices by baroque composer Luigi Rossi. She also studied German at Rice University (BA) and German with a specialization in musicological research at Middlebury College (MA).
Katina serves on the board of the San Diego Children's Choir, the organization with which she began her musical career. In addition to music she enjoys baking, learning about plants, and spending time at San Diego’s many beaches. She lives with her husband and two children.