Elyse Anne Kakacek - Biography
Elyse Kakacek has been acclaimed by Chicago critics as “a young singer with vocal heft” with a “sparkling soprano voice” and “pleasing ability to navigate the stage”. Ms. Kakacek is thrilled to make her role debut as Norina with Windy City Opera.
She has performed stage roles including Flora (Turn of the Screw), Micaela, Nedda, Susanna, Barbarina, Pamina, Frasquita, Clorinda, Adele, Despina, Gretel, Zerlina, Lucia (The Rape of Lucretia), Yumyum and Peep-Bo in The Mikado, and Sieglinde Lessing in Music in the Air. She also was in the cast of Spirit of the Dance in Niagara Falls as a featured soloist for Spirit Productions.
Elyse has been contracted with companies such as Chicago Fringe Opera, Chicago Opera Playhouse, The Cobalt Opera, New Moon Opera, Candid Concert Opera, Music by the Lake, Petite Opera Productions and American Chamber Opera Company. She is also a proud member of the ensemble for The Floating Opera Project.
This year, Elyse was chosen as a finalist for the Harold Haugh Vocal Competition in Jackson, MI. Elyse was also chosen as a Finalist in the Opera Professional division for The American Prize: Virginia Schorr Memorial Award in 2013.
She has participated in several summer training programs including Chicago Summer Opera, Operaworks, The Amalfi Coast Music Festival and the Opera Training Institute of Chicago. Elyse is also a proud member of the VOX3 Collective in Chicago.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from DePaul University and currently studies voice with Winifred Faix Brown in Chicago.