Meet our Messiah 2023 soloists

Soprano Katelyn Lee

Recognized by Chicago Classical Review as having a “beautifully bright” and “silvery” tone, American soprano Katelyn Lee is making her mark in Chicago and across the United States. Known for her ability to sing numerous styles with ease, Katelyn is regularly sought after to perform opera, art song, musical theatre, and oratorio. This versatility has provided her with the opportunity to collaborate with notable arts organizations across the country.

Katelyn has performed numerous opera and musical theatre roles, including the title role in Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Hansel and Gretel. She has sung in multiple productions at Lyric Opera and other companies such as Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Haymarket Opera Company, Chicago Opera Theater, Ozarks Lyric Opera, Cedar Rapids Opera, and Folks Operetta. Notable roles include Romilda in Serse, Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Doris Parker in Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, Antonia in Man of La Mancha, Cunegonde in Candide, Madame Goldentrill in The Impresario, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and the Female Narrator in the world premiere of Jason and the Argonauts.

In concert, Katelyn has sung a wide variety of repertoire. She is an expert in Baroque performance practice and is a frequent soloist with Music of the Baroque, led by world-renowned conductor, Dame Jane Glover. Recently with MOB, Katelyn sang the role of Angel in Handel’s Jephtha. In April of 2023, Katelyn performed the role of Nellie Forbush in concert with the New Philharmonic Orchestra alongside Nathan Gunn and Ann Harada. Other credits include Grant Park Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, Northwest Indiana Symphony, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, Champaign-Urbana Symphony, Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra, and Chicago a cappella.

Katelyn received her Master of Music degree in Voice at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and her Bachelor of Music degree in Voice at Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Katelyn is currently based in Chicago and lives with her husband and tenor, Joe Shadday and their cat, Liza. She is a proud Midwesterner, originally hailing from Springfield, Missouri.

Mezzo-Soprano Lindsey Adams

American mezzo-soprano, Lindsey Adams Frank, has been praised for her "remarkably clear singing and perfect phrasing" (Stage and Cinema) and expressive interpretation of both early and contemporary repertoire. She recently appeared with Haymarket Opera Company as Endimione in Cavalli's La Calisto and was hailed as "a captivating presence" by the Chicago Tribune. She made her debut with Bourbon Baroque in 2015 as the Sorceress in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. She is the principal vocalist for Musik Ekklesia and can be heard on the ensemble's Grammy nominated recording, "The Vanishing Nordic Chorale". She performs with the Grant Park Music Festival, Chicago Bach Project, Ars Antigua, William Ferris Chorale, Aestas Consort, Oriana Singers and Schola Antiqua of Chicago.

Lindsey Adams is the Musical Director for the Chicago Montessori School and is a member of the Piano Faculty at Access Contemporary Music. She married Carl Frank in 2015, and currently lives in Chicago, Illinois. She holds a degree in Vocal Performance from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.

Tenor Sam Krausz

Tenor Sam Krausz is a young artist, private teacher, and collaborative pianist originally from St. Louis, MO. Educated at the University of Cincinnati CCM and Northwestern University, Sam has performed several operatic roles, including Tamino (The Magic Flute), Oronte (Alcina), and the title role in Britten’s Albert Herring. He made his professional oratorio debut last year in Mozart’s Requiem at Seiji Ozawa Hall with the Berkshire Lyric Chorus and Orchestra. He spent Summer 2023 as a studio artist at Wolf Trap Opera. He would like to thank his exacting mentors and loving family for their support! .

Baritone Bill McMurray

With more than forty operatic roles to his credit, baritone Bill McMurray continues to have success across the country with such noted roles as “Figaro” in Il baribiere di Sivigila, “Count Almaviva” in Le nozze di Figaro, “Marcello” in La Boheme and “Escamillo” in Carmen. He has sung with noted companies such as Florida Grand Opera, Opera North, Knoxville Opera, Mobile Opera, Lyric Opera Chicago, Skylight Music Theater and Opera Carolina. He has been seen in several productions with Chicago Opera Theater, including the Midwest premiere Stefan Weisman's The Scarlet Ibis in 2018. For the 21-22 season he debuted with Opera San Antonio in their production of Rigoletto. The 22-23 season featured him returning to Chicago Opera Theater to sing the role of “The Vicar” in Benjamin Britten's opera Albert Herring. He was the baritone soloist with the Illinois Philharmonic in two productions, a Porgy and Bess concert and the Messiah, soloist in the Mozart Requiem with the Chicago Bar Association, and the baritone solo in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with South Bend Symphony Orchestra.

As a concert soloist Bill has found success in works such as Mendelssohn's Elijah and Handel's The Messiah, Ralph Vaughan Williams' Five Mystical Songs, Aaron Copland's Old American Songs and the Faure Requiem. In the summer of 2017 he was the bass soloist in the final movement of Haydn's The Creation at the Ravinia Festival, under the baton of James Levine, former Music Director of the Metropolitan Opera. He recently sang the baritone solos in Michael Tippett's oratorio A Child of Our Time with the University of Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Other orchestral appearances include the New Philharmonic Orchestra, the Elmhurst Orchestra and Choral Society, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Civic Orchestra, Skokie Valley Symphony, Chicago Arts Orchestra, New Millennium Orchestra and the Waukegan Symphony. Recently, Bill won his first Grammy award as a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus.