Whether it’s her “surprisingly engaging talent for comedy” (The Merry Widow, Ladue News), or her “knack for physical comedy” (Falstaff, St. Louis Post-Dispatch), one thing is true: Kathy Pyeatt loves using her “blazing upper register to good effect as she bullies her minions into submission” (Albert Herring, Opera News). Although, Kathy is not all fun and games; it has been said that she is capable of “a stunning emotional display” (Tosca, Classical Voice North Carolina) and even, dare we say, “passionate in the extreme” (La Traviata, Pioneer Press). One thing is clear, it’s not like she just “suddenly became important and mature, attuned to every harmonic and emotional nuance” (The Abduction from the Seraglio, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) overnight. No, this lady has been working in the business a long time, in fact, some might say she doesn’t even need to sing, she can be “most impressive in her portrayal of the character through tone, expression and even her presence on stage when not singing" (Annelies, Herald Tribune). Yet, “Pyeatt is blessed with a remarkably clear and strong voice, and when combined with her intense emotional identification with the lyrics, it makes for a stellar performance” (Chants d'Auvergne, Rockford Registrar Star). “Genuine triple threats are hard to come by in this line of work. Kathy Pyeatt appears to be one” (Gypsy Love, Chicago Tribune).
Kathy loves portraying interesting women, some of her favorites include Floria Tosca, Hanna Glawari, Rosalinda, Donna Elvira, Fiordiligi, Constanza, Lady Billows, and Violetta. She also likes nice people and cool places and has particularly enjoyed working with Asheville Lyric Opera, Florentine Opera, St. Petersburg Opera, Winter Opera St. Louis, Skylight Opera Theatre, Natchez Opera Theatre, Peninsula Music Festival, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, and Opéra Louisiane, to name a few. And while becoming someone else to tell a story is thrilling, there is nothing quite like having the best seat in the house in front of an orchestra to breathe life into a composer’s music. Some of her most cherished moments include performing Strauss’ Four Last Songs, Verdi's Requiem, Whitbourn's Annelies, Samuel Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915, and Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the incredible musicians at the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra, Sarasota Key Choral and the Festival City Symphony, respectively.
A recent return to the musical theatre stage delights Kathy in being cast as “the mother”, a role she knows well in real life. New adventures include the Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music and Cinderella’s Step Mother in Into The Woods with Forte Theatre, Signora Naccarelli in The Light in the Piazza with Windfall Theatre, and new opera mom roles include the Mother in Ahmal and the Night Visitors with Brew City Opera and Helen in the world premiere of Night of the Living Opera with Milwaukee Opera Theatre.
Kathy loves portraying interesting women, some of her favorites include Floria Tosca, Hanna Glawari, Rosalinda, Donna Elvira, Fiordiligi, Constanza, Lady Billows, and Violetta. She also likes nice people and cool places and has particularly enjoyed working with Asheville Lyric Opera, Florentine Opera, St. Petersburg Opera, Winter Opera St. Louis, Skylight Opera Theatre, Natchez Opera Theatre, Peninsula Music Festival, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, and Opéra Louisiane, to name a few. And while becoming someone else to tell a story is thrilling, there is nothing quite like having the best seat in the house in front of an orchestra to breathe life into a composer’s music. Some of her most cherished moments include performing Strauss’ Four Last Songs, Verdi's Requiem, Whitbourn's Annelies, Samuel Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915, and Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the incredible musicians at the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra, Sarasota Key Choral and the Festival City Symphony, respectively.
A recent return to the musical theatre stage delights Kathy in being cast as “the mother”, a role she knows well in real life. New adventures include the Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music and Cinderella’s Step Mother in Into The Woods with Forte Theatre, Signora Naccarelli in The Light in the Piazza with Windfall Theatre, and new opera mom roles include the Mother in Ahmal and the Night Visitors with Brew City Opera and Helen in the world premiere of Night of the Living Opera with Milwaukee Opera Theatre.
Like most performers, Kathy has a side hustle when she is not performing on the stage. Working with talent agencies in both Milwaukee and Salt Lake City, Kathy has appeared in commercials or print for clients such as: Blue Cross Blue Shield, Boston Store, Colders Furniture. Cousins Submarines, GE Medical, Kohls, Midwest Orthopedic, Office Furniture Warehouse, Froedtert Hospital, and Select Health.
One of her favorite shoots took place in Brighton, UT, where she was cast as "ski woman" - which was the epitome of typecasting. One of her least favorites happened when she was cast as a cross-country skier, which again would have been perfect typecasting, but alas, there was no snow the day of the shoot, so instead of skiing, she found herself jogging, which is decidedly not in her wheelhouse.
One of her favorite shoots took place in Brighton, UT, where she was cast as "ski woman" - which was the epitome of typecasting. One of her least favorites happened when she was cast as a cross-country skier, which again would have been perfect typecasting, but alas, there was no snow the day of the shoot, so instead of skiing, she found herself jogging, which is decidedly not in her wheelhouse.