REVIEWS

Anna Maurrant, Street Scene, Central City Opera. Amanda Tipton Photography

David Shengold, freelance classical music writer for classicalvoiceamerica.org, August 12, 2024 "Holding the whole show together heart-breakingly as the doomed Anna Maurrant, incisive, expressive mezzo-soprano Katherine Pracht radiated longing and humanity."

Classicalvoiceamerica.org review

Anna Maurrant, STREET SCENE, Central City Opera, Amanda Tipton Photography

Kelly Dean Hansen, freelance classical music writer. July 25, 2024. "The central figure in the drama is Mrs. Anna Maurrant, whose alleged extramarital affair with a milkman drives the narrative. Dramatic soprano [sic] Katherine Pracht, making her CCO debut, exudes radiant tragedy throughout her sympathetic portrayal, and her expository aria "Somehow I Never Could Believe" is sung with heartrending pathos."

Mary Johnson, Fellow Travelers, Virginia Opera

Joseph Newsome, Voix des Arts, Feb 12, 2023 "Hawkins Fuller’s assistant Mary Johnson is the opera’s steward of decency amidst conniving and opportunism, and in Virginia Opera’s Fellow Travelers mezzo-soprano Katherine Pracht crafted an exquisitely sympathetic portrayal of the pragmatic New Orleansian. From the start, this Mary’s genuine affection for Hawk was perceptible: it was no surprise that she once thought that he could be ‘the one’ for her. Equally unmistakable was the sincerity of Mary’s fondness and concern for Tim, communicated through tender, tenacious singing. The expressivity of Pracht’s account of ‘I worry—that’s all—about you, Timmy’ was wrenching, the glint of her upper register here and in the scene in which Mary reacts with horror to Hawk’s admission of denouncing Tim imparting the profundity of her feelings. The pain of her exit after Tim learned of Hawk’s betrayal was palpable, and the momentousness of Mary being the sole witness to Tim’s humiliation who did not turn away from him was poignantly conveyed. Wholly comfortable with the part’s difficult vocal writing, which sometimes recalls Gluck’s demanding music for heroines like Iphigénie and Alceste, Pracht melded unerring musicality with Classical poise, Mary’s self-reliance and compassion limned with incredible tonal beauty."

Elizabeth Cree, West Edge Opera, Georgia Rowe for Opera News, 7/25/21

"Katy Pracht was an agile, intelligent, and well-sung Elizabeth, her shapely mezzo-soprano registering with clarity in each scene." Photo credit: Cory Weaver

Elizabeth Cree, West Edge Opera, Joshua Kosman for the San Francisco Chronicle. Photo: Cory Weaver

"In the title role, mezzo-soprano Katherine Pracht combined lustrous singing with a quicksilvery theatrical temperament as she cycled through Elizabeth’s rapid shifts in character."

Elizabeth Cree, West Edge Opera, Victor Cordell for Berkshire Fine Arts, 2021. Photo: Cory Weaver

"Mezzo Katy Pracht soars as Elizabeth...conveying a panoply of enigmatic emotions from her lost innocence to her deadly scheming."

Ottavia, L'incoronazione di Poppea, Florentine Opera, 2019. Joseph Newsome for Voix des Arts

[Pracht] "...inhabited the rôle with the dramatic force of Cathy Berberian and the vocal magnitude of Frances Bible, but her Ottavia was a meticulously-wrought character study enlivened by unstinting vocal beauty."

Opera News March 2017 review (Joshua Rosenblum) of Joseph Summer's THE TEMPEST

"Katherine Pracht, as Ariel, pours forth rich, enveloping sound with well-articulated diction, using her vibrato to add expression and emotion. Her Full Fathom Five in Summer's haunting setting its the highlight of the piece."

Neruda Songs with Grand Rapids Symphony; reviewed by Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk

"Mezzo soprano Katherine Pracht’s rich, well-mannered voice was a pleasure to hear declaiming the Spanish texts by the Nobel Prize-winning poet."

Opera News review of LA TRAVIATA with Opera Philadelphia, David Shengold.

The incisive Katherine Pracht, styled in pants and top hat, made a fascinating study of Flora Bervoix."

NealsPaper review of LA TRAVIATA with Opera Philadelphia

"...I’ve mentioned how merry Pracht looks in Flora’s costumes. I should add Pracht is a wonderful actress who, like Oropesa, moves naturally and seems to be living Flora’s existence, as opposed to just acting it. Flora is the hostess with the mostess, and Pracht plays that part of her character to the hilt while also being able to have quiet tete-a-tetes with Violetta that indicate a genuine friendship. In keeping with Curran’s production, Pracht is also an excellent singer..."

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel review of Elmer Gantry with Florentine OperaElaine Schmidt

"Mezzo-soprano Katherine Pracht created a mesmerizing Sharon Falconer, believably balancing the character's religious conviction and human frailties while singing with a rich, focused sound."

The Boston Musical Intelligencer review of Joseph Summer's The Tempest

"The vocalists all did creditable work; most notable among them were Katherine Pracht and David Salsbery Fry, who invested Arial and Caliban with appropriately airy and earthy personalities..." ThirdCoast Digest review of Susannah with Florentine OperaTom Strini"Mezzo Katherine Pracht played Susannah’s chief tormentor as a vicious little church lady. She had to pop out of the crowd, and she did, with her big voice and an energized presence that made her petite form formidable."Express Milwaukee.com review of The Rivals (Kirke Mechem), Skylight Opera TheatreRick Walters"Katherine Pracht, as the earnest Julia, sings with both subtlety and refreshing forthrightness."

ThirdCoast Digest review of The Rivals, Skylight Opera TheatreTom Strini

"Mezzo Katherine Pracht played Susannah’s chief tormentor as a vicious little church lady. She had to pop out of the crowd, and she did, with her big voice and an energized presence that made her petite form formidable."

Express Milwaukee.com review of The Rivals (Kirke Mechem), Skylight Opera TheatreRick Walters

"Katherine Pracht, as the earnest Julia, sings with both subtlety and refreshing forthrightness."

ThirdCoast Digest review of The Rivals, Skylight Opera TheatreTom Strini

"Berneche and Pracht also play close cousins, and the way they lounge about together makes it easy to imagine them as little girls tumbling down together for their naps. They were sweet, funny, and in superb voice throughout the opera."

Opera Magazine review of Der Kaiser von Atlantis with Greenwich Music FestivalEric Myers

"Katherine Pracht wielded a mezzo of extraordinary range and colour, and was a fearsome vision as the rabid, warmongering Drummer Girl with Bride of Frankenstein hair and grotesquely elongated, skeletal arms."

ThirdCoast Digest review of The Barber of Seville with Skylight Opera Theatre Tom Strini

"And Katherine Pracht — oh my. Her voice has developed into an instrument of extraordinary beauty and boundless agility. What a great pleasure to hear pitches and rhythms fall exactly into place within a warm, expressive flexibility, and to hear a voice so smooth and seamless and full throughout its range. I love the way the music informs her acting. The role has no dancing per se, but Pracht makes little dances of each aria and recitative. She phrases common gestures, facial expression and practical movement in ways that both explain the moment and complement the music. Her baseline movement is soft and pliant and completely charming. When Rosina goes to war with Bartolo, Pracht’s little body turns hard and pointed as a crossbow bolt, and the contrast is very funny."

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel review of The Barber of Seville with Skylight Opera TheatreElaine Schmidt

"Katherine Pracht delivers a delightful Rosina, singing the role masterfully. She creates a dimensional character, often speaking volumes with mere facial expressions."

TimeOut Milwaukee review of The Barber of Seville with Skylight Opera TheatreJulie McHale

“Katherine Pracht, with her glorious, fluid voice and overt facial expressions, captures this struggling character beautifully.”

Shepherd Express Metro review of The Barber of Seville with Skylight Opera TheatreRick Walters

“As Rosina, mezzo-soprano Katherine Pracht was lovely and made this ingénue-with-a-hint-of-vixen part interesting. She is an engaging singer with a good voice”

Opera News review of Der Kaiser von Atlantis with Greenwich Music FestivalDavid Shengold

“The only holdover from last year’s opera, Katherine Pracht, made the move from Monteverdi’s flighty Melanto to Ullmann’s scarifying Trommler. Given an Expressionist bipartite wig and Joker-like grimace by Bridget Ritzinger (who had most of the cast in clown white that still allowed for much expressiveness), Pracht reveled in the most striking of Paul Carey’s fine, apt costumes – army jacket over flared skirt, with terrifying extended plastic arms. She loped about exhorting men to battle like a nightmare Preziosilla; Verdi’s vivandière might well suit Pracht’s penetrating voice, comfortable at wide range extremes.”

Operaticus blog review of Der Kaiser von Atlantis with Greenwich Music FestivalGeorges Briscot

"Katherine Pracht, singing the difficult role of the Drummer with force and clarity, was perhaps the most fascinating character in the show. This figure, described by the composer as “not quite real, but like a radio”, was embodied here as a grotesque amalgamation of soldier, whore, and puppet. "

The Daily Progress review of Camelot with Ash Lawn Opera FestivalEleanor Tudor and Gerald Granroth

“Katherine Pracht has one of those beautiful soaring mezzo-soprano voices that is rich with a subtle tremolo — and sends you catapulting out of your seat. She is beautiful as Queen Guenevere, and her acting is nuanced and very touching in her relationships with both Arthur and Lancelot. Her facial expressions are tied to her every emotion, so that in the silence of a closing scene, they light up the stage.”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel review of The Midnight Angel with Skylight Opera TheatreTom Strini

"Of the many transcendent aspects of Act 2, non is more crucial than Katherine Pracht. She has never been more radiant in her presence or in her singing than she is as the Midnight Angel."

The Independent review of The Sorcerer with Bard SummerScape FestivalCharles Kondek

"Constance was sung by mezzo-soprano Katherine Pracht...Hers is a warm sound, a rich healthy voice musically employed."

Opera News review of The Sorcerer with Bard SummerScape FestivalDavid Shengold

"Katherine Pracht sang with handsome tone"Berkshire Eagle review of Mozart at the Opera with Albany SymphonyAndrew L. Pincus“All came through with youthful ardor, but mezzo-soprano Katherine Pracht offered more: the promise of a star. Whether as an impetuous Cherubino, seductive Dorabella or wounded Donna Elvira, she wielded her luminous voice as an instrument of communicative and dramatic power.”

The Daily Gazette review of Mozart at the Opera concert with Albany SymphonyGeraldine Freedman

“Katherine Pracht opened with a bang in the solo “Non so piu.” She showed a big voice, excellent diction, easy top notes, strong projection and was a delight in her acting.

Times Union review of Mozart at the Opera with Albany SymphonyJames Hennerty

“Pracht is impressive in her singing and acting. She seemed naturally attuned to each character she portrayed, from the teenage boy Cherubino to the conflicted Dorabella in “Cosi.” It was in the latter’s aria that she demonstrated how to express passionate emotion without breaking the music’s line and while always maintaining a beautiful tone.”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel review of Hansel and GretelElaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“The adaptation holds together quite well, thanks in large part to the work of Katherine Pracht as Hansel and Elizabeth Sutton as Gretel. The two are completely convincing in their portrayal of young siblings - so much so that it's difficult at times to remember that they're adults. They are also wonderfully suited to the vocal demands of the roles they sing. Pracht's strong, even, mezzo sound is an exceptional match to Sutton's timbre. She is also a great match to Sutton's technical strengths and musical instincts. The famous "Angel's Prayer" duet is beautifully sung by the pair.

Hansel and Gretel, Skylight Opera Theatre, 2006Rick Walters, Shepherd Express Metro

“Katherine Pracht’s full inhabitation of the boy Hansel is a rich display of vocal and theatrical talents.”

TimeOut Magazine ReviewJulie McHale

“Katherine Pracht and Elizabeth Sutton as Hansel and Gretel respectively have mastered all the childish antics of siblings. Until you hear their powerful voices, you would think they were really children. Pracht’s mellow mezzo soprano blends beautifully with Sutton’s dulcet lyric tones.”

Review of Chamber Music Milwaukee concert Tom Strini, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“Pracht's voice and Hackett's viola twined round one another in warm, dark tones that matched the nostalgia of the songs. If their sound could have been photographed, it would have printed in sepia tones.”

Tom Strini, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“Her rich, emotionally shaded, rhythmically supple voice and her conviction as an actress, commanded a difficult, crucial role.”

Opera Japonica, Letters from America, 2005 Maria Nockin

“Mezzo-soprano, Katherine Pracht treated the audience to an emotionally rich portrayal of Jo, the leading lady. She has a flexible voice with a technique that held up throughout this long tiring role, and she proved to be a convincing actress who commanded the attention of all.”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Review from ROSINA at Skylight Opera TheatreTom Strini

“Amparo, Almaviva’s mistress, would have been so easy to caricature, but Katherine Pracht drew in the canny calculation behind her flirtation and the buried vulnerability beneath that. The singing was excellent top to bottom.”

From Opera News Review of Hiram Titus's opera ROSINA John Koopman, Opera News

“Katherine Pracht was a warm, colorful figure as Almaviva’s mistress, Amparo”

The Washington Post review by Patrick D. McCoy

“Mezzo-soprano Katherine Pracht shone in the ‘Pie Jesu,’ her voice’s burned hues complemented by cellist Katlyn DeGraw.” Duruflé REQUIEM, The Washington Chorus, Christopher Bell conducting, Todd Fickley organist

Elizabeth Cree, West Edge Opera, Joshua Kosman for the San Francisco Chronicle. Photo: Cory Weaver

"In the title role, mezzo-soprano Katherine Pracht combined lustrous singing with a quicksilvery theatrical temperament as she cycled through Elizabeth’s rapid shifts in character."


Elizabeth Cree, West Edge Opera, Victor Cordell for Berkshire Fine Arts, 2021. Photo: Cory Weaver

"Mezzo Katy Pracht soars as Elizabeth...conveying a panoply of enigmatic emotions from her lost innocence to her deadly scheming."


Ottavia, L'incoronazione di Poppea, Florentine Opera, 2019. Joseph Newsome for Voix des Arts

[Pracht] "...inhabited the rôle with the dramatic force of Cathy Berberian and the vocal magnitude of Frances Bible, but her Ottavia was a meticulously-wrought character study enlivened by unstinting vocal beauty."


Opera News March 2017 review (Joshua Rosenblum) of Joseph Summer's THE TEMPEST

"Katherine Pracht, as Ariel, pours forth rich, enveloping sound with well-articulated diction, using her vibrato to add expression and emotion. Her Full Fathom Five in Summer's haunting setting its the highlight of the piece."
Neruda Songs with Grand Rapids Symphony; reviewed by Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk

"Mezzo soprano Katherine Pracht’s rich, well-mannered voice was a pleasure to hear declaiming the Spanish texts by the Nobel Prize-winning poet."
Opera News review of LA TRAVIATA with Opera Philadelphia, David Shengold.

The incisive Katherine Pracht, styled in pants and top hat, made a fascinating study of Flora Bervoix."
NealsPaper review of LA TRAVIATA with Opera Philadelphia

"...I’ve mentioned how merry Pracht looks in Flora’s costumes. I should add Pracht is a wonderful actress who, like Oropesa, moves naturally and seems to be living Flora’s existence, as opposed to just acting it. Flora is the hostess with the mostess, and Pracht plays that part of her character to the hilt while also being able to have quiet tete-a-tetes with Violetta that indicate a genuine friendship. In keeping with Curran’s production, Pracht is also an excellent singer..."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel review of Elmer Gantry with Florentine OperaElaine Schmidt

"Mezzo-soprano Katherine Pracht created a mesmerizing Sharon Falconer, believably balancing the character's religious conviction and human frailties while singing with a rich, focused sound."
The Boston Musical Intelligencer review of Joseph Summer's The Tempest

"The vocalists all did creditable work; most notable among them were Katherine Pracht and David Salsbery Fry, who invested Arial and Caliban with appropriately airy and earthy personalities..." ThirdCoast Digest review of Susannah with Florentine OperaTom Strini"Mezzo Katherine Pracht played Susannah’s chief tormentor as a vicious little church lady. She had to pop out of the crowd, and she did, with her big voice and an energized presence that made her petite form formidable."Express Milwaukee.com review of The Rivals (Kirke Mechem), Skylight Opera TheatreRick Walters"Katherine Pracht, as the earnest Julia, sings with both subtlety and refreshing forthrightness."
ThirdCoast Digest review of The Rivals, Skylight Opera TheatreTom Strini

"Mezzo Katherine Pracht played Susannah’s chief tormentor as a vicious little church lady. She had to pop out of the crowd, and she did, with her big voice and an energized presence that made her petite form formidable."
Express Milwaukee.com review of The Rivals (Kirke Mechem), Skylight Opera TheatreRick Walters

"Katherine Pracht, as the earnest Julia, sings with both subtlety and refreshing forthrightness."
ThirdCoast Digest review of The Rivals, Skylight Opera TheatreTom Strini

"Berneche and Pracht also play close cousins, and the way they lounge about together makes it easy to imagine them as little girls tumbling down together for their naps. They were sweet, funny, and in superb voice throughout the opera."
Opera Magazine review of Der Kaiser von Atlantis with Greenwich Music FestivalEric Myers

"Katherine Pracht wielded a mezzo of extraordinary range and colour, and was a fearsome vision as the rabid, warmongering Drummer Girl with Bride of Frankenstein hair and grotesquely elongated, skeletal arms."
ThirdCoast Digest review of The Barber of Seville with Skylight Opera Theatre Tom Strini

"And Katherine Pracht — oh my. Her voice has developed into an instrument of extraordinary beauty and boundless agility. What a great pleasure to hear pitches and rhythms fall exactly into place within a warm, expressive flexibility, and to hear a voice so smooth and seamless and full throughout its range. I love the way the music informs her acting. The role has no dancing per se, but Pracht makes little dances of each aria and recitative. She phrases common gestures, facial expression and practical movement in ways that both explain the moment and complement the music. Her baseline movement is soft and pliant and completely charming. When Rosina goes to war with Bartolo, Pracht’s little body turns hard and pointed as a crossbow bolt, and the contrast is very funny."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel review of The Barber of Seville with Skylight Opera TheatreElaine Schmidt

"Katherine Pracht delivers a delightful Rosina, singing the role masterfully. She creates a dimensional character, often speaking volumes with mere facial expressions."
TimeOut Milwaukee review of The Barber of Seville with Skylight Opera TheatreJulie McHale

“Katherine Pracht, with her glorious, fluid voice and overt facial expressions, captures this struggling character beautifully.”
Shepherd Express Metro review of The Barber of Seville with Skylight Opera TheatreRick Walters

“As Rosina, mezzo-soprano Katherine Pracht was lovely and made this ingénue-with-a-hint-of-vixen part interesting. She is an engaging singer with a good voice”
Opera News review of Der Kaiser von Atlantis with Greenwich Music FestivalDavid Shengold

“The only holdover from last year’s opera, Katherine Pracht, made the move from Monteverdi’s flighty Melanto to Ullmann’s scarifying Trommler. Given an Expressionist bipartite wig and Joker-like grimace by Bridget Ritzinger (who had most of the cast in clown white that still allowed for much expressiveness), Pracht reveled in the most striking of Paul Carey’s fine, apt costumes – army jacket over flared skirt, with terrifying extended plastic arms. She loped about exhorting men to battle like a nightmare Preziosilla; Verdi’s vivandière might well suit Pracht’s penetrating voice, comfortable at wide range extremes.”
Operaticus blog review of Der Kaiser von Atlantis with Greenwich Music FestivalGeorges Briscot

"Katherine Pracht, singing the difficult role of the Drummer with force and clarity, was perhaps the most fascinating character in the show. This figure, described by the composer as “not quite real, but like a radio”, was embodied here as a grotesque amalgamation of soldier, whore, and puppet. "
The Daily Progress review of Camelot with Ash Lawn Opera FestivalEleanor Tudor and Gerald Granroth

“Katherine Pracht has one of those beautiful soaring mezzo-soprano voices that is rich with a subtle tremolo — and sends you catapulting out of your seat. She is beautiful as Queen Guenevere, and her acting is nuanced and very touching in her relationships with both Arthur and Lancelot. Her facial expressions are tied to her every emotion, so that in the silence of a closing scene, they light up the stage.”
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel review of The Midnight Angel with Skylight Opera TheatreTom Strini

"Of the many transcendent aspects of Act 2, non is more crucial than Katherine Pracht. She has never been more radiant in her presence or in her singing than she is as the Midnight Angel."
The Independent review of The Sorcerer with Bard SummerScape FestivalCharles Kondek

"Constance was sung by mezzo-soprano Katherine Pracht...Hers is a warm sound, a rich healthy voice musically employed."
Opera News review of The Sorcerer with Bard SummerScape FestivalDavid Shengold

"Katherine Pracht sang with handsome tone"Berkshire Eagle review of Mozart at the Opera with Albany SymphonyAndrew L. Pincus“All came through with youthful ardor, but mezzo-soprano Katherine Pracht offered more: the promise of a star. Whether as an impetuous Cherubino, seductive Dorabella or wounded Donna Elvira, she wielded her luminous voice as an instrument of communicative and dramatic power.”
The Daily Gazette review of Mozart at the Opera concert with Albany SymphonyGeraldine Freedman

“Katherine Pracht opened with a bang in the solo “Non so piu.” She showed a big voice, excellent diction, easy top notes, strong projection and was a delight in her acting.
Times Union review of Mozart at the Opera with Albany SymphonyJames Hennerty

“Pracht is impressive in her singing and acting. She seemed naturally attuned to each character she portrayed, from the teenage boy Cherubino to the conflicted Dorabella in “Cosi.” It was in the latter’s aria that she demonstrated how to express passionate emotion without breaking the music’s line and while always maintaining a beautiful tone.”
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel review of Hansel and GretelElaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“The adaptation holds together quite well, thanks in large part to the work of Katherine Pracht as Hansel and Elizabeth Sutton as Gretel. The two are completely convincing in their portrayal of young siblings - so much so that it's difficult at times to remember that they're adults. They are also wonderfully suited to the vocal demands of the roles they sing. Pracht's strong, even, mezzo sound is an exceptional match to Sutton's timbre. She is also a great match to Sutton's technical strengths and musical instincts. The famous "Angel's Prayer" duet is beautifully sung by the pair.
Hansel and Gretel, Skylight Opera Theatre, 2006Rick Walters, Shepherd Express Metro

“Katherine Pracht’s full inhabitation of the boy Hansel is a rich display of vocal and theatrical talents.”
TimeOut Magazine ReviewJulie McHale

“Katherine Pracht and Elizabeth Sutton as Hansel and Gretel respectively have mastered all the childish antics of siblings. Until you hear their powerful voices, you would think they were really children. Pracht’s mellow mezzo soprano blends beautifully with Sutton’s dulcet lyric tones.”
Review of Chamber Music Milwaukee concert Tom Strini, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“Pracht's voice and Hackett's viola twined round one another in warm, dark tones that matched the nostalgia of the songs. If their sound could have been photographed, it would have printed in sepia tones.”
Tom Strini, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“Her rich, emotionally shaded, rhythmically supple voice and her conviction as an actress, commanded a difficult, crucial role.”
Opera Japonica, Letters from America, 2005 Maria Nockin

“Mezzo-soprano, Katherine Pracht treated the audience to an emotionally rich portrayal of Jo, the leading lady. She has a flexible voice with a technique that held up throughout this long tiring role, and she proved to be a convincing actress who commanded the attention of all.”
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Review from ROSINA at Skylight Opera TheatreTom Strini

“Amparo, Almaviva’s mistress, would have been so easy to caricature, but Katherine Pracht drew in the canny calculation behind her flirtation and the buried vulnerability beneath that. The singing was excellent top to bottom.”
From Opera News Review of Hiram Titus's opera ROSINA John Koopman, Opera News

“Katherine Pracht was a warm, colorful figure as Almaviva’s mistress, Amparo”
The Washington Post review by Patrick D. McCoy

“Mezzo-soprano Katherine Pracht shone in the ‘Pie Jesu,’ her voice’s burned hues complemented by cellist Katlyn DeGraw.” Duruflé REQUIEM, The Washington Chorus, Christopher Bell conducting, Todd Fickley organist