With a voice and stage presence described as “warm and lyrical with a lot of dramatic power,” Karen Hughes Beacom is making a name for herself on the opera and concert stage. Her career is crossing borders, with her recent international performance at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, China as the soprano soloist in Bach’s Mass in B Minor with the Tianjin Symphony. Karen also appeared as the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro under the baton of Joseph Rescigno in Novafeltria, Bellaria and Sant’Archangelo, Italy. Karen performs regularly with the Sault Symphony in Ontario, Canada, with solo appearances in Handel’s Messiah and in Orff’s Carmina Burana.
This versatile soprano has performed leading roles in Die Fledermaus, The Magic Flute, Cosi fan tutte, O Pioneers!, Madama Butterfly, and Le Tragedie de Carmen, among others. Her opera credits include Des Moines Metro Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Opera Omaha, Sun Valley Opera, DuPage Opera Theatre, Soo Opera Theatre and the Chautauqua Institution. ¨In addition to performing, Karen heads into her eighth season as the founder and artistic director of the Soo Opera Theatre in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Past productions include La Boheme, Hansel and Gretel, That’s Amore, The Magic Flute, A Grand Night for Singing, Die Fledermaus and Cosi fan tutte, Gianni Schicchi, and The Marriage of Figaro. In addition to her private vocal studio, Karen is an adjunct professor of music at Lake Superior State University. Karen holds a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she studied under Metropolitan Opera Mezzo-Soprano, Ariel Bybee. A student of Bybee’s in New York City, Karen followed her mentor and teacher to earn her degree in the field of opera. Karen previously earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Harp Performance from DePauw University.
