Soprano, Kara Claybrook is a collegiate voice professor, choral conductor, opera director and minister of music from Little Rock, Arkansas. She has served as a voice professor at Ouachita Baptist University, Hendrix College, Central Baptist College, Henderson State University, Indiana State University and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. In 2023, Dr. Claybrook appeared as Marian the Librarian in the Pocket Theatre’s production of The Music Man. She has also appeared as Phyllis in Iolanthe, Marmee in the musical Little Women, Alma in the opera Little Women, as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, and Eleanora in Prima la musica e poi le parole. She has performed professionally with First Coast Opera, Opera Mississippi, Opera in the Rock and Murry’s Dinner Playhouse where she appeared as Gertie in Oklahoma and Milly in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. She also specializes in contemporary vocal repertoire, having performed at Indiana State University’s contemporary music festival, for the residencies of John Corigliano and Eric Ewazen and as Elizabeth of York in the premiere performance and recording of Griebling’s Richard III: A Crown of Roses, A Crown of Thorns. In 2019, Dr. Claybrook made her professional stage directing debut with Opera in the Rock and has served as a directing intern and assistant director for the Harrower Summer Opera with celebrated opera director Carroll Freeman. Dr. Claybrook enjoys teaching and performing in multiple styles and genres including opera, operetta, oratorio, traditional worship, contemporary worship, CCM and musical theater. In 2022, she completed a doctoral degree in voice performance with a cognate in musical theatre at the University of Mobile.