With a voice described as “wonderfully powerful,” Joanna Ehlers is Kansas City’s Dramatic Mezzo-Soprano. A Kansas City native, Ms. Ehlers is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Conservatory of Music and Dance, from which she holds both Bachelors and Masters degrees. She frequents Kansas City stages as a chorister and a soloist for area vocal ensembles, most notably Cardinalis Chamber Choir and the GRAMMY-Award winning Kansas City Chorale. Ms. Ehlers has performed with KC VITAs Chamber Choir, Te Deum Chamber Choir, Antiqua, Kantorei KC and the Missouri Oratorio Society. Ms. Ehlers is a choral scholar at historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in downtown Kansas City.
As an opera singer, Ms. Ehlers has performed with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Landlocked Opera Inc., Lawrence Opera Theatre and in several independent productions. Ms. Ehlers enjoys performing character and comedic roles, although her focus is on the music of Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi. In 2021, Ms. Ehlers was a semi-finalist for the Friedrich and Virginia Schorr Memorial Award for the American Prize in vocal performance. She is an administrator for the Kansas City chapter of the national organization Opera On Tap. Recent opera performances include Landlocked Opera’s Tartuffe (M. Pernelle, 2022) and the world premiere of Mother Noah (Sella, 2023.) In 2023, Ms. Ehlers looks forward to a March performance with the Boston Camerata (Dido and Aeneas) and a world premiere of the new opera, The Murderess, (Minnie Alden) with Landlocked Opera Inc. in July. She will perform the role of Madame Flora in The Medium with Opera On Tap-Kansas City in October and then travels to Santa Fe, New Mexico to perform the role of Lucia in Cavalleria rusticana with Opera West.
When she isn’t performing, Ms. Ehlers can be found in her garden, playing with her house pets or trying new recipes in the kitchen. An avid hiker, Ms. Ehlers enjoys visiting area nature preserves with her family. She resides in Independence, Missouri.