Kelsey Rogers

Kelsey K. Rogers, soprano, is an energetic performer and creator of arts opportunities in her community. Upcoming performances include Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro at North Dakota State University, where Rogers is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree, as well as an appearance in the If Music Be the Food – Dickinson recital series, of which Rogers is the Artistic Director. If Music Be the Food – Dickinson is a satellite series of the original If Music Be the Food benefit recital series launched by Carol Rodland in 2009. All the If Music Be the Food recital series invite audience members to donate cash or food to local food pantries, in place of charging admission.

Rogers is an enthusiastic performer of choral-orchestral works. Her repertoire includes G. F. Handel’s Messiah, Camille Saint-Saëns’s Oratorio de Noël, Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria, and W. A. Mozart’s Regina Coeli (K. 108). Equally at home on the operatic stage, her operatic roles include Cleopatra in G. F. Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Pamina in W. A. Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and Kate in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance.

In 2019, Rogers began the Badlands Opera Project, which seeks to bring professional opera experiences to underserved communities in western North Dakota. Their first project was a world premiere of Fairy Tale Suite: Two Short Operas by living composer Willem Oosthuysen and living librettist Chandra McClelland. Rogers both directed and sang in the project, which included free school performances and an accessible performance at the local library, meant to bring classical music to members of the community who struggle with the standard classical performance model. In addition to her professional arts work, Rogers regularly performs for church services and has organized many musical worship services, as well as two Interfaith Community Christmas concerts.

Rogers is an adjunct member of the faculty at Dickinson State University, where she teaches applied voice. She regularly serves as a clinician and adjudicator within her region and around the state. Rogers holds a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Arizona and a Bachelor of Music degree in Choral Music Education from Brigham Young University. Her teachers include Mariane Lemieux-Wottrich, Dawn Hagerott, Kristin Dauphinais, Charles Roe, and Arden Hopkin. She can be reached at kelseykrogers@gmail.com.