In addition to singing with various orchestral and choral groups, her operatic roles have included Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutte, Papagena and Erste Knabe in Die Zauberflöte, and Juliette in The Litttle Sweep. She has also performed as a cover and choir member in operas L’enfant et les sortilèges, Dido and Aenius, Turandot, and Carmen. Finally, Kira has been involved with the Episcopal church diocese from a young age and has served as a professional section leader and soloist since 2006.
From 2015 to 2020, Kira enjoyed a career as an Elementary and Middle School music teacher, spending the former of those years at one of the largest public elementary schools in Sarasota county. During this time, Kira directed several student musical theater productions including Wonka Jr. and Fiddler on the Roof Jr., and musically directed about seventy students in Lion King Kids. Kira also led after-school student ensembles including various church and concert choirs, rock band groups, and even a recorder club. She has always been a hands-on teacher and strives to instill her passion for music and learning in her students.
In 2019, Kira had the life changing opportunity to solo hike over five hundred and eighty miles on a pilgrimage in Spain called the Camino de Santiago. Nine years after completing her undergraduate work, she decided to take a leap of faith and returned to school to further her musical education. She attended the University of Florida where she earned a joint Master of Arts in vocal performance and music history and literature. At UF, she discovered the field of musicology, which she believes combines all her skills as an educator, performer, researcher, and writer. Currently, she is working on her PhD at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, one of the most prestigious institutions for work in musicology.
Kira’s background in education and performance allows her to teach a myriad of age ranges, styles, and experience levels. She believes in providing an atmosphere of inclusive, positive energy in whatever she teaches and frequently assigns repertoire of contemporary composers or composers who have been historically marginalized or underrepresented. At the root of all of Kira’s teaching is a philosophy of solid, healthy technique, from which any singer or pianist can build a foundation that will last a lifetime.
