Meet the Student: Q&A with Soprano Kylie Kreucher

Soprano Kylie Kreucher, from Novi, Michigan, stars as Fox Gold Stripe in Curtis Opera Theatre’s exciting production of Leoš Janáček’s operatic masterpiece, The Cunning Little Vixen, May 3 and 5 at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. She entered the Curtis Institute of Music in 2023 and studies in the opera program with Julia Faulkner. All students at Curtis receive merit-based, full-tuition scholarships, and Ms. Kreucher is the Florence R. Laden Memorial Fellow.

What was that pivotal moment when you knew you wanted to sing opera and pursue a career in classical music?
In my freshman year of high school, I auditioned for my first musical, The Sound of Music, and I was cast as Sister Berthe. I will never forget when I stepped out on stage, and my heart was beating wildly. I had never been more nervous in my life, but I felt an electricity in the air; I felt the magic of live theater, and I fell in love with that feeling of excitement and the fulfillment of storytelling. I knew from there that I wanted to dedicate my life to performance.

In my junior year of high school, I watched the Met HD recording of Carmen, and it completely transformed my view of opera. I had little education on opera growing up and am guilty of thinking it was the stereotype of women and men with breastplates and horns singing high notes. Seeing Elīna Garanča play a multifaceted, complex, and powerful female character like Carmen completely opened my eyes to the world of opera, and from there, I could not stop watching Met HD recordings and falling more and more in love with the art form.

Tell us about Fox Gold Stripe. What have you enjoyed the most about learning this role and Janáček’s opera and embodying the character?
Fox Gold Stripe is very endearing and has been a lot of fun for me to embody. This is my first “pants role,” and it has been very exciting for me to navigate how to portray this different energy. The fox is old-fashioned and polite but is also open-minded and a forward thinker. He cares about protecting the Vixen and is impressed by her independent nature at the same time. He is polite in his approach yet confident in his pursuit; he knows a good thing when he sees it and does not want to let the Vixen get away. I have a love for Czech music as I feel it oozes emotion. This opera, in particular, is a special gem as it reflects the traditions of Czech opera while also embodying the musical trends of the 20th century. 

Watch a clip of Ms. Kreucher performing “Try Me, Good King” by composer Libby Larsen with pianist Sujin Choi at the Music Academy of the West in 2023. 

How did you first learn about Curtis, and what has been your favorite moment on the stage or in the classroom since you arrived?
I first learned about Curtis from my former voice teacher, Martha Sheil, who I began working with my junior year of high school. She is a Curtis alum and would tell me of her amazing experiences at the school. It quickly became my dream to attend Curtis. This next school year, I will be a student at Curtis for the 100th anniversary, and Martha was a student here for the 50th anniversary, so it is a very special full-circle moment. My favorite moment on the stage since I have arrived has been singing Marianne in Der Rosenkavalier under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin in the Spectacular Strauss concert with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra this past fall.

Visit Kylie Kreucher’s official website HERE.

Photos of Ms. Kreucher by Nichole MCH Photography.