Described as, “elegant” and “rich-voiced” by the New York Times, American mezzo-soprano Kristin Gornstein brings her vibrant stage presence and supple voice to a diverse repertoire ranging from Handel to improvisational modern and electronic music. Praised as having “…a brilliant upper register that would be the envy of any soprano, with a chocolatey mezzo richness…” (Voce di Meche), Gornstein frequently performs both opera and concert repertoire. Most recently, Gornstein returned to Loft Opera in Brooklyn to debut the title role in The Rape of Lucretia, by Benjamin Britten, which was received with critical acclaim. In the 2014/15 season, Gornstein joined the Tanglewood Music Festival as a Vocal Fellow. Highlights from the summer include the world premiere of a commission for female voice and 4 percussionists by Steven Mackey, titled Madrigal, as well as selected scenes from Osvaldo Golijov’sAinadamar as Federico Lorca with the TMC orchestra.  Earlier in the season she debuted the role of Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Loft Opera, and performed as Dulcinée in Massenet’s Don Quichotte, Romeo in Bellini’s I Capuleti e I Montecchi, Mrs. Slender in Salieri’s Falstaff, as well as the Alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah, and the Soprano II solos in Mozart’s Mass in C Minor with the American University in Beirut, Lebanon. Previous seasons include performances as the title role in La Tragèdie de Carmen, the Vixen in Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen, Maria in West Side Story, Kitty Hart in the modern American opera Dead Man Walking by Jake Heggie, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, and Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro. In operetta, Gornstein has sung Mrs. Segstrom in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music and Edith in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, as well as the title role in Princess Ida. Originally from Indiana, Gornstein received her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder and her Bachelor of Music degree, also in Vocal Performance, from Butler University in Indianapolis. Additional training includes improvisation work with OperaWorks founder Ann Baltz, and extensive movement and dance work. Gorstein and her husband, fiddler Ryan Drickey, divide their time between Brooklyn, New York, and Lyons, Colorado.