Kristen Gillis

Rising soprano: Kristen Marie Gillis

School/College: Boyer College of Music
Degree/Year: MM, voice performance, 2023
Hometown: Round Rock, Texas
Current Job Title: Opera singer
Current Employer: Self-employed

Kristen Marie Gillis, BYR ’23, has graced stages across the country, performing professionally with operas in Charlottesville, Virginia; Orlando, Florida; and in the Great Lakes region. She loves productions that modernize the genre—one performance of an opera from medieval Scotland included the use of large temporary back tattoos. Now Kristen is helping lead opera into a new era, as a Black Mexican American soprano touring the country and reimagining classical works.

30 Under 30 honoree Kristen Marie Gillis looking at the camera over her left shoulder and holding a performance program open in her hands

“Being a Black Mexican American soprano is something that I am extremely proud of. That’s who I am, first. People want to see people who look like them on stage, so it is important to me to be open and proud about my heritage.”

—Kristen Marie Gillis
Opera singer

30 Under 30 honoree Kristen Marie Gillis sitting in a theater

Photography by Dennis Burnett

Gone city. Growing up in a quiet suburb of Austin, Texas, Kristen loved to sing from an early age and pursued a bachelor’s degree in voice performance from a small college in deeply rural West Texas. But as she was applying to graduate schools, Kristen had a chance encounter with a Temple alum and fellow singer traveling in Texas. Intrigued by East Coast performance opportunities, Kristen applied to Temple and got in, driving across the country with her mom for her first day without ever having visited.

The gamble paid off, as Kristen immediately became enamored with Boyer’s dedicated facilities and the wisdom of its faculty, many of whom still perform professionally. She particularly benefited from the mentorship of Associate Professor Kathryn Leemhuis, a mezzo-soprano who became Kristen’s voice coach and continues to provide her lessons years after graduation.

A highlight at Temple was winning a concerto competition hosted at Boyer. Kristen had recently watched in awe as Grammy award-winning opera singer Angel Blue performed “La traviata” by Giuseppe Verdi. Kristen’s inspired rendition of the piece wowed Boyer’s judges, enabling her to perform the piece in front of a live audience with the full backing of the Temple Symphony Orchestra.

New notes. As a youngster in Texas, Kristen had the same mental image of opera as generations of children have had: Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny donning Viking helmets as they twirled and belted out notes in a classic 1957 Looney Tunes skit. Now, one of her favorite things is visiting schools to give children a more updated reference point.