Michelle Monroe

Michelle Monroe, mezzo-soprano, has been praised for her “command of dramatic shape and musical details.” Her diverse repertoire spans Baroque masterworks, contemporary compositions, opera, CCM, and art song. She performs regularly throughout the Midwest as both a soloist and ensemble singer.

A dedicated advocate for contemporary American vocal music, Monroe has earned recognition for her performances of 21st Century American art song and has been called upon by composers to premiere new works. She gave the world premiere of Jeremy Beck’s Four Songs and recorded the songs for his album Remember, later premiering the songs with chamber orchestra. Additional contemporary music performances include Libby Larsen’s Raspberry Island Dreaming with the Northern Iowa Symphony Orchestra at the UNI New Music Festival, Kimberly Osberg’s The Noise with the Northern Iowa Symphonic Band, and James Stephenson’s Dialogue of Self and Soul with the University of Northern Iowa Wind Ensemble.

Monroe was an Apprentice Artist with Central City Opera’s Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Young Artist Program in 2019 and 2021, and was selected for the 2020 season prior to its cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was then selected as a young artist for two seasons with Cedar Rapids Opera. Equally at home in the concert hall as she is onstage, she has appeared as a soloist with the Five Cities Baroque Festival, Rochester Symphony, South Dakota Symphony, Sioux County Oratorio Chorus, and Ottumwa Choral Society. Her operatic credits include performances with Central City Opera, Cedar Rapids Opera, Opera Kansas, Music on Site, the Nebraska Opera Project, and Opera on the Lake. Her international experience includes performing in concert as a soloist with the Mittelsächsisches Theater Orchestra in Freiberg, Germany and in recitals across Germany featuring Hugo Wolf’s Mörike-Lieder and American musical theater. 

Monroe’s scholarly and performance work has also earned distinction in competition. She received first place in the University of Northern Iowa Graduate Symposium two consecutive years for research and performances of selections of Aaron Copland’s Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson and Jake Heggie’s Eve-Song. One symposium judge praised her performance of Eve-Song, noting that she “truly committed to the emotional arc of the piece” and was “easily the best performer of the evening.” At the University of Iowa, she was an overall finalist and voice category winner of the concerto competition for two consecutive years. 

Proving herself a versatile performer and teacher, Monroe served as a lead vocalist with popular music ensembles in the 147th Army Band of the South Dakota Army National Guard and the 34th Army Band of the Iowa National Guard for a total of twelve years. During that time, she had the opportunity to actively participate in two extensive workshops with Lang Bliss from Tom Jackson Productions. During her military service, she received numerous military awards for her performances and dedication to musical excellence. Building upon her experience in performing CCM music, Monroe sought to further her pedagogical understanding and was awarded a research grant from the University of Iowa to attend the Contemporary Commercial Music Institute at Shenandoah University. There, she completed the first two levels of CCM Vocal Pedagogy and the Musical Theater Styles course. 

Since joining the faculty at the University of Northern Iowa in 2016, Monroe has maintained a thriving voice studio and is passionate about mentoring the next generation of singers and voice teachers. She is a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at the University of Iowa, holds a Master of Music from the University of Northern Iowa, and a Bachelor of Music Education from Northern State University. Prior to joining the UNI faculty, Monroe taught Kindermusik and K–12 general and vocal music in Iowa public schools. When not performing or teaching, Monroe enjoys spending time outdoors in the Cedar Valley with her husband and two children.