Today we’d like to introduce you to Katherine Kincaid.
Hi Katherine, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My love for music began when I started taking piano lessons at the age of five. I am an opera singer and singer/songwriter from Jacksonville, Florida. I can’t imagine my life without music. It is how I communicate with and interpret the world around me. I was that weird kid who didn’t have to be forced to practice every day. I enjoyed picking up new instruments and teaching myself how to play them. I learned to play the flute and loved playing in the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra during middle school. My true musical love came when I was eight, and picked up my first guitar. I remember going with my mom to our local guitar shop. Blue is my favorite color, but I was too impatient to wait for the blue guitar to be ordered, so I brought home a pink guitar. I opened the beginner’s guitar book and immediately started playing and writing my own songs. By age 14, I began playing open mics and songwriting rounds in Nashville at venues like the Bluebird Cafe. At 16, I self-produced an album of 11 original songs called “Killin’ Time.” My dreams of becoming a country music star were starting to unfold.
When it came time to apply to college, I knew I wanted to study music. One audition changed the trajectory of my musical career. While learning a classical art song for Belmont’s commercial voice program, I discovered that I had a whole other voice different from my country music style. I decided to study classical voice and piano at Florida State University but told my mom I would NEVER sing opera. Never say never. After being in my first opera, La Traviata, I fell in love with the incredible art form. I went on to obtain a Master of Music in Opera at the University of Maryland.
Upon graduation, I was thrilled to get a contract as a resident artist with the Toledo Opera, where I made my professional debut in La Traviata (the same opera I performed in at FSU where I discovered my love for opera). I was star-struck to be sharing the stage with Metropolitan Opera singers. Since then, I have performed with the Indianapolis Opera, First Coast Opera, MIOpera, and Moon River Opera here in Savannah. Next April, I will be performing with the Jacksonville Symphony in their production of Carmen. Growing up in Jacksonville, I have always dreamed of singing with the Jacksonville Symphony since I saw my first concert there at age five. I am excited to sing in the hall, that inspired me to pursue music.
Although opera has been my focus for the past eight years, I have not abandoned my love of commercial music and songwriting. In each city that I’ve lived, I have found places to perform with my guitar (no longer pink). I am so fortunate that my new home near Savannah has a thriving live music scene! My husband and I moved here in July for his assignment at Fort Stewart after getting married in May! Our first week here, I hit the ground running, playing gigs in Savannah, Richmond Hill, Brunswick, and St. Simons.
I love singing because I love sharing my gift. It is truly amazing to realize how the human voice can move, inspire, heal, and change people. Music provides meaning and value to life and reminds us that there is something tangible that connects us all. Singing brings me an inexplicable sense of joy and peace. Every time I sing, I hope to share that feeling with just one person. My dream is to sing at the Metropolitan Opera, the Grand Ole Opry, or both!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think an artist has ever existed that didn’t have to overcome challenges in pursuit of their craft. Singing is an incredibly personal art form. You don’t have an instrument to hide behind. You are your instrument. When you sing, you are being judged for you. I remember my first major rejection. My voice teacher at the time told me that I would never become an opera singer if I didn’t get the nasality out of my sound and that she didn’t want to teach me anymore. I went to the bathroom and cried. I then picked myself up, found a new teacher I loved, and practiced like crazy. One of the most satisfying moments of my life came when I sang for that same teacher in a graduate school audition four years later. I got to show my hard work and talent and was offered acceptance and a scholarship to the program. There is always going to be a critic, but there is also always going to be someone whose life you can change with your voice. I keep going for that one person.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I believe on my tax returns, I label myself as an opera singer, but as you can read in my story, my musical career involves so much more than that. In the opera world, I perform main stage roles at opera houses and classical music recitals. In the commercial world, I perform acoustic gigs at local breweries, restaurants, and bars. I also continue to write songs and love performing original music. My gigs are usually 3-hour sets with a variety of genres, including country, pop, rock, folk, and original music. I love performing at different venues in the Savannah area and am always on the lookout for new spots to play! I also perform at events like weddings, festivals, parties, and house concerts. My training has equipped me to sing a variety of styles of music, and I’m comfortable performing in virtually any setting. I can personalize a performance based on my client’s or employer’s needs.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
My other great passion in life is fitness. I am a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor and currently work as a Fitness Coordinator for the YMCA. I’ve been an athlete since I started competitive swimming as a kid. Exercise has always been a stress reliever for me, and I’m so glad I found it at such a young age. I love being able to help people on their journey to health and fitness. It’s a privilege to get to educate people on how important fitness and nutrition are to living a long and healthy life. Motivating and inspiring people in my fitness classes is often the highlight of my day.
Contact Info:
- Website: katherinekincaid.com
- Instagram: @katkincaidmusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katkincaidmusic?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Youtube: @katkincaidmusic
Image Credits
Sarahdipity Photos
