Dr. Kirsten Ann Blair

Dr. Kirsten Ann Blair, soprano, enjoys a vibrant musical lifestyle as a singer and educator. Dr. Blair is a versatile performer, having recently participated in opera, classical, and contemporary performances on both national and international stages. She has presented recitals at Arizona State University, the Eastman School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory, James Madison University, Loyola University, West Virginia University, Lisbon (Portugal), Athens (Greece), East London, White River and Nelspruit (South Africa), Harare (Zimbabwe), and in her home states of Maine and Alaska. She has played principal roles with Opera Fairbanks, Anchorage Opera, Varna International Music Academy, and internationally with Théâtre Roger Barat (France), International Summer of Opera Festival of Morelia (Mexico), and the Lowveld Chamber Music Association (South Africa). Selected roles include Micaëla (Bizet's "Carmen"), Rose (Weill's "Street Scene"), Lucy (Menotti's "The Telephone"), and Roxy LaRue in the World Premier of "The Color of Gold."

She has performed as a featured soloist with the Arizona Women's Collaborative, the University of Alaska Fairbanks New Music Festival, the Collaborative Piano Institute at the University of Michigan, the Hawai'i International Music Festival, the Vianden Festival in Luxembourg, and two consecutive sessions in Zimbabwe for Music Inspire Africa. Recently, she sang with the Fairbanks Ragtime Club, Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival Jazz Combo, Blue & Gold Alumni Celebration rock/pop cover band, and Golden Heart Performing Arts' circus artists as a singing aerialist. 

A passionate teacher, Dr. Blair maintains a diverse private studio inclusive of a wide range of singing styles and appreciates working wtih singers in group environments. She is a sought-after adjudicator for Regional Solo & Ensemble and National Association of Teachers of Singing competitions in both Classical and Musical Theatre categories, and was the 2024 Nelspruit Eisteddfod Vocal Division adjudicator in South Africa. She was a recipient of Arizona State University's Graduate and Professional Student Association Teaching Excellence Award in 2020 and was selected for the prestigious National Association of Teachers of Singing 2024 Internship Program. Dr. Blair previously served the University of Alaska Fairbanks Music Department as a voice instructor, as well as her Fairbanks community as Board Vice-President of Fairbanks Light Opera Theatre, Director of the Great Land Sounds Barbershop Chorus, Vice-President of the NATS Alaska Chapter, and Artistic Director of the 2025 Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival Opera & Musical Theatre Program. Dr. Blair is a voice instructor at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz and James Madison University.