Kathleen Radke - Cratchit's Wife

Kathleen Radke's upcoming 2023/24 season is filled with exciting performances and collaborations. She will be showcasing her talent in Mozart's "The Magic Flute" as Tamina and Puccini's "Suor Angelica" as Suor Angelica with OperOttawa. Additionally, she will be portraying Mrs. Cratchit in "Scrooge's Christmas" with New Opera Lyra and Merab in Handel's "Saul" with Caelis Academy Ensemble. 

In addition to her operatic roles, Kathleen will also be participating in Brahms' "Liebeslieder" and Bach's "Coffee Cantata." She is also embarking on a new series of early music performances in Northern Ontario, which promises to be an exciting endeavor.

Kathleen's was a soloist on the 2020 Juno Award-winning CD "Händel, Bach and Schütz Motets" and has been featured on CDs such as "Festival Baroque," "Cantate Domino," "Jesu, meine Freude," and "Twas But Pure Love” with the Ottawa Bach Choir Her performances have been broadcasted on CBC Radio Two, further solidifying her reputation as a talented soprano. She has also collaborated with harpist Caroline Léonardelli on the CD "A Christmas Story."

Previous seasons have seen Kathleen's appearances in various productions, including Monteverdi's Vespers and Mozart's Coronation Mass with the Ottawa Bach Choir, the role of the Narrator in Moore's Gallantry with SOPAC, and Handel's Dixit Dominus with the release of the latest Ottawa Bach Choir CD. She has also performed Handel's Messiah with the Kingston Chamber Choir, Rideau Chorale, and the Choirs of St. Matthew's (Ottawa), as well as Mozart's Requiem. Kathleen has had the opportunity to tour China with the Ottawa Bach Choir as part of the 16th Annual Meet in Beijing Festival and has been a featured soloist on several European tours, including multiple performances at Bachfest Leipzig.

Kathleen's oratorio credits include Handel's Messiah, Solomon, and Dixit Dominus, Bach's Cantatas Nr. 4, 106 & 150, Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, and Mozart's Requiem. In the realm of opera, she has portrayed roles such as Pamina and Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, Najade in Ariadne auf Naxos, Oberto in Alcina, Elisetta in Il matrimonio segreto, and the Princess in Princess of the Stars with Patria Productions in the Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve.

Kathleen's educational background includes an Opera Diploma from Wilfrid Laurier University, where she studied with bass-baritone Daniel Lichti. She also holds a Bachelor of Music and a Performance Diploma from McMaster University. As a member of the Festival Choir of the European Music Festival under the direction of Helmuth Rilling, she had the opportunity to perform in prestigious venues in Stuttgart, Bonn, Athens, and Berlin. Kathleen continues to refine her skills under the guidance of soprano Donna Brown.