Kathryn Frady is the founding executive artistic director of Marble City Opera. The company’s mission is to cultivate a new following for opera by producing authentic and innovative performances of contemporary and traditional works in non-traditional venues, with the aim of creating a more accessible atmosphere for audiences. Frady focuses on dynamic community centric programming with an emphasis on diversity & inclusion in order to provide relevant story telling through opera to the community. A passionate advocate and prolific performer, director, and producer of modern operatic repertoire, Frady has worked on the development and premiere of 12 new operas within the last 10 years, as well as directed workshops for Cleveland Opera Theater’s NOW Festival and served as a panelist for MassOpera’s New Opera Workshop. With Marble City Opera, Frady has envisioned and brought to life 26 fully staged productions including 30 operas, and 9 premieres with 3 new premieres in development. In 2016, Frady was named “One of Ten Women Who Make a Difference” by The Knoxville Mercury, and in 2019 was recognized as a “Trailblazer in her Field” by the Step Ahead Foundation of East TN. Frady has a Master of Music in vocal performance from the University of North Texas, a Certificate in Executive Women in Leadership from Cornell University, and is currently working on a Diversity & Inclusion Certificate from Cornell, & Fundraising Management Certificate from Boston University. Frady was recently invited to participate in the highly competitive Opera America Leadership Intensive program, and is excited to continue her arts administrative leadership education as a part of the cohort.