Instructor
Voice
Contact Information
Cogswell 108
Courses
- Applied Voice
Education
- DM (ABD), Indiana University
- MM, Kansas State University
- BSEd/BFA, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Biography
Aruban-American mezzo-soprano Erin Leigh Koolman is a doctoral candidate for the doctor of music degree at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where she studied with Patricia Stiles. She holds a bachelor of science in music education and a bachelor of fine arts in vocal performance from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she studied with Sarah J. Mantel. In 2015, Koolman graduated from Kansas State University, where she studied with mezzo-soprano Patricia Thompson.
Erin’s performances span genres and styles. Past stage performances include the musicals Sweeny Todd, White Christmas, and Chicago, as well as principle roles in Hansel and Gretel (Hansel), L’Enfant et les sortilèges, Dialogues des Carmélites (Mé re Jeanne), La Traviata (Annina), and Ainadamar (Lorca). Her keen interest in early music has led to collaborations with the Bloomington Bach Cantata Project, the Bloomington Early Music Festival, and featured solo performances with a variety of ecclesiastical choral groups. Notable performances include J.S. Bach’s "St. John Passion" and "Magnificat," Handel’s "Messiah," and Duruflé’s "Requiem."
Erin is a strong advocate for the performance of children’s opera, offering her vocal and stage direction talents to Bloomington’s Re-Imagining Opera for Kids, including voicing the character Ata in the world premiere of The World is One by Dominick DiOrio. Erin has also served as a guest artist with Amity Trio in their latest tour of Indiana, where they presented Lucrecia y el canto de los Dudasaurios by Nur Slim.
As an advocate for the diversification of performed repertoire, Koolman has worked closely with the Latin American Music Center at Indiana University, helping promote new works such as Ja’ K’áash, a cantata by Luis M Ruelas Romo, featuring the Yucatec Mayan language. Her own research highlights the music of Colombian composers and argues for the expansion of repertoire taught in the voice studio.