Dr. Shannon Cochran completed her Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice Performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in May 2021. She also completed her Artist Diploma in Opera Performance in 2020 and her Master of Music in 2018, studying voice under Dr. Gwendolyn Coleman. Her most recent engagements include, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos at CCM, the soprano soloists for the “Let it Be New” concert with Cincinnati Song Initiative, premiering the chamber opera With Her Eyes by Ye Zhao with the CCM Concert Orchestra in March 2021, and recording DJ Sparr’s Ella Que Llora in fall 2020 with the CCM Wind Symphony. Other credits at CCM include Millicent Jordan in William Bolcom’s Dinner at Eight, Miss Jessel in Britten’s Turn of the Screw, and Cunegonde in Bernstein’s Candide.
In 2019, she performed at Cincinnati Song Initiative’s fall season with Kathleen Kelly on Corigliano’s “Tambourine Man.” In 2018, she worked with Libby Larsen at the John Duffy Institute in collaboration with the Virginia Arts Festival to workshop a new opera, Vagabond, where she sang the lead Isabelle Eberhardt. During her masters, she worked with John Harbison on his composition “Vocalism,” instilling her love of new works. In 2017 and 2018, she was the soprano soloist with Memphis Repertory Orchestra under the baton of Maestro William R. Langley, performing works by Bernstein, Strauss and various showtunes.
In addition to opera, she has performed frequently in the musical theatre world. Her professional theatre credits include Fiona in Shrek! The Musical at Great Plains Theatre, Ms. Pemberton in The Orphan Train under the direction of Patricia Birch, Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray and Rapunzel in Into the Woods at Way Off Broadway.
Since the pandemic altered everyone’s world, she shifted gears to study mindfulness and the utilization of mind-body skills in an artist’s life. She is currently conducting research to see the potential benefits and efficacy of these practices for the betterment and longevity of an artist’s career. With the intent, to continue to help other artists make their own personal health and wellness a priority.
In the summer of 2018, Shannon founded the Fellowship at Memphis Repertory Orchestra, alongside Maestro Langley, for young aspiring musicians. During this program, they crafted each of their own personal identities as an artist and learned different techniques for working in the business. Incredibly passionate about teaching, she has also taught voice, acting and piano lessons, as well as worked on summer camps for children’s theatre. She has a passion for cultivating and sharing the world of music and arts with everyone, and is often working with different companies such as ROK Cincy! Cincinnati Opera Outreach, and CCM to take music to those that might not see it otherwise.
