Biography
Kate Raquel Morton, mezzo-soprano, is an artist and performer from the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. She is a Master of Music in Vocal Arts student at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Mr. Kevin Short.
Her passion for the stage and music has been ever present since she was a kid. From attending performances at Tulsa Opera to traveling across the country with the Cherokee National Youth Choir to singing in a living room accompanied by her grandmother, her love for the arts has constantly grown and been supported by her family and trusted mentors. This passion blossomed as a student of the Cherokee Vocal Arts Program under the tutelage and guidance of Barbara McAlister, which eventually led her to pursue her degrees at Oklahoma City University and The Juilliard School.
On October 27th, Ms. Morton will perform the role of Loksi’ in the world premiere of Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate’s Loski' Shaali': A Chickasaw Opera, the first opera performed entirely in a Native American language. This premiere will be held at the Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and Canterbury Voices. She recently made her Opera Saratoga debut during their 2024 summer festival in their productions of Così fan tutte (Dorabella cover), Guys and Dolls, and a world premiere opera, a mad scramble for crumbs, by composer-in-residence inti figgis-vizueta. She also recently performed at National Sawdust for TOTKV, which featured artists such as Martha Redbone, Timothy Long, Marion Newman, and R. Carlos Nakai. In Juilliard's 2023-24 season, Morton performed in Javier Arrebola's Liederabend, John Musto's Liederabend, Erismena (Clerio), and covered the role of Estelle Oglethorpe in Later the Same Evening.
In 2021, she made her professional debut with Opera Montana in their Circle of Resilience concert series which highlighted Native American classical composers and performers and was broadcast by Montana PBS. Since then, Morton performed as a guest artist with Opera Montana and Mountain Time Arts in Yellowstone Revealed, which celebrated the 150th anniversary of Yellowstone National Park. Last April, she returned to Bozeman as a performing artist in Wheels of Harmony, Opera Montana's first outreach tour that traveled to Montana schools sharing Indigenous music and culture.
She is a former Emerging Artist with the Seagle Festival where she performed the roles of Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette, Sor Andrea in With Blood With Ink, Queen Aggravain in Once Upon a Mattress, Suor Infermiera in Suor Angelica, and covered the role of Zita in Gianni Schicchi. She was also a guest artist with the Alexandria Summer Nights Music Festival and the Castleton Festival in their productions of Le Nozze di Figaro as Cherubino.
Morton has performed as a soloist with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic for the celebration of the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City. Morton is the recipient of the Timothy Long Award, as well as a recipient of the Cherokee Nation Trail of Tears Award for Excellence. Morton holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Oklahoma City University in both Music Theatre and Vocal Performance. While at Oklahoma City University, she performed the roles of Jo March in Adamo’s Little Women and Secretary in The Consul.
