About Janna
Performance Biography
Janna Kysilko, soprano, began her affair with classical singing after falling in love with the operas of Gilbert and Sullivan as a child. While completing a B.A. in vocal and piano performance at Macalester College, Janna also majored in German studies, fostering a keen interest in Lieder, which has been one of Janna's performance specialties ever since.
Currently returning to the Twin Cities after a year-long fellowship in Vienna, Austria, Janna is completing a doctoral degree at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where she holds a Master's degree and studied with voice faculty chair Dr. Robert McIver. In addition to numerous recitals at Eastman, Janna appeared in Eastman opera scenes as Euridice in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, and Sophie from Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, under the direction of Steven Daigle and opera coach Benton Hess. She also pursued an interest in early music at Eastman, studying baroque performance with Paul O'Dette and Christel Thielmann, and singing chamber music with Eastman baroque ensembles.
As a native and frequent visitor of the Twin Cities, Janna has appeared as a soloist with the Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra, on the Schubert Club's Courtroom Concerts series, with the Mosquito Chorale, and with the Macalester Orchestra and Festival Chorale. She has collaborated with Macalester faculty members Christine Dahl, Mark Mazullo, and Don Betts in art song recitals, and, continuing her involvement with "G&S," has appeared as a soloist with the Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Co., performing in The Pirates of Penzance and H. M. S. Pinafore. An intra- and international performer, Janna has also appeared in concerts in Rochester, NY and Vienna, recently performing Chinese art songs as part of a Taiwanese music festival directed by Dr. Shih-Hsing Chang and appearing at Eastman's inaugural Women in Music Festival singing works by Lili Boulanger.
Teaching Biography
Janna began teaching voice in 2000, after completing a B.A. in vocal and piano performance at Macalester College and following five years as a successful piano teacher. After entering the graduate studies program at the Eastman School of Music, Janna had the opportunity to add extensive theoretical and practical knowledge to her background as a music pedagog. As a student at Eastman, she was fortunate in being able to study with one of the foremost experts in vocal pedagogy, voice faculty chair Dr. Robert McIver, himself a former student of the legendary teacher Richard Miller. Janna has also greatly benefitted from study with a diverse range of other distinguished voice teachers and coaches, including: Pamela Mildenhall (formerly at the Mozarteum in Salzburg), Emma Small, Marguerite Hedges, Russell Miller, and Benton Hess.
Through the rigorous course work at Eastman, Janna gained broad knowledge in the fields of musicology and music theory. Her studies were also greatly enriched by the frequent masterclasses and composer symposia held at Eastman, which brought her into close contact with such notable artists as: Benita Valente, Julianne Baird, Renée Fleming, Dominick Argento, and Krzysztov Penderecki. In addition to these guests, bi-weekly masterclasses held by Dr. McIver for his studio gave Janna the opportunity to receive and hear regular critique of a wide range of voice types and abilities. Janna's own teaching methodology follows the bel canto techniques of her mentors without imposing pre-conceived notions of a particular "sound" on the individual voices she encounters, but rather allowing them to find their own sound while developing a healthy technique.
