Noted for the richness of her voice, beautiful phrasing and clear, focused sound, mezzo-soprano Kira McGirr is a dynamic and versatile vocalist, equally at home as a soloist and collaborator. Specializing in 19th century vocal/orchestral works, and in works for contralto, her repertoire spans from the Baroque to contemporary cutting-edge compositions, from oratorio to art song and chamber works.
photo credit: Jennifer Manna
Highlights for the 2025/26 season include solo debuts with the Lexington Bach Festival (Bach’s Magnificat), Cleveland Chamber Symphony (Letters of Correspondence by Richard Strout), Heights Chamber Orchestra (Raspberry Island Dreaming by Libby Larsen), Cleveland Women’s Orchestra (Sea Pictures by Edward Elgar), Musical Theater Project (Nettie in Carousel), Western Reserve Chorale (Oratorio de Noël by Camille Saint-Saëns), solo vocal performances of the music of Margaret Brouwer, return solo engagements with Cleveland Repertory Orchestra (From the Diary of Anne Frank by Michael Tilson Thomas), Choral Arts Cleveland (Lord Nelson Mass by Joseph Haydn), Perrysburg Symphony Orchestra (Patriotic Pops), and ensemble reengagements with Apollo’s Fire Baroque Orchestra.
She is especially noted for her interpretation of Elgar’s Sea Pictures, “delivering a dramatic performance…inhabiting the lyrics and Elgar’s music in striking ways.” ClevelandClassical.com
Ms. McGirr has been featured as soloist in Elgar’s Seas Pictures; Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass; Handel’s Messiah; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Mass in C Major, Op. 86; Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, Hymn to St. Cecilia and Rejoice in the Lamb; Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes; and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms; JS Bach’s BWV 166; Corigliano’s Fern Hill, and C. Lambert’s The Rio Grande, among many other works. She premiered Mickey McGroarty’s Stray Birds with Choral Arts Cleveland in March 2025, and is actively engaged in premiering new works and performing contemporary repertoire.
She is a frequent soloist and member of Cleveland Chamber Choir. She is a soloist and section leader with Trinity Cathedral Choir, Cleveland. She regularly appears as part of Trinity Cathedral’s BrownBag Concert Series. Additional operatic experience includes Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte), and Giannetta (L’elisir d’amore), as well as a variety of opera choruses.
Ms. McGirr is the Executive Director of the Cleveland Chamber Choir. She holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Oberlin College & Conservatory of Music.