Great music ... nearby
Symphony Series 3
Friday February 6, 2026, 7:30 PM
MAHLER 4
(chamber version by Klaus Simon)
with
Kara McBain, soprano
Soprano Kara McBain is in the final stages of completing the Doctor of Music Arts degree at the University of North Texas. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, she earned her Bachelor of Music summa cum laude from Missouri State University in 2020 and completed her Master of Music at UNT in 2022, studying with Professor Carol Wilson. During her doctoral studies, she served as a teaching fellow in UNT’s Division of Vocal Studies and as a member of the voice faculty at Texas Woman’s University.
Kara’s association with the Lewisville Lake Symphony began with her February 2024 solo appearance in Pulcinella, followed by a solo recital on their chamber music series in March 2025. She is a frequent soloist with the Dallas Bach Society, most recently in Handel’s Messiah at the Meyerson Symphony Center. Other notable performances include Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass on the President’s Concert at Missouri State University and Brahms’ Requiem with the Dallas Symphony Chorus.
Kara was the first-place winner of the highly competitive 2021 Texoma NATS competition, a finalist in the 2021 Colorado Bach Ensemble Young Artist Competition, and received a top prize for “Best Handel Performance” in the Great Composers Competition. She debuted the role of Magda in Puccini’s La Rondine with Opera in the Ozarks and reprised the role with UNT Opera. Additional credits include La Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro, Mařenka in The Bartered Bride, and ‘Ma’ Zegner in Missy Mazzoli’s Proving Up. She was the soprano soloist in P.J. Mooney’s award-winning Requiem for a Poisoned Earth and was invited to the 2024 and 2025 Spoleto Festival USA.
In Fall 2025, Kara will join the Missouri State University voice faculty as Professional Artist in Residence.