Danielle McKay is a lyric coloratura soprano, voice teacher, and educator based in Washington, D.C. Praised for her “stunning high notes that resound and float delicately in her upper register” (DC Metro Theater Arts), she is equally at home in opera, concert, musical theater, and contemporary repertoire.
Danielle has performed with Washington National Opera, including appearances in The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs and Aida, and returns to WNO for Madama Butterfly in the 2026–27 season. She is also a company member of Alliance for New Music-Theatre, where she originated the role of Kiki/The Mannequin in the world premiere of Caesar and the Mannequin. Her operatic credits also include Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Laurie Moss in The Tender Land, Adina in L'elisir d'amore, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Laetitia in The Old Maid and the Thief, Madame Pompous in Too Many Sopranos, Laurette in Bizet’s Le Docteur Miracle, two roles in Speed Dating Tonight!, and the Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel. She has also recorded the Violetta–Germont duet from La traviata with bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi.
As a concert soloist, Danielle has performed repertoire including Górecki’s Symphony No. 3, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem, and Respighi’s Laud to the Nativity, broadcast on EWTN. Her musical theater credits include Jeanie in Hair, directed by Tony Award winner André De Shields, as well as three seasons with Artpark & Company in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, All Shook Up, and Fame.
An equally passionate educator, Danielle serves on the voice faculty of The Catholic University of America. For four years, she was a Vocal Technique Instructor at Washington, D.C.’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts, where she also directed the Sophisticated Ladies vocal ensemble and worked with young singers preparing for conservatory and university study, auditions, recitals, and performances. Her students have continued their studies at leading colleges, universities, and conservatories throughout the country.
Danielle has also taught Yoga for Performers with the Bel Canto in Tuscany program in Greve in Chianti, Italy, integrating movement, breath, and body awareness into the training of young singers. A certified yoga instructor, she brings an interdisciplinary understanding of movement and the body to her work with singers and performers.
Danielle earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance from The Catholic University of America, where she studied with Sharon Christman and received the Daughters of the American Revolution Scholarship and Lucia Braddock Graduate Voice Scholarship. She holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Memphis, where she studied with Mary Wilson, and a Bachelor of Music Education from SUNY Buffalo State.
Outside of performing and teaching, Danielle enjoys writing music, dancing, spending time outdoors, and the company of her tuxedo cat, Ellington.
Booking Availability
Danielle is available for:
Opera and operetta
New music
Orchestral and choral concert soloist engagements
Recitals
Chamber concerts
Special events
