Soprano Mikaela Schneider began voice lessons at age 9 and within 4 years she was singing professionally.  On her 13th birthday, she sang as the Child Soloist in the world premiere of Ryan Carter’s Quando consurgam with Present Music Ensemble of Milwaukee under the direction of Kevin Stalheim.  One week later, Mikaela made her solo debut with the Milwaukee Symphony as the Child Soloist in Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms conducted by Andréas Delfs.

   

At age 15, Mikaela returned to the Milwaukee Symphony as the Soprano Soloist performing Schubert’s Ave Maria for their Holiday Pops concerts under the baton of the late Marvin Hamlisch.  Her performance was reviewed by Tom Strini of Third Coast Digest as “beautifully supported singing, impeccable pitch, perfectly placed ornaments, lovely legato and interpretive modesty made for a performance of irresistible purity and clarity.”  Shortly after she turned 16, Mikaela sang as the Soprano Soloist in Schubert’s Ave Maria again under Marvin Hamlisch – this time with the Dallas Symphony and the National Symphony at the John F. Kennedy Center Concert Hall.​

​

Two years later, Mikaela sang her first opera role with Florentine Opera as Emmie in Britten’s Albert Herring as well as making her debut with Skylight Music Theatre as a Nun Postulant and Trio Member in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music.

​

​Mikaela received her Vocal Performance degree from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.  While studying at IU, Mikaela performed the roles of First Spirit in Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Sister Catherine in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking.  On the IU concert stage, Mikaela sang as a Soprano Soloist in Bach’s Magnificat with the University Singers under the direction of Betsy Burleigh.  She also sang the role of Elizabeth in scenes from Ron Grainer’s rarely heard musical Robert and Elizabeth in an opera chorus concert directed by Walter Huff.

​

​Following her degree at IU, Mikaela made her solo debut at Carnegie Hall singing Adele in Strauss II's Die Fledermaus with New York Lyric Opera Theatre and performing the role of La Fée in a concert version of Massenet’s Cendrillon at the National Opera Center.  She sang as the Soprano Soloist in Handel's Messiah with the Kokomo Symphony.  She also made her debut with Milwaukee Opera Theatre as Zora in Svadba-Wedding, a Serbian a capella opera composed by Ana Sokolović. 

 

Mikaela sang as Soprano Soloist in a chamber concert at the Handel Week Festival in Oak Park, IL.  She also made her debut with DuPage Opera Theatre as Adele in Strauss II's Die Fledermaus conducted by Kirk Muspratt as well as appearing as Guest Soloist with the New Philharmonic in their Lakeside Pavilion summer concert.

 

Most recently in 2024, Mikaela was the First Prize winner in the Professional Vocal Artist Group of the American Virtuoso International Music Competition and subsequently performed in the Winners Recital at Carnegie Hall in January 2025.