“A highlight of the concert was when pianist Kennedy shared her wonderful voice with us. Her performance of the iconic “Send In The Clowns” was stellar. The performance’s phrasing, ebb and flow, and oneness with the piano accompaniment was brilliant.”

– Joseph Rosato, Greater Hazleton Standard Speaker (“Simply Sondheim” Concert, Unbranded Theatricals)

“The lithe, regal and captivating Erin Kennedy’s scheming First Lady characterization is a delicious blend of icy hauteur and emotional volatility. Ms. Kennedy’s experience as an opera performer is evidenced by her soaring vocals and charismatic stage presence.”

— Theaterscene.org (A Stitch in Time, Theater for the New City)

Music director, singer, and pianist Erin Kennedy is passionate about creating joyful, accessible performances of both contemporary and classical music.

Her experience in opera, musical theater, and choral music as both music director and performer make her an artist with diverse interests who is at home in and behind the scenes of multiple genres.

UP NEXT

This month, Erin will appear at the Triad Theater accompanying Sydney Kamel in her “Broadway Divas” cabaret on March 29 at 6:30pm. Click here to read more and get tickets!

On May 2, Off-Brand Opera will perform their second annual [lab] concert at Brooklyn Art Haus, featuring up-and-coming composers and directors collaborating to produce fully-staged scenes of new work. Read more (or apply to get involved!) at here.

For several years, Erin has been a collaborator with Kimerer LaMothe and Geoffrey Gee on their new musical Nietzsche, a show that explores the life and legacy of one of the world’s most infamous philosophers. In 2025, Nietzsche is coming to NYC! Check back soon for information about an anticipated Fall 2025 production by Off-Brand Opera.

2024: A YEAR AT THE PIANO

In 2024, Erin was thrilled to assistant music direct under Greg Pliska for two concert readings at Red Bull Theater: The Two Gentlemen of Verona: The Rock Musical (starring Jin Ha, Taylor Iman Jones, and Jordan Donica) and The Tempest (starring Patrick Page and Reeve Carney). She also returned to Light Opera of New Jersey as the music director of this summer’s Seussical!

Erin has also been involved in the development of new works this year. In May 2024, she assisted music director Matt Deitchman in a 29-hour Equity Reading of A Most Dangerous Man, Chuck Morey and Greg Pliska’s new musical about Detroit union leader Walter Reuther. In October, she assisted Jake Landau on another 29-hour Equity Reading of his new musical Rosie, which tells the story of Rosie the Riveter’s struggle for the right to work in 1940s Brooklyn.

As Off-Brand Opera entered its fourth season this year, Erin continued in her role of Executive Producer. In January 2024, Erin music directed the company’s production of Jane Eyre. Later in the spring, she produced OBO’s first annual [lab] concert at Brooklyn Art Haus, offering up-and-coming composers an opportunity to workshop new compositions and have their work performed. OBO co-produced the aforementioned reading of Jake Landau’s Rosie this fall with Lauren Weinberger of LHW Productions. The company began 2025 with its first full-length opera: Don Giovanni, performed in English with an all-new libretto by Brendan Hartnett.

ABOUT ERIN

Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Erin has spent her life unable to stop making music and unable to stop organizing things. Growing up steeped in a rich choral tradition, she accompanied her first choir and began conducting at age 13, then founded her first vocal ensemble the year after.  At Williams College, she sang and studied conducting under Brad Wells, studied voice with Erin Casey, studied piano with Elizabeth Wright, and swam competitively under coach Steven Kuster. Erin graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Music with Highest Honors.

In NYC, Erin has embodied the life of a multi-hyphenate artist. As an actor and singer, she has appeared at Light Opera of New Jersey, Ridgewood Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, Theater for the New City, and the Narnia International Vocal Arts Festival—and has later returned to many of these organizations as a music director, pianist, and conductor. As a music director, she has also worked Off-Broadway with Red Bull Theater and the York Theater for concert engagements. Erin has collaborated on and performed in many cabarets in NYC, most notably working with Russell & Rose Productions to music direct, accompany, and create vocal arrangements for a series of shows at The Green Room 42.

In 2021, Erin founded Off-Brand Opera with a group of fellow interdisciplinary artists in search of a space to create “crossover” work that blurs the boundaries of genre, performance practice, and even artistic identity. Off-Brand Opera aims to offer artists opportunities to perform and create that may not be available to them elsewhere, with a large focus on new work, nontraditional casting, and an inclusive community. At OBO, Erin currently serves as Executive Producer; she has also music directed and performed in multiple productions and concerts with the company. Learn more about Off-Brand Opera and get involved at offbrandopera.org!

Erin is actively engaged as a music educator. She teaches a private studio of piano and voice students, and has also taught group classes with Neighborhood Playhouse youth programs and Iconos Kids. Erin lives in Washington Heights with her husband Tom.