JACKSON — Meridian’s own Maryann Kyle will be among the cast in the Mississippi Opera’s season finale Puccini’s “Turandot,” the ancient story of a cold and bloodthirsty Chinese princess.

One of the largest Mississippi Opera has ever done, according to Opera officials, “Turandot” will be presented April 28 at 7:30 p.m. at Thalia Mara Hall, located at 225 E. Pascagoula St.

Kyle, a soprano, is cast as Liu in the production. Her first time in the role, she said she looks forward to the challenges it will bring.

“I love the process of singing in a new role because it challenges me vocally, musically and athletically. Singing isn’t for wimps!” she said.

And though the role will be somewhat unfamiliar to Kyle, she will be joined on stage by several familiar faces.

“I am blessed in this process in that I get to sing alongside several of my students who are covering and performing many of the leading and supporting roles in this opera,” she said. “There’s no better classroom for these singers than the stage and I’m thrilled to be able to take many of the lessons learned in the studio to the stage with them!”

In demand as one of the finest vocal coaches of belt, legit and classical vocal technique, Kyle has dedicated her professional life to guiding singers and teachers of singing in their pursuit not only of exceptional singing, but also captivating performance.

Kyle has extensive experience teaching, coaching, and performing opera, recitals, concerts and Broadway shows. She is the creator of Maryann Kyle’s “Command Performance Workshop,” which focuses on the integration of the voice into the total actor, as well as the creator and artistic director of the “Command Performance Broadway Intensive.”

Kyle is an active performer of opera, concert, and recital repertoire, and has shared the concert stage with some of the world’s greatest artists including internationally known mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, famed bass-baritone William Warfield, Patti Labelle, Dionne Warwick, Patti Austin, and Vesta Williams. Kyle’s show, Sondheim in the City premiered on Broadway at the legendary Laurie Beechman Theatre, and she premiered the title role in Daniel Lincoln’s new Broadway musical “Calixte” in 2014. Additionally, she sang her first Tosca with Mississippi Opera in 2015 and was also featured in “The World of Callas and Grace” in 2016.

Kyle is Director of Musical Theatre Voice at the International Performing Arts Institute (IPAI) in Germany and a Professor of Voice at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Puccini’s final masterpiece “Turandot” is recognized for containing some of the most spectacular music ever written, including the famous aria “Nessun dorma.” The production’s cast also includes Elizabeth Beers Kataria, soprano, as Princess Turandot; Todd Wilander, tenor, as Prince Calaf; Ezekiel Andrew, baritone, as King Timur; and Corey Trahan, tenor, as Emperor of China, Altoum.

Tickets for “Turandot” may be purchased online at msopera.org

The Mississippi Opera

The Mississippi Opera Association was founded in 1945, and its mission for the last 72 years has been to provide the community and state with the most dynamic musical stage productions possible. The Association is a founding member of the national OPERA America organization, the ninth oldest continuously operating opera company in the United States, and Mississippi’s only professional opera company.

Some of the remarkable, internationally known singers that have graced the Mississippi Opera stage are Beverly Sills, Monserrat Caballe, Robert Merrill, James McCracken, Roberta Peters, Jan Peerce, Richard Tucker, Normal Treigle, John Alexander, Renée Fleming and many others.

Beyond the opera’s main stage productions, activities include a variety of educational and community outreach programs. Each year, Mississippi Opera presents educational performances to students, as well as a variety of other performances for citizens of all ages, including musical theatre cabarets. The facility also offers annual opportunities to professors and students from every college and university in Mississippi to help them achieve their professional goals, including the annual Voices of Mississippi Competition, the only nationally advertised music competition in the state. This event is designed to recognize and award outstanding Mississippi-connected vocalists in both opera and musical theatre.

As art forms, opera and musical theatre are the most inclusive and diverse of the live performing arts. Operatic productions include spectacular singers, seasoned actors, great writers, fabulous orchestral music, intense drama, hilarious comedy, dazzling dances, beautiful costumes, artistically designed sets, imaginative lighting, and masterful stage direction, as well as a diverse and eager audience.