Miranda Nilan is a mezzo-soprano and first-year master’s student in Vocal Performance at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Originally from Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, she holds a Bachelor of Music Education from West Chester University’s Wells School of Music. At Jacobs, Miranda has appeared as La Maestra delle Novizie in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, Bradamante in Handel’s Alcina, and Cherubino in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. Miranda also participated in the 2025 workshop and premiere of the first act of Martin Hennessey’s new opera Swimming in the Dark, a collaboration between Jacobs and The Studios of Key West.

Miranda is passionate about early music, character-driven storytelling, and finding the humanity in every role she performs. She strives to make her characters relatable through vulnerability, sincerity, or humor, and is constantly seeking new ways to grow as a singer and actor. With a background in instrumental music, including flute and a minor in oboe, she deeply appreciates opera's orchestral side. She draws on the instrumental line to better understand her character’s emotional world, the overall feeling of a scene, and how to enhance the musical experience by connecting deeply with the music beyond the voice.

For Miranda, music is a lifelong journey of discovery and growth. She values the friendships and community built through collaboration, and aspires to build a career that blends professional performance with teaching and mentorship.