Mezzo-soprano Natalie Creel is currently pursuing her Master of Music degree from Rice University in the studio of Professor Nova Thomas. She graduated with her Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts degrees from Louisiana State University, studying with Professor Dennis Jesse. She graduated with College Honors from the LSU Roger Hadfield Odgen Honors College and was selected as LSU’s Presser Scholar for 2025. To complete the College Honors requirements, she presented her capstone lecture recital of Nathaniel Stookey’s monodrama Ivonne entitled Ivonne: Analyzing Depictions of Female Characters in Opera. She has performed numerous roles with the Turner-Fischer Center for Opera, including the title role of Baba in The Medium, the Old Woman in Candide, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, La Poncia in La Casa de Bernarda Alba, L’Hôtesse de la Maison in Paris, à Nous Deux, and Nettie (cover) in Carousel. She has also performed in Chicago Summer Opera’s production of Menotti’s The Consul, as both The Secretary and Vera Boronel. She recently made her professional debut with Opéra Louisiane in Mark Adamo’s Becoming Santa Claus as Ib the Elf. This summer, she was featured as a Lehrer Studio Artist at the prestigious Music Academy of the West. Natalie has performed for masterclasses with world-renown artists such as Lisette Oropesa, Sasha Cooke, Stephen Wadsworth, David Cangelosi, and Hila Plitmann. Her performances have been awarded by various competitions and scholarships, including the Marjorie Stricklin Emerging Artist Competition, where she was the Vocal Division Winner in 2025, the Music Club of Baton Rouge, where she was awarded the Marshall Peery Vocal Scholarship for the 2024-2025 year, the Musical Teachers National Association Young Artist Competition, where she was a national finalist for 2025, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing Southern Regional Conference, where she won first in 4th year Classical Voice and the Governor’s Award for 2024. In addition to performing, Natalie enjoys working in opera production, having stage-managed LSU’s productions of L’elisir d’amore, Carousel, and A Little Night Music. This fall, she will be performing as Dritte Dame in the Shepherd School’s concert version of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte.