KRISTINA RIEGLE
Mezzo-Soprano
AEA | AGMA
ABOUT KRISTINA
Photo: Judd Johnson Photography
Recognized as an "exciting and engaging actor and singer" with performances praised for their "nuance" and "depth," mezzo-soprano Kristina Riegle brings a compelling blend of vocal mastery and dramatic intensity to the stage. Kristina seamlessly navigates between the operatic canon and musical theatre, from Strauss to Sondheim. Her credits display a vast range of character and vocal prowess - from the fiery Mercédès in Carmen (Boston Opera Collaborative and Opera Camerata of Washington) and the charming Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro to the comedic Dorothée in Cendrillon (Resonance Works) and the sophisticated Desirée Armfeldt in A Little Night Music (Boston Opera Collaborative and The Encore Musical Theatre).
Kristina’s 2025-2026 season begins portraying Jocasta in Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King with Renaissance City Repertory Theatre. She returns to Detroit Opera as Econowife and Girl in Poul Ruders’ opera The Handmaid’s Tale.
A passionate advocate for developing new works, Kristina has been a driving force in many World Premieres. Her performance as Alice* in the rolling world premiere of Audrey Cefaly’s play Alabaster with Williamston Theatre earned her the Wilde Award for Best Supporting Actress in a play, while her “prodigious vocals” and “bravura performance” of Madeline Usher in The Fall of the House of Usher: A New Musical by Sarah Fox and Molly Smith with Pallas Theatre Collective garnered recognition by DCTheatre Scene as Best Actress in a Musical. Additional premiere
performances include the role of Thetis in Michael Oberhauser and Terrance Johns’ opera A Fire in Water (Silver Finch Arts Collective/Capital Fringe Festival) and Virtue 3 in Christopher Theofanidis’ Virtue with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. In the rehearsal room she has collaborated in development workshops with acclaimed creators such as Charles Leipart and Richard Evans on Enchanted April, A Musical Romance (Francesca), Lawrence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin’s musical Huzzah! (Ensemble), Michael Oberhauser’s opera Lear (Regan/Cornwall), Meron Langsner and Silvia Graziano’s opera libretto The Marquis de Sade’s ‘Justine’ (Monsieur de Bressac), and Dan Shore’s opera Lady Orchid (Susan).
Kristina holds a Master of Music from The Boston Conservatory, dual bachelor’s degrees in music and biology and an Artist Certificate in Vocal Performance from College of Charleston. This intellectual curiosity extends to her work as a voice teacher; she is a certificate holder from the CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute and the owner of Riegle Voice Studio. She has taught at Wayne State University and Rochester University and is an active member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), and National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).
Based in the Detroit Metro area, Kristina is a dedicated conservationist and activist. When she is not performing, Kristina enjoys adventuring outdoors with her Australian Shepherd, Oslo, and getting lost in meditation while hand painting mandalas. Her unique multidisciplinary background fosters a holistic approach to the stage. This perspective makes her a "nuanced" singing actor, deeply committed to bringing complex, multi-dimensional characters to life in collaboration with other artists to share incredible stories with audiences around the globe.