Dr. Mara Campbell serves as instructor of voice at Concordia College, where she teaches applied voice and voice class.
As a performer, Campbell has been praised for her interpretive skills and warm, rich sound. A versatile vocal artist, she is known for her emphasis on dramatic interpretation and text-driven performance. Her operatic work includes roles spanning Mozart and Britten, and her professional engagements include performances with Opera Tampa, Florida Lyric Opera, Spanish Lyric Theater, Straw Hat Players, and the Imperial Symphony Orchestra. Campbell is also active as a recitalist, soloist, and musical director. Upcoming engagements include the premiere of composer Dr. Kyle Vanderburg’s song cycle “Hallucinations,” as well as an inter-college composition collaboration with Concordia and North Dakota State University.
Campbell is also active as a researcher, focusing on the recovery and performance of overlooked composers, found materials, and Yiddish art song. Her projects include championing the work of forgotten composers such as Hugo Daffner, interdisciplinary archival research related to early 20th-century writers, and a sustained focus on Yiddish art song. With Dr. Adam Goldwyn, she was awarded the NDSU Bison Arts and Humanities Award for “Singing the Holocaust: Performing the Non-Survivor Poetry of Yitzhak Katznelson, Leyb Rosental, and Hannah Szenes.” She was recently appointed Faculty Fellow for Mentoring Initiatives at Concordia, reflecting her investment in mentorship, community-building, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Prior to her time at Concordia, she spent five years teaching in the Tri-College University system. In 2024, she was awarded the NDSU College of Arts and Sciences Service Learning Fellowship for a musical theatre ensemble course connecting rural and underserved communities with music outreach.
A native of Florida, Campbell earned a Bachelor of Music in voice performance from Florida Southern College, where she studied with renowned mezzo-soprano Beverly Wolff. She completed her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in voice performance at North Dakota State University, where she was the first vocalist to be awarded the Challey School of Music Doctoral Fellowship.
Outside of work, she enjoys time with her family and pets, reading, and vintage fashion.
