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About Me

Pianist Shannon McGinnis has been recognized for her partnerships with some of the brightest stars in the classical vocal music world. Her playing has been described as “excellent” (Opera News), “strong and supportive” (Chicago Tribune), and “boldly projected, characterful, and delicately nuanced” (Chicago Classical Review). Recent season highlights include recitals with soprano Oliva Boen, under the auspices of the Dam Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series; Nicole Heaston and members of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, recorded at the Ravinia Festival's Bennett Gordon Hall and broadcast on WFMT; debuts with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and San Francisco Performances; and appearances with such notable artists as Joélle Harvey, Sarah Couden, Corinne Winters, Nicholas Phan, Douglas Williams, Karim Sulayman and Roderick Williams. 

McGinnis holds an administrative appointment as Associate Dean of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at ��ݴ�ý, where she oversees curricular activities in the College's Music, Interdisciplinary, and Theatre Conservatories. She joined the full-time faculty of CCPA 2015, achieving the rank of tenured Associate Professor of Opera in spring 2024. At various points during her time at CCPA she has served as Program Director of Opera, leading undergraduate and graduate opera curricula, as well as the Professional Diploma in Opera program, and as Co-Chair of the College's Interdisciplinary Conservatory, managing budgetary, curricular, and personnel matters for Composition, Musicianship, Music Education, Music History, Jazz and Contemporary Music, and Interdisciplinary Music Degrees.

During her tenure at CCPA, McGinnis has maintained a sought-after vocal coaching studio, from which her students go on to earn coveted spots in graduate schools and elite training programs in the United States and abroad.

Outside of academia, McGinnis has held internships and appointments with the Opera Company of Philadelphia, DePaul University Opera Theater, DuPage Opera, and Kentucky Opera. In 2015 she served as vocal coach and ensemble pianist for the world-premiere performances of Matthew AuCoin’s Second Nature, presented by Lyric Opera of Chicago and “Lyric Unlimited”, and has served as an official pianist for the Joyce DiDonato Master Classes at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute.

A passionate educator and mentor to young artists, McGinnis has served as head vocal coach for “Prague Summer Nights”, a four-week opera and orchestra festival based in the Czech Republic and comprised of young artists from across the globe, culminating in performances at the historic Estates Theatre. She is a founding Board Member of Art Song Chicago (formerly Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago) where, as Director of Education, she instituted an annual series of masterclasses and workshops, pioneered the organization's tuition-free Vocal Chamber Music Fellowship, and spearheaded a formal partnership with ��ݴ�ý's Chicago College of Performing Arts.

Prior to moving to Chicago in 2006, McGinnis held the position of Assistant Professor of Piano and Coordinator of Accompanying at Truman State University. She was awarded the Doctor of Musical Arts in Accompanying and Chamber Music from the University of Michigan, as a student of Martin Katz, and is a recipient of the 2017 Emerging Artist Award in Music, given by the School of Music Theatre and Dance Alumni Society Board of Governors. In 2018 she and her fellow founders of Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago were awarded the Christopher Kendall Award for collaboration and entrepreneurship and significant community engagement by the U of M School of Music Theatre and Dance Alumni Society.

McGinnis resides in the Printers Row neighborhood of Chicago with her spouse, Michael Freilich, and their miniature poodle, Harpo. She rides horses every week and spends Chicago winters dreaming of the mountains and beaches of her native North Carolina.