Danielle Rohr always seemed to know her place in this world was center stage.

But as a teenager in a small, central Kansas town located more than 1,400 miles from either coast, she never thought it was possible.

But today, the mezzo-soprano performs on the stage of the Theater Koblenz in Koblenz, Germany, entertaining countless European opera devotees each season.

In the Beginning

While she would be in her 20s before choosing her profession, Rohr was a student at Ellsworth High School when she realized her true calling.

“I knew from the time I was about 23 that I wanted to be an opera singer,” she said.“I must give (music instructors) Keri Boley, Susan Keith, Marc Webster and Ken Hakoda much credit — we put on some amazing highschool musicals, and that is when I realized that I wanted to be a performer. Growing up in Ellsworth, I just never believed that it was something I could actually do.”

Not wanting to waste any time, Rohr began chasing her dream after graduating from EHS in 2003. She went on to earn academic honors while pursuing her Bachelor of Science degree at William Jewell College and a master’s degree from Wichita State University. During this time, she sang in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Così fan tutte, Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges, Weill’s Street Scene, the title role in Annie Get Your Gun, and also performed as a soloist in several other productions.

Her intensive undergraduate and graduate musical training not only garnered her honors and praise, but the attention of other highly regarded opera singers — many of whom she’s had the chance to work with.

The Life of a Performer

Today, she’s in her fourth season, or theatrical year, in Germany, with plans to stay there indefinitely. Despite spending much of her life in the United States, Rohr said there wasn’t much of a learning curve to living overseas and adapted quickly.

“Adjusting to life in Europe was not necessarily shocking, because before moving to Germany, I often worked here for periods of one to two months or vacationed in Europe,” she said. “I did have to learn German very quickly and took a language immersion course to help speed up the process. Luckily, opera singers generally have a knack and curiosity for languages, so the process was not overly painful.”

Her European colleagues were also warm and welcoming, she said, and being an American was certainly no setback. But being young seemed to be.

“I did feel like I had to prove myself regarding my age and being so young — at the start everyone somehow saw me as this youthful, inexperienced, sweet girl from Kansas — but after a couple months, I definitely demonstrated I could hold my ground.”

As a performer, much of her time is spent preparing for the next performance. Rehearsals can last up to 10 hours a day, including weekends, depending on how immediate a premiere might be.

“The reality of being an opera singer is about 10 percent performing onstage, and 90 (percent) performing preparation,” she said. “... And that does not include the constant preparation I do in my free time, which encompasses constant vocal technique training, foreign language work, character analysis and memorization.”

When she has the opportunity, Rohr still tries working in a lesson with her vocal instructor, Stephen Smith, of Northwestern University in Chicago.

“Whenever I get the chance — albeit it not often — I try to have a voice lesson with him, and he helps me sort out any vocal issues I may be dealing with,” she said.

With so many miles between Rohr and the rest of her family in Ellsworth, Wichita and Hays, she isn’t able to come home often, maybe once every one to two years. But this spring, Rohr appeared as a featured alto during The Messiah Festival of the Arts at Bethany College in Lindsborg.

“... It was an absolute pleasure being back in Kansas for the Messiah Festival,” she said. “I was able to connect with so many friends, previous and new colleagues, and family, of course. It was a sincere honor to be part of this beautiful tradition.”

Rohr opened the 2018-19 season with Theater Koblenz, making her debut in the title role of Rossini’s La Cenerentola. Critics have described her Rossini as “charming, graceful and effortless, with pearly, running coloratura.”

Internationally, Rohr was a featured soloist with the revered Philharmonie Baden-Baden in Switzerland, and also throughout Mexico in a series of Händel concerts, Concierto Barrocco. At Teatro de los Héroes in Chihuahua, Mexico, and Teatro Ramón Lopez Velarde in Zacatecas, Mexico, Rohr was seen as Dorabella in Così fan tutte. With the Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik in Innsbruck, Austria, she sang Second Witch in Dido and Aeneas.

“I have already accomplished more in my career than I ever imagined possible,” she said. “I think every opera singer’s dream is to end up at the Metropolitan Opera one day, but I always told myself as long as I could live solely from singing, then I will have reached my goal. So, I am very content with what I have achieved — nevertheless constantly striving to reach one step further.”