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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 Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series; performances with 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 ���������ƽ��, where she oversees curricular activities and student affairs across the College’s Music, Interdisciplinary, and Theatre Conservatories. She joined the full-time faculty of CCPA in 2015 and achieved the rank of tenured Associate Professor of Opera in spring 2024. During her tenure, she has served as Program Director of Opera - leading undergraduate, graduate, and Professional Diploma curricula -and as Co-Chair of the Interdisciplinary Conservatory, overseeing budgetary, curricular, and personnel matters for programs including Composition, Musicianship, Music Education, Music History, Jazz and Contemporary Music, and Interdisciplinary Music. 

Alongside her administrative work, McGinnis maintains a sought-after vocal coaching studio. Her students regularly earn placements in leading graduate programs and elite professional training opportunities in the United States and abroad. 

Outside of academia, McGinnis has held internships and professional 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 she 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 in the Czech Republic bringing together young artists from around the world and culminating in performances at the historic Estates Theatre. She is a founding Board Member of Art Song Chicago (formerly Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago) and, as Director of Education, instituted an annual series of masterclasses and workshops, launched the organization’s tuition-free Vocal Chamber Music Fellowship, and spearheaded a formal partnership with ���������ƽ��’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 earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Accompanying and Chamber Music from the University of Michigan, where she studied with Martin Katz. She is a recipient of the 2017 Emerging Artist Award in Music from the SMTD Alumni Society Board of Governors, and in 2018 she and her fellow founders of Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago received the Christopher Kendall Award for collaboration, entrepreneurship, and community engagement. 

McGinnis resides in Chicago’s Printer’s Row neighborhood with her spouse, Michael Freilich, and their miniature poodle, Harpo.