Opera Singer. A mezzo soprano who earned praise the world over, she is probably best remembered for her career at the Metropolitan Opera. Raised in rural Iowa, she graduated from Morningside College and from Indiana University's famed Jacobs School of Music prior to starting a professional career which encompassed both opera and oratorio. Kris bowed at the Metropolitan Opera in 1994 with a comprimario role in Benjamin Britten's "Death in Venice", then had her first major hit there as Ascanio from Hector Berlioz' "Benvenuto Cellini". She joined New York City Opera in 1998, bowed at Covent Garden as Dorabella from Mozart's "Cosi fan Tutte", sang at the Met a total of 108 times, and was heard at the San Francisco Opera, La Scala Milano, the Paris Opera, Brussels' La Monnaie, the Hamburg State Opera, the Bavarian State Opera, and elsewhere, her signature piece being Octavian from Richard Strauss' "Der Rosenkavalier". Among Kris' other roles were Sesto of Mozart's "La Clemenza di Tito", Nicklausse in Jacques Offenbach's "The Tales of Hoffmann", Mere Marie from Poulenc's "Dialogues of the Carmelites", The Composer in Strauss' "Ariadne auf Naxos", Charlotte of Massenet's "Werther", Mercedes in Bizet's "Carmen", Idamante from Mozart's "Idomeneo", Siebel in Gounod's "Faust", and Cherubino from Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro". Kris participated in the 2003 Cincinnati world premiere of Franz Liszt's forgotten oratorio "St. Stanislaus" and also made a name for herself in modern works, portraying Sister Helen Prejean during the 2000 San Francisco Opera initial run of Jake Heggie's "Dead Man Walking" and taking the role of Kitty Oppenheimer for the October 1, 2005 San Francisco Opera world premiere of John Adams' "Doctor Atomic". Ill with cancer over her final eight years, she kept singing as long as she was able; at her demise she left a rather thin 'official' recorded legacy, though there are numerous 'pirates' and archived Met broadcasts.