Hailing from the California Bay Area, Akela Franklin (she/they) is a soprano, voice teacher/music educator, arts administrator, and an Alexander Technique teacher-in-training. As the Director of Education and Outreach for West End Lyric, Akela is excited to work on a team made up of fellow strong, talented women leaders and to welcome audiences from all over the Boston area through WEL’s partnership with the Mass Cultural Council’s EBT Card to Culture program.

Akela enjoys lending her agile full lyric voice to opera, musical theater, art song, and oratorio and other sacred music. They currently serve as the soprano section leader and soloist at Park Avenue Congregational Church in Arlington, performing solos from masterworks such as the Brahm’s Requiem, Verdi Requiem, and Masacagni’s Cavalleria rusticana. This season, Akela looks forward to appearing as Clarice in Caldara’s Il giuoco del Quadriglio and covering Suzel in Masacagni’s L’amico Fritz, both with West End Lyric. Past operatic roles include Quatrième Esprit and Surintendant des Plaisirs in Cendrillon, Ghita in Der Zwerg, Ottilie in The Finishing School, Alice in Le Comte Ory, and Second Witch in Dido & Aeneas.

Akela has been operating a vibrant private voice studio for over five years and currently serves on the voice faculty at Community Music Center of Boston (CMCB) and Brookline Music School. She also teaches classes with the Early Childhood/Elementary program at CMCB and serves as the Faculty Instructional Lead for both the voice and early childhood / elementary departments.

Akela holds a Master of Music (M.M.) from Longy School of Music of Bard College and a Bachelor of Music (B.M.) from University of Puget Sound, both in vocal performance. She is a student of Carol Mastrodomenico.

When not performing or teaching, Akela can be found obsessing over their cats, Éowyn and Bartleby.