Soprano Katie Dukes Walker embraces the present-day relevance and excitement of classical music. As an educator, performer, and entrepreneur, she believes the future of the creative arts lies within engaging new audiences in innovative and accessible ways; the power of community engagement, interdisciplinary arts, and arts leadership lie at the core of her artistic output. In addition to her ten years in arts administration and executive leadership in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors with Amity Trio, Studio Forza, and Chamber Music Campania, Dukes Walker has performed throughout the United States and internationally in Italy, Austria, and Belgium.

Recently appointed the Director of the Arts Leadership and Business Program (ALBS) and the Interdisciplinary Arts Program (BAIA) at UNM, Dukes Walker also teaches courses in the Arts Leadership and Business Program including Business Planning for the Arts, Financial Management for Artists, ALBS Internship, and Nonprofit Arts Administration. She serves on six UNM committees including the Dean’s Leadership Grande Committee, the College of Fine Arts Curriculum Committee, the Assessment Committee, the College of Fine Arts McRae Senior Prize Committee, the UNM Community Engagement Committee, and serves as chair of the Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts Committee. Since 2019, as a part of Amity Trio, Dukes Walker has been co-awarded artistic and production grant support totaling over $100,000; having a savvy entrepreneurial spirit to procure artistic support and funding is essential to sustainable interdisciplinary art, and it is part of her mission to share this knowledge and experience with her students.

As a singer of diverse chamber music and opera, Dukes Walker has brought music to new audiences on the international and national stage through Opera Southwest, Reimagining Opera for Kids, Intimate Opera of Indianapolis, chamber performances with the Fiati Five wind quintet, the Kaemper Music Series, Carrizozo Music, and the Amity Trio, of which she is a founding member. In 2022, Amity Trio released their debut album Between Us Now and is slated to release their second album, Border Crossings, in 2025, which includes commissioned works by composers Nur Slim (Oliverso) and Dr. Francisco Cortés Álvarez (Delicioso Hongo). Spearheaded by Dukes Walker, Amity Trio also developed and recorded a film adaptation of composer Nur Slim’s bilingual children’s opera Lucrecia y el canto de los dudasarios, which will be released in one-minute interstitials on the PBS affiliate station WTIU this coming year. Dukes Walker holds a degree in vocal performance from the University of Northern Colorado and San José State University. She currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico.