Jessica E. Jones
“Full of dazzling radiance, soprano Jessica E. Jones lit up the intimate space as virginal Lucia driven mad by unrequited love. She supplied her own thunder and sparks to Donizetti’s vocal fireworks.”-Houston Press. Ms. Jones is quickly establishing herself as a leading American soprano. Critics have praised Jones’ calling her “astonishing” “thrilling” “fabulous” in performances throughout the United States. She was district winner, audience favorite and regional finalist of the Metropolitan National Council Auditions.
A versatile artist, her repertoire spans from early music to contemporary opera. Her interpretation of bel canto and American opera have garnered much attention. Her bel canto roles include Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Elvira in L’italiana in Algeri, Desdemona in Rossini’s Otello, Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Corinna in Il Viaggio a Riems. As an interpreter of American Opera she has been in high demand. She will be in the world premiere of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs as Chrisann Brennan with Santa Fe Opera, has workshopped Roscoe by Evan Mack as Veronica with Opera Saratoga and has portrayed Lightfoot McLendon in Floyd’s Cold Sassy Tree, Lulu in Elmer Gantry, and Rosasharn in The Grapes of Wrath. Also in her repertoire are Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, The Governess in The Turn of the Screw, and Beatrice in Daniel Catán’s Il Postino, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, and Erste dame in Die Zauberflöte.
She has performed with Santa Fe Opera, Sarasota Opera, American Lyric Theater, Utah Opera, Utah Symphony, Opera Idaho, Opera Saratoga, Opera in the Heights, Sugar Creek Symphony & Song, and Crested Butte Music Festival. Upcoming engagements this season include The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs as Chrisann Brennan with Santa Fe Opera and Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice with Florida Grand Opera. Jones’ holds a master’s degree in performance from the Moores School of Music. She always gets asked how she decided to become an opera singer. Jones’ is a native of Pocatello, ID and comes from a musical family. Her mother is a pianist and one of her favorite memories growing up was listening to her play. She was the pianist for church and often sang with the church choir. Her grandmother also listened to classical music and she sang around the house all the time. Her father grew up playing the piano and is a talented poet. As a child she sang all the time; making up her own songs, singing in children’s choirs, then as a teen she became involved in community theater. She remembers performing in Bye, Bye, Birdie when she was about 12 or 13 and then Les Miserable when she was a bit older. Jones’ was very active in her high school choirs; madrigal choir, show choir, mixed choir, and her high school choir teacher was a big influence on her and her passion for music. She also started taking voice lessons when she was a sophomore in high school. Her voice teacher encouraged her to audition for the role of Barbarina in Le
nozze di Figaro being produced by a small company in a nearby town. She ended up getting the part and for a couple of months during the spring of her 15th birthday she drove herself 50 miles after school to rehearsals. When Jones’ started rehearsing Le nozze di Figaro she had never seen an opera. She absolutely fell in love with the music. She became infatuated with the singers and the beauty of their voices. She was fascinated by the behind the scenes process and decided that she wanted to be an opera singer during that production. Jones’ continued to study voice throughout high school and sang in many other musicals. She ended up going to the University of Houston to study with Katherine Ciesinski and went on to study with Cynthia Clayton and received a wonderful education at the Moores School of Music. Jones’ is so grateful to all the wonderful teachers, mentors, coaches, family members, friends and colleagues that have been with her on this journey.
