Taking a Second Look at American Soprano Jennifer Ann Wilson

"Dich teure halle"
Tannhäuser (Wagner)

"It was as recently as 2002 that Jennifer Wilson made her professional debut as Turandot with the Connecticut Opera but she has in the short intervening period already successfully established herself as one of the world’s leading dramatic sopranos. Following on the heels of her Connecticut success, Jennifer Wilson went on to debut with the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Helmwige/Die Walküre and make her first European appearance in the leading soprano role in Schulhoff's Die Flammen at Amsterdam's Concertgebouw conducted by Edo de Waart. In the 2003/2004 season, Jennifer made a short-notice debut at Houston’s Grand Opera, again as Turandot, which led The Houston Chronicle to declare her "A star in the making." In the 2005/2006 season at the Paris Chatelet, she made her European operatic debut in Bob Wilson’s production of Die Walküre, conducted by Christoph Eschenbach. In addition to further successful productions of Turandot for the Santa Fe Opera, Opera

"In questa reggia"
Turandot (Puccini)

Australia and at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall in Greece, Jennifer Wilson enjoyed a huge personal success with her first Brünnhilde/Die Götterdämmerung at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, also performing Helmwige, Gutrune and the Third Norn in their 2005 Ring Cycles. A house and role debut as Senta at the artist’s home house – Washington National Opera – followed, and last season saw successful further house debuts at Covent Garden (Turandot with Nicola Luisotti) and at Hamburg’s State Opera (Die Walküre with Simone Young). In the 2006/2007 season, Jennifer Wilson began a multi-season collaboration with Zubin Mehta, the Palau de les Arts, Valencia and the Teatro del Maggio Musicale in Florence as she embarked on new productions of Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung which culminated last season with her highly-acclaimed first complete Ring Cycle performances. “She sings with great sensitivity and tenderness. Wagner would have loved her." Also a versatile concert artist, Jennifer Wilson's extensive repertoire includes R Strauss’ Four Last Songs, Beethoven's Symphony No 9 and Verdi’s Requiem alongside less frequently performed works by composers such as Durufle', Haydn, Saint-Saëns and Vaughan-Williams. Last season saw her debut with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra/Kent Nagano firstly as Elisabeth in concert performances of Wagner’s Tannhäuser, returning for performances of Mahler’s Symphony No 8. A native of Fairfax, Virginia, Jennifer Wilson is the recipient of a major grant from the Olga Forrai

Scenes from the Valencia production of
Der Ring des Nibelungen (Wagner).

Foundation, as well as the 2003 Robert Lauch Memorial Grant from the Wagner Society of New York and the Liederkranz Foundation's Ethel Bleakley Daniels Award for Wagnerian Voices. She is the recipient of the Evelyn Lear and Thomas Stewart Emerging Singers Career Grant from the Wagner Society of Washington, with whom she has sung a number of concerts including major scenes from Lohengrin and the final scene from Siegfried. The current season includes Jennifer’s debut as Aida for Opera Australia, a role which she will repeat at Valencia’s Palau de les Arts under Lorin Maazel, Gutrune in the Los Angeles Opera’s new Ring Cycle with James Conlon, as well as concerts in New Orleans, Montreal and Tel Aviv. Future projects include Isolde with the Leipzig Opera and at the Hong Kong Festival, as well as debuts at the opera houses in Berlin, Munich, Vienna and Tokyo." [Source]

Read two wonderful interviews with the soprano here and here. Watch excerpts from Der Fliegende Holländer (Wagner) at Washington National Opera after the jump.

Teddy Tahu Rhodes Takes Part in Sydney Opera House Celebration

"In 1990, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds released a song that within 11 years was voted one of the Top 30 Best Australian Songs of the previous 75 years. That song was 'The Ship Song.' Now, Sydney Opera House has married this iconic song with the world’s most famous building to celebrate the artists, architecture and interiors that together make the House a part of Australia’s cultural fabric. Sydney Opera House CEO Richard Evans said, 'We set out to create a tribute to the House’s role in the global creative community – a love song to creativity if you wish. We wanted to give people everywhere the opportunity to experience the creative genius that makes this place tick, to get a taste of the artists, venues and other spaces that power the heart that beats beneath our soaring white sails.' Over 12 months, artists and companies performing at Sydney Opera House were asked to join in The Ship Song journey under the lead of award-winning music video director Paul Goldman and music director and arranger Elliott Wheeler. The stature of the artists and companies who agreed to voluntarily perform in 'The Ship Song' is a tribute to the House’s role in Australian performing arts. 'The Ship Song' features vocals by Neil Finn, Kev Carmody, Sarah Blasko, Angus and Julia Stone, Paul Kelly, Temper Trap, Martha Wainwright, Katie Noonan, Teddy Tahu Rhodes and Daniel Johns. The

Crooning for iconic architecture

singers are joined by the Sydney Symphony, Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Bell Shakespeare Company and the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Along with the music video, 'The Ship Song' also includes a fly-on-the-wall documentary by leading filmmaker Greg Appel about the making of the video including conversations with the artists about the passions that fire their creativity. The Ship Song was released globally on 26 July 2011 and shared across traditional and social media channels. The documentary, narrated by Guy Pearce, will screen on Foxtel." [Source]

For more information about the The Ship Song Project, including photos, history and interviews, click here.