Shepherd School student takes national stage

Shepherd School student takes national stage
Jennifer Johnson to sing with the Met Orchestra

BY JESSICA STARK
Rice News Staff

Shepherd School of Music graduate student Jennifer Johnson will take the national stage Feb. 24 when she sings with the Met Orchestra conducted by Stephen Lord. The Metropolitan Opera selected Johnson as one of nine finalists to sing in the 2008 National Council Auditions Grand Finals Concert. More than 1,500 singers auditioned for a spot.

JENNIFER JOHNSON

The finalists, between the ages of 20 and 30 years old, will be competing for $15,000 in cash prizes and invitations to join the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. Given the reach of the auditions, the number of applicants and the long tradition associated with them, these auditions are considered the most prestigious in North America for singers seeking to launch an operatic career.

“This is a remarkable achievement for Jennifer,” said Richard Bado, professor and director of opera studies. “Industry leaders from around the world attend the finals, and it’s a great opportunity for her. And to top it off, she’ll have the chance to perform with one of the finest orchestras in the entire world on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera.”

Jennifer Johnson is a mezzo-soprano studying with Kathleen Kaun, professor of voice. TED WASHINGTON

Johnson is a mezzo-soprano studying with Kathleen Kaun, professor of voice. Johnson holds an Elva Kalb Dumas Prize in Music for outstanding achievement as a singer at the Shepherd School. For the 2006 and 2007 seasons, she performed with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis.

The Grand Finals Concert will be hosted by Patricia Racette, a leading soprano with the Met and a former auditions participant. The concert will also feature a special performance by 1992 National Council Grand Finals winner and Met mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung.

Past winners of the Met Auditions include many of today’s leading operatic artists, such as Renée Fleming, Hei-Kyung Hong, Deborah Voigt, Susan Graham, Dolora Zajick, Stephanie Blythe, Nathan Gunn, Ben Heppner, Thomas Hampson and Samuel Ramey. During a typical opera season, more than 100 alumni of the auditions sing in Met performances.