Soprano Jessica Jones is acclaimed for the beauty of her voice and her superb musicianship with America's leading opera companies and orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Ms. Jones recently made her Chicago Symphony debut under Lorin Maazel in Aaron Kernis's Simple Songs, which she later sang with the New York Philharmonic under Maestro Maazel on a program featuring Mahler's Second Symphony. She debuted with the San Francisco Symphony in Britten's Les Illuminations under Yan-Pascal Tortelier and returned to the Baltimore Symphony for Zemlinsky's Lyric Symphony under Emmanuel Krivine. She debuted with the San Diego Symphony in Strauss's Four Last Songs and returned to the Houston Ballet in Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder. She also performed with the Netherlands Philharmonic on the Concertgebouw stage in a concert of opera arias. She began the current season with her debut at the Lanaudiere Festival in a program of Dvorak songs, and she will appear with the Alabama Symphony in Mahler's Fourth Symphony.

During the 2005/6 season, Jessica Jones makes her debut at Tulsa Opera in her first performances of Marguerite in Gounod's Faust. She also makes her debut with Seattle Opera reprising her acclaimed Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutte. Her operatic season concludes with a return to Houston Grand Opera as Micaela in Carmen conducted by Sebastian Lang-Lessing.

Jessica Jones began an association with the Marilyn Horne Foundation with her New York recital debut at the Kosciusko Foundation in March 2004. During the 2004/5 season, she appeared in recital at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater under the auspices of the Vocal Arts Society and at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford through the Foundation. This relationship culminated in the Foundation's annual series of concerts at Weill Recital Hall in New York in January 2005.

Jessica Jones appeared at the Aspen Music Festival as Madame Lidoine in Dialogues of the Carmelites conducted by James Conlon and made her Utah Opera debut as Love Simpson in Carlisle Floyd's Cold Sassy Tree. Other appearances have included her debuts with the Baltimore Symphony with Jakov Kreizberg conducting, the New York Philharmonic under Christoph Eschenbach performing Duparc Songs, the Messiah with the Detroit Symphony and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Hollywood Bowl and the Pittsburgh Symphony under John Mauceri. For her debut with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, she sang Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 2 Lobgesang under Robert Spano. Her Carnegie Hall debut came with the New York Youth Symphony in music of Mozart and Richard Strauss. She collaborated with the New York City Ballet in a program of Strauss orchestral songs. She also returned to the Houston Symphony Orchestra for performances of Kodaly's Te Deum under Hans Graf and sang excerpts from Beethoven's Leonore conducted by McGegan with the Philharmonia Baroque.

Jessica Jones is a graduate of the Houston Grand Opera Studio. With Houston Grand Opera, she has sung Micaela in Carmen and Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte. Other roles there have included Myrtis in the world premiere of Carlisle Floyd's Cold Sassy Tree. She created the role of Natasha Rogozhinskaya in Tod Machover's Resurrection (now available on recording) and sang La Musica/Proserpina in Monteverdi's Orfeo and Mrs. Anderssen in Sondheim's A Little Night Music.

Jessica Jones sang Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with the Wolf Trap Festival Opera while appearing there in recital and in concert with the National Symphony Orchestra. Other engagements included the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro with Spokane Opera and Fiordiligi with Aspen Festival Opera.

Her roles at Curtis Institute of Music included Elettra in Idomeneo, the Female Chorus in Rape of Lucretia and the title role of Tchaikovsky's Iolanta. She also attended the New England Conservatory and the Juilliard School of Music.

Jessica Jones has been the recipient of numerous prizes, including a 2000 Sullivan Foundation Grant, First Place in the 1998 Jenny Lind Competition, which resulted in a recital tour of Sweden and the Opera Birmingham Competition the same year. She was the recipient of the Lotte Lehmann Fellowship at the Music Academy of the West and was also a participant in the Britten-Pears School in England, the ensemble of the Opera Theatre of St. Louis and the Steans Institute at the Ravinia Festival.

Date Last Edited: 31st August 2005

Not to be altered without permission. IMG Artists updates my biography regularly. Please destroy all previous biographical material. Please contact IMG Artists before reproducing this biography.

Upcoming:

During the 2005/6 season, Jessica Jones makes her debut at Tulsa Opera in her first performances of Marguerite in Gounod's Faust.
She also makes her debut with Seattle Opera reprising her acclaimed Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutte. Her operatic season concludes with a return to Houston Grand Opera as Micaela in Carmen conducted by Sebastian Lang-Lessing.
In 2007, Jessica will perform as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at Opera Pacific and appear with the Reading Symphony in Pennsylvania.

Click for full resolution -- credit Lisa Kohler

"Jones' bright, penetrating
soprano ranged far and wide..."

-- Chicago Sun Times

With Marilyn Horne

"Jones' gleaming soprano was an asset,
and she was able to invest the music
with the desired dramatic weight."

-- Contra Costa Times

Performing as Donna Anna

"Definitely merits
a second hearing."

-- Anne Midgette,
NY Times

Performing as Fiordiligi

"Jessica Jones has a fluent,
rich soprano that she employed
ably as Fiordilgi."

-- Seattle Post-Intelligencer