The American mezzo-soprano Jennifer Holloway studied at the University of Georgia with Dr. Gregory Broughton and at the Manhattan School of Music with Marlena Malas before springing to international prominence in 2006 when as an apprentice at the Santa Fe Opera she took over the leading role of Le Prince Charmant in Massenet’s Cendrillon opposite Joyce DiDonato in the title role. Her success led to invitations to appear in leading opera houses in both the United States of America and Europe.
Her repertory is concentrated on the major roles for lyric mezzo by Mozart and Handel including Dorabella in Così fan tutte (Dallas, Atlanta, Minneapolis, New York City Opera), Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (Dallas, Portland), Idamante in Idomeneo (Opéra National de Bordeaux) , Irene in Tamerlano (Teatro Real Madrid, Los Angeles Opera) and the title role in Serse (Pittsburgh). She made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera in New York in December 2010 as Flora in Willy Decker’s new production of La traviata and has also appeared at the Glyndebourne Festival in new productions of Hänsel und Gretel (Hänsel) and Falstaff (Meg Page), the Maggio Musicale in Florence, the Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse (Rameau’s Hyppolite et Aricie with Emmanuel Haïm), the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris and the Opera Theater of St Louis. Concert appearances include the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles (Mercedes in Carmen with Gustavo Dudamel) and she has also formed a strong partnership with Jean-Christophe Spinosi and his Ensemble Matheus in works by Rossini and Vivaldi.

Current  engagements include a return to the Opéra National de Bordeaux for Cherubino in a new production of Le nozze di Figaro directed by Laurent Laffargue, Rossini’s Stabat mater at the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago, Anne de Boleyne in Saint-Saëns’ rarely-performed Henri VIII at the Bard Music Festival and her first Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier at the Chautauqua Music Festival in New York State.
Engagements in 2012/13 include a return to Pittsburgh Opera to sing Elvira in Paul Curran’s new production of Don Giovanni, Tebaldo in Don Carlos at the Metropolian Opera, Dorabella at the New National Theatre of Tokyo and her debut with Washington National Opera as Magnolia in Francesca Zambello’s production of Show Boat.  Among the highlights of her concert work will be her first appearances with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra in a programme including Berlioz’s  Les Nuits d’été  and the world premiere of Frédéric Chaslin’s Love and a Question which he composed for her.

 

April 2012