Jasmin, “the extraordinary contralto…equally remarkable in all repertoire with a fascinating presence” (Le Soir), is capturing the attention and adoration of the international opera scene. Reflecting on their triumphant Queen Sonja Competition Final performances [of “Weiche, Wotan, weiche!” from Wagner’s Das Rheingold and “Hence, Iris, hence away” from Handel’s Semele], VRT News writes, “contralto Jasmin White, the crowd favourite…gave many listeners goosebumps and even tears in their eyes. They use their deep, warm voice in a versatile way and have a mesmerizing stage presence and charisma. …White has it all. You could hear a pin drop in the hall.” Opera Wire agrees, stating that, “we have been looking for a winner who has the complete package and no other singer managed that feat with the same commitment as White did. …fierce and poised in both pieces, their powerful voice cutting clearly into the hall with clarity of sound and diction.”
White is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, hailing from Grand Ronde, Oregon. They are a recent graduate of Juilliard’s Artist Diploma in Opera Studies programme and hold a Master of Music in Voice from Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Bachelor of Music in Vocal Arts from the University of Southern California.
In addition to their success at the Queen Sonja Competition, recent honours include the Second and audience awarded Musiq3 Prize winner of the 2023 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels and the Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation.
In the 2023/24 season, White returns to the premier Opernstudio at Volksoper Wien, where roles include Mary in Der fliegende Holländer, Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte, Martha in The Gospel According to the Other Mary, and Frau Reich in Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor. Additional season highlights include their debut at the Dutch National Opera as The Historian in the world premiere of Elle Reid’s The Shell Trial; concerts throughout South Korea as part of the Queen Elisabeth Competition Winners Recital Tour; performing as the contralto soloist in John Adams’ El Niño with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; and a tour with American Modern Opera Company.
Highlights of the 2022/23 season include White’s debuts at Teatro dell’opera di Roma as Erste Geist in Schumann’s Manfred and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in A Musical Portrait: Price and Bonds, as part of the Rock My Soul festival at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Previous debuts of note include Porgy and Bess with The Metropolitan Opera, Dryad in Ariadne auf Naxos with Lakes Area Music Festival, and Kate in The Pirates of Penzance and the cover of Jane in Castor and Patience with Cincinnati Opera.
Watch Jasmin White’s Winning 2023 Queen Sonja Singing Competition performances of “Weiche, Wotan, weiche!” from Wagner’s Das Rheingold and “Hence, Iris, hence away” from Handel’s Semele
