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| Jessye Wright, mezzo-soprano. | |
b i o g r a p h y...........back to roster....up November 2007 Mezzo-soprano Jessye Wright is admired for her rich, colorful voice – a rare instrument with both brilliance and depth – as well as her impeccable musicianship and striking stage presence. She was among just four mezzos earning distinction as an "Upwardly Musical Artist on the Move" in Symphony magazine’s recent Guide to Emerging Artists. Miss Wright’s 2007 season began with a debut performance in Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall of Mozart’s Requiem with Maestro Martin Josman and the National Chorale. In 2008, Miss Wright joins Chattanooga Symphony and Opera as Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, followed by a solo performance in the International Advent Singing Festival in Vienna, Austria. Miss Wright will also travel to Washington D.C. in 2008 to appear in Capital Opera Theater’s gala concert with Maestro Giovanni Reggioli and internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano, Ms. Frederica von Stade.In the 2005-2006 season, Miss Wright received rave reviews for her portrayal of the title role in Carmen at Ravinia Music Festival with Opera Theatre North. Later that year, Jessye was heard as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Chattanooga Opera, and as Meg Page in Verdi’s Falstaff with New Jersey Opera Theatre. Other recent operatic performances for Miss Wright include Third Lady in Magic Flute with Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, and Pitti-Sing in The Mikado with Nashville Opera. In March of 2004, Miss Wright made her Carnegie Hall debut in a performance featuring solos from the Messiah with Maestro Jonathan Griffith and MidAmerica Productions. That same year, Jessye made her European debut as a featured alto soloist in the Festival Internazionale di Musica in Tuscany, Italy. Subsequent concert performances for Miss Wright include Verdi’s Requiem with Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, and Beethoven’s Ninth with Illinois Philharmonic and Mobile Symphony. A past national semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions, Miss Wright received the Ardis Krainik Memorial Prize in Voice from Chicago’s National Bel Canto Foundation, and won 2nd place in the 2005 International Classical Singer Competition.
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r e v i e w s...........back to roster....up Carmen—Ravinia Music Festival "No matter what kind of Carmen is staged, a credible production must have a good singing actress in the title role and Opera North must be congratulated for casting Ms. Jessye Wright as Bizet’s tempestuous gypsy siren. Musically she was outstanding. Her voluptuous mezzo is powerful and even in all registers, just the perfect instrument for this very demanding role. Ms. Wright’s dramatic interpretation was definitely...as steamy as any Carmen you can imagine." Fra Noi Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra—Opera Gala Concert “Mezzo-soprano Jessye Wright took command of the stage from the first second of her entrance. Her voice was magnificent. She was vocally and physically involved in the ‘Habañera.’ It was well-projected and acted…The high point of the evening was the duet from Delibes' ‘Lakme.’ The blend and artistry of Tappan and Wright was transcendent. Everything in this performance was just right…Wright's rich liquid tone and beautiful vocal lines made Saint-Saens' ‘Mon Coeur’ seem fresh and vital.” Saginaw News Noel Coward’s “Bittersweet—Light Opera Works “Jessye Wright brings great panache to her role as the worldly wise chanteuse…” Chicago Sun-Times
“Act two finds…Manon (the fabulous Jessye Wright) the sexy lead singer at the café. Wright steals the show with her ‘If Love Were All,’ ‘Bonne Nuit, Merci” and ‘Kiss Me.’” Chicago Critic
“Mezzo-soprano Jessye Wright gave Manon, the French chanteuse, a bravura performance and her solo ‘If Love Were All’ had just the right touch of ruefulness.” Pioneer Press
“The real discovery is Jessye Wright who as the worldly wise chanteuse Manon takes both ‘If Love Were All’ and the glorious ‘Kiss Me’ aria to her own special heights. She steals the second act just as Musetta does the same one in ‘La Boheme.’” Chicago Free Press Rigoletto—L’Opera Piccola “Jessye Wright made an alluring Maddalena …” Chicago Tribune Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony—Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra “Full orchestral statement gave way to the first imploring vocal passages...to be echoed, enhanced and developed by...outstanding soloist, Jessye Wright.” Chattanooga Times-Free Press Chattanooga Times-Free Press
Handel’s Messiah – Rock Island, IL “Mezzo-soprano Jessye Wright sang ‘He shall feed his flock’ with feeling, and her ‘Oh death where is they sting?’ duet … was nicely balanced. … [and] she does have a rich trill.” The Argus
Into the Woods – Hillsdale, MI “For me the star of the show was Jessye Wright, in the role of the witch, both with her power and when she loses her power. She grew in her role right up to the end … when she is center stage. A character role such as the witch takes a little something special, and she has it. We are certain to see her again.” Hillsdale Daily News Il barbieri di Siviglia—L’Opera Piccola “…Mezzo Jessye Wright, a superb professional whom I thought was the best dramatic performer…, [sang] a dazzling performance of “Una voce poco fa,” Fra Noi Die Fledermaus – Hillsdale, MI “And as for Wright, she brought an entirely new dimension to the production…she was working deftly throughout to round her scenes out to perfection. She commanded the stage with every work and gesture, and her voice, a vibrant mezzo-soprano, deepened the impression she made.” Hillsdale Collegian
L’Enfant et les Sorltileges – Chicago Cultural Center “Baritone James Martin and mezzo Jessye Wright made a fine couple of R-rated cats.” Chicago Sun-Times
“The best comic moments came courtesy of James Martin and Jessye Wright as two amorous felines, realized with a relish that Halle Berry would have admired.” Chicago Tribune
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