Jessica Rivera (born 1974) is an American
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...
of Peruvian-American ancestry.
Life and career
Rivera is a 1996 graduate of
Pepperdine University, and earned her Master of Music degree in 1998 from the
University of Southern California's
Flora L. Thornton School of Music. In the summer of 2001 she attended the
Music Academy of the West summer conservatory program.
Rivera's early work included singing in the chorus of
Los Angeles Opera
The Los Angeles Opera is an American opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth-largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center.
Leadersh ...
(LA Opera).
Rivera has become particularly known for her performances of the music of contemporary composers, such as
John Adams and
Osvaldo Golijov. At LA Opera, she sang the role of Anastasia in the 2003 world premiere of
Deborah Drattell
Deborah Drattell (born 1954) is an American composer. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and started her career in music as a violinist. Her compositions have been performed by the New York Philharmonic, Orchestra of St. Luke's, the Tanglewood a ...
's opera ''Nicholas and Alexandra''. Her
Santa Fe Opera debut in 2005 was as Nuria in the revised edition of Golijov's ''
Ainadamar''. She sang on the subsequent
Deutsche Grammophon recording of the opera.
Rivera has sung the European premiere of Kitty Oppenheimer in ''
Doctor Atomic'' after Adams had rewritten and expanded the role from mezzo-soprano to soprano voice. She continued the role at
Lyric Opera of Chicago, in 2007 and was the understudy for the 2008 production at the
Metropolitan Opera. She has sung several parts and roles in John Adams' works, including the soprano part in ''
El Niño'', and the role of Kumudha in ''
A Flowering Tree
''A Flowering Tree'' is an opera in two acts composed by John Adams with libretto by Adams and Peter Sellars, and commissioned by the New Crowned Hope Festival in Vienna, the San Francisco Symphony, the Barbican Centre in London, the Lincoln Cente ...
'' in the
Peter Sellars production at the New Crowned Hope Festival in
Vienna.
In 2012 Rivera has sung the solo role in the world premiere of
Gabriela Lena Frank's ''Holy Sisters'' with the
San Francisco Girls Chorus The San Francisco Girls Chorus, established in 1978 by Elizabeth Appling and celebrating its 40th anniversary during the 2018-2019 Season, is a leading regional center for music education and performance for young women, ages 4–18, based in San Fr ...
and the
Berkeley Symphony under the baton of
Edwin Outwater
Edwin Maurice Outwater (born 12 April 1971) is an American conductor from Santa Monica, California.
About
From September 2007 until 2017, he served as the music director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in Ontario, Canada.
From 2001 to 200 ...
.
She is currently a Professor of Voice at Miami University.
References
External links
Official Jessica Rivera websiteIMG Artists agency biography of Jessica RiveraWalt Disney Concert Hall/Hollywood Bowl biography of Jessica Rivera
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivera, Jessica
1974 births
American sopranos
Living people
Pepperdine University alumni
USC Thornton School of Music alumni
Grammy Award winners
21st-century American singers
21st-century American women singers
Music Academy of the West alumni