JACOPERA

Happy Mothers’s Day! 💕💜💕💜

When we think of our Mothers and how much they mean to us, one piece in particular comes to mind, Songs my mother taught me, from Dvorák’s Gypsy Songs cycle. This song is not only about a passing of tradition from mother to child, but a reverie of the innocence of our youth and the purity of a mothers love…

Below it is performed by Dame Joan Sutherland in English…

Happy Teacher Appreciation Day!

JACOPERA wants to send warm wishes of gratitude to all of the music educators out there!  Without the patience, tenacity, dedication, and support we’ve all received from our teachers, mentors, and professors none of us would be the artists we are today.  It takes a special person to be an educator, and with the title comes a lifelong dedication to art and its importance in society.  We encourage…

Χριστός ἀνέστη, Христос воскрес, and Happy Easter to those who celebrated yesterday!

Today, in honor of Easter in the Greek Orthodox religion, we will honor a certain Greek diva you may have heard of for our first ever #MariaCrushMonday, instead of our usual #SingerCrushSunday.  Maria Callas was a fearless diva who broke the mold of what an artist could and should be.  Her legacy as an artist,…

We have a JACOPERA birthday today!  The “J” in JACOPERA, our mezzo-soprano, and our “IT” department, is celebrating her birthday!! Ana and I are sorry we can’t be with you, but we KNOW you are having a posh celebration as you frolic around Milan.  One year older, another year being fabulous and a DIVA.  I’m currently at a family gathering in Massachusetts, thinking of you while I sip Chardonnay…

Part of being an artist is the occupational hazard of having frequent self-doubt, and constantly feeling like you and your talents aren’t enough.  This can be good only if it motivates you to keep going, work smarter, and achieve that ultimate goal.  Most of the time though, (or at least from what I’ve observed) we tend to get into these waves of emotional angst, and thoughts creep in that make…

Sunday Dollar Bills!

Make that twenty dollar bills, y’all. The banknote that Harriet Tubman, a former slave in the American Civil War era, will be fronting.  It is an huge milestone that our country is paying homage to an important historical figure who was a catalyst in the fight against slavery and happened to be quite a fierce woman, a Diva, one with characteristics that we honor.

Okay, but…

Aïda For A Good Cause

Hey everyone come check out this production of Aïda I will be singing in with Lyric Artists of New York Thursday April 21 and Saturday April 23.

Proceeds go to refugee charities, MSF/Doctors Without Borders, and SAMS Foundation!

You can buy tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/verdis-aida-lyric-artists-of-new-york-benefit-for-refugee-charities-tickets-24074117333?aff=eac2

Hope to see you…

Sunday Fun-day! 

While Christina is enjoying the the warm sun in Miami, Ana is holding down the political front in Brooklyn, and little me (the “J” in JACOPERA) just finished trekking through Fuorisalone in Milan, we agreed that today’s feature goes to Deborah Voigt — or as she prefers, Debbie.

This modern Diva got her start on the West Coast (California, my home-state), and she debuted in…

I know I said I would update after the competition…but obviously that was a lie.  Instead of giving you an update, I went shopping.  I’m really sorry about that, but I’m heading to Fort Lauderdale/Miami this weekend for a little vacation and needed new adorable, colorful, beachy clothes (when you live in NYC, your entire wardrobe is black).

Anyway, I woke up Saturday excited to sing in this…

Sunday Sweetness!

We would like to feature a well-loved Romanian soprano and our teacher from the Mediterranean Opera Studio (MOS), the brilliant and beautiful, Nelly Miriciou.  The moment each of us (Christina, Carolyn, Kara, Jennie, and in fact every other participant of MOS) met her we found the sentiment to be the exact same: “Nelly is Ah-MAZING!”We felt like her best friend, long-time…

So, today’s Singer Crush Sunday is short and sweet because of the electrifying excitement from the success of our diva this week (check out Kara Smoot, here).

We had to, just had to, feature two greats: the soprano Montserrat Caballé and mezzo-soprano Marylin Horne singing the Barcarolle from Les contes d‘Hoffman, “Belle nuit ô nuit d’amour” by Jacques Offenbach. In this concert…

JACOPERA needs to give a shout-out to Kara Smoot, a soprano and dear friend who just made her professional operatic debut!

Kara, Jennie, and Christina all met at the Mediterranean Opera Studio in 2014 in Sicily. Christina was walking through the Catania airport and spotted a brunette sitting alone studying her music, obviously a fellow diva. Christina went up to Kara and said,”MOS?” Kara looked…

Easter Bunny Sunday!

So on this happy day, we thought hard and quick about what Easter Sunday means to us.  Of course, the character of Santuzza in her duet with Turriddu when she wishes him to have a “bad Easter” in Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticate comes first to mind.  Why, might you ask does she do this?  It is in the heat of passion and rage that she accuses him of an affair with Lola and…

Yesterday Christina and I met up with accomplished composer and colleague of ours, Iván Enrique Rodríguez.  JACOPERA met Iván this past winter at a Hello Stage networking holiday event on the Upper East Side.  Hello Stage, founded by Bernhard Kerres, is the next big thing in classical music social media, and aims to connect classical musicians, ensembles, managers, promoters, and their fans.…

Happy Spring!

It’s Sunday, yes, but it is also the first day of the year that we get ready for flowers blooming, for love blossoming, and for new beginnings… and what place do we think of during this happy-glowing time, that embodies all of these very things?  Why, Paris, of course!

Je t’aime, mes amis!

It just so happens that our pick for this week is Juan Diego Flórez singing Tonio’s tempest…

Being an opera singer is hard work.

Learning the notes, rhythms, languages, working on technique, going to coachings, auditions, competitions, being disciplined, taking care of your voice … all while being vulnerable and released when it really matters, to connect with the audience while onstage and make them feel something.

It certainly seems impossible at times.  You spend so much time working…