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The American mezzo-soprano, Jessica Newman, obtained her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance with Highest Distinction, from Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester (2013-2017), where she studied with acclaimed mezzo soprano Katherine Ciesinski. During the same period she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, Summa cum laude from University of Rochester. Since August 2020, she is attending the Yale School of Management in the Fall as a candidate for an MBA with a goal to one-day return to the arts nonprofit sector in a leadership capacity.
Deemed “Opera Girl” by Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, Jessica Newman is making a name for herself as a singing businesswoman, using her voice to advance equity in the arts. Recognized as a “committed” and “compelling” artist (Rochester City Newspaper), she was recently seen as the mezzo soloist with Calliope chorus and orchestra, performing “Träume” from Richard Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder. In February 2017, she played Zosha in Heggie's Out of Darkness with the Eastman Opera Theatre (EOT), a role she had the privilege of coaching with Heggie himself and librettist Gene Scheer. That same year, she won first place in the Great Composers Competition: Best Rossini Performance for her rendition of "Una voce poco fa" from Il Barbiere di Siviglia. With EOT, she also starred as Mezzo Soprano Glass' ensemble opera Hydrogen Jukebox (2015), an avant-garde piece featuring the poetry of beatnik Allen Ginsberg, and appeared in the chorus of Rorem's Our Town (2015) and George Frideric Handel's Serse (2014)
In April 2016 Jessica Newman was the alto soloist in the J.S. Bach's Cantata Tönet, ihr Pauken! (BWV 214) in the Eastman School of Music: Bach Cantata Series. That same summer, she attended the German language and performance program Musiktheater Bavaria, where she appeared in opera scenes as Dritte Dame from W.A. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Frau Reich from Nicolai's Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, and Cherubino from W.A. Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro. She also performed in opera scenes and aria concerts in in Urbania, Italy at the Italian language and opera program Si Parla, Si Canta (2014).
In 2016-2017, Jessica Newman served as Voice Teacher at Eastman School of Music, Vocal Pedagogy Course. In summer 2017, she taught voice at Voice Teacher, Belvoir Terrace in Lennox, Massachusetts. In 2017, she commenced a year-long position teaching English to international students and studying German at the University of Cologne. She currently serves as the Development Associate at ArtsEmerson, where she brings her passion for the arts, business, and global exchange to advance greater inclusivity for all cultures and colors in the theatre. She is currently lives in Sudbury, Massachusetts. |
