Joanna Mongiardo, Soprano

Biography

The versatile soprano, Joanna Mongiardo, is quickly becoming a much sought after young talent in both the operatic and symphonic worlds. For her performance as Juliette with Madison Opera she received praise for having “a rich, vibrant voice that's full and powerful. She is what all sopranos should be." (The Capital Times 11/22/03)

The American born soprano of Italian, Greek and Armenian heritage makes her European debut in the 2004/5 season as Adele in Die Fledermaus at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall in Greece. Upcoming operatic performances also include return engagements with New York City Opera in their productions of Madama Butterfly, Carmen and Orlando and Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel with the Pine Mountain Music Festival. Ms. Mongiardo sings Carmina Burana in a repeat performance with the Detroit Symphony as well as with the Memphis Symphony. Other concert work includes Haydn’s Creation with the New Haven Symphony and Providence Singers, Mozart's Requiem and Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with St. Thomas Church in New York City, and a Three Divas concert with the Bellevue Philharmonic.

Ms. Mongiardo recently had tremendous success with her performances of Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro with both Portland Opera and Knoxville Opera. In addition, her 2003/4 season included Juliette in Romeo et Juliette with Madison Opera and Paquette in Candide with Opera Pacific. She made her New York operatic debut as Adina in L’elisir d’amore with the Caramoor Festival and recently returned to sing Amore in Gluck’s Paride ed Elena. Also in New York, Ms. Mongiardo has sung with New York City Opera in Il barbiere di Siviglia, the Mostly Mozart Festival in Così fan tutte, and with the Center for Contemporary Opera as Annabel Balch in the New York premiere of Stephen Paulus’ Summer. She has been a favorite of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera singing Adele in Die Fledermaus and First Lady in The Magic Flute. Ms. Mongiardo has also been seen as Maria in West Side Story, Valencienne in The Merry Widow, Kathy in The Student Prince, and Yum-Yum in The Mikado.

At Joanna Mongiardo’s Carnegie Hall debut in March of 2003 she sang Orff’s Carmina Burana and Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music with the Oratorio Society of New York. Carmina Burana has quickly become Ms. Mongiardo’s signature piece, having performed the oratorio with the Detroit, Illinois, Lincoln, Chattanooga and Youngstown Symphonies as well as the New Hampshire Music Festival and National Chorale. Ms. Mongiardo made her American symphonic debut in concert with the Minnesota Orchestra, singing L’Enfant et les Sortileges and quickly returned to sing the world premiere of Marc-Andre Dalbavie’s song cycle, Troubadour. Other concert work has included performances of the Mozart Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Monteverdi’s Vespers, and Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass. Her 2003/4 season included an appearance with the San Diego Symphony in the California premiere of Julian Wachner’s Regina Coeli and Carlyle Sharpe’s Proud Music of the Storm, and with the Oregon Symphony in a concert of German Lieder.

In September 2005, Ms. Mongiardo joins Düsseldorf’s Deutsche Oper am Rhein, performing the roles of Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Blondchen in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Adele in Die Fledermaus and Gianetta in a new production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers.

A 2003 Sullivan Award Recipient, Joanna Mongiardo is a 2001 national semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She is also a winner of the Liederkranz Foundation Award, the Opera Index Voice Competition, and the Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Competition. A Wellesley, Massachusetts native, Ms. Mongiardo has a Masters Degree in music from Yale University.