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Jennifer Rivera has been rapidly earning recognition as a superb lyric mezzo soprano and both the New York Times and the New York Sun have greeted her as “someone to watch”. Awarded the 2002 Stanley Tausend Award for Outstanding Debut Artist from the New York City Opera, she has been heard in various roles with the company such as Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Lazuli in Chabrier’s L’Etoile, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Rosina in Barbiere di Siviglia, Meg in Little Women, and Mhrynne in Lysistrata. Her performances at City Opera have garnered her praise from the New York Times, who stated that she sang “marvelously” with “richness, ease, and exactness” (L’Etoile) and that she was “again delightful as the Stage Boy – all flailing limbs, and fresh, ready singing” (Hansel).
In the 2006 / 2007 season and beyond, Jennifer Rivera will reprise her acclaimed Hansel at New York City Opera, she will also return to Cincinnati Opera for Lazuli in L’Etoile, and will appear as Hansel with Opera Columbus. She will sing Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia for Florentine Opera in Milwaukee and with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and will perform Cherubino in Nozze di Figaro with Opera Hong Kong. Other future engagements include singing Sharon Falconer in the World Premiere of Elmer Gantry with Nashville Opera, returning to Opera Columbus for La Cenerentola, and singing Nerone in Agrippina at New York City Opera. Ms. Rivera will make her Italian debut in the spring of 2008 at the Teatro Regio di Torino as Sesto in La Clemenza di Tito, a role she will repeat with Opera di Bologna.
Rivera’s recent engagements include singing Dorabella in Cosi Fan Tutte with Kentucky Opera, Jo in Little Women with Lyric Opera Cleveland in 2004 (with composer Mark Adamo making his directorial debut), and again with Dayton Opera in 2005. Ms. Rivera made her South American debut in the title role of La Cenerentola with Opera di Colombia in Bogota in the summer of 2004, sang Meg in Little Women in Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan as part of the World Expo 2005, and was a finalist in the Placido Domingo World Opera Competition, performing in concert in Madrid under the Baton of Maestro Domingo.
Also in recent seasons, Ms. Rivera has been heard as Stephano in Romeo et Juliette with Madison Opera, Cherubino in Nozze di Figaro with Portland Opera, and Cincinnati Opera, and as the title role in La Cenerentola with Lake George Opera, Gold Coast Opera, and the Juilliard Opera Center. Other notable engagements of recent seasons include Achille in Handel’s Deidamia with the Caramoor Music Festival, Siebel in Faust in Cincinnati, Dorabella in Cosi with Eugene Opera, and Rosina in Barbiere with Dayton Opera.
Ms Rivera has also been presented in concert by many organizations. In 1996, she made her professional recital debut as part of the Emerging Young Artist Series at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. She spent three summers at the Music Academy of the West, where she met Marilyn Horne, who subsequently invited her to give a radio broadcast recital as part of the Marilyn Horne Foundation’s “On Wings of Song” recital series. The recital was aired on New York’s WQXR in November of 1999. Also with the Marilyn Horne Foundation, Ms Rivera has been heard in recital in Utica, New York and San Diego, CA. In 2000, Ms, Rivera joined Horne for a concert at Carnegie Hall.
Ms. Rivera has received many awards and honors over the years including full merit scholarships to both Boston University where she earned her Bachelors Degree and Juilliard where she earned her Masters Degree. She was the first place winner of the 2002 Eastern Regional Division for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, going on to compete as a National Semi-Finalist. The mezzo has also received awards from the George London Foundation Competition, the Opera Index Competition, the Gerda Lissner Foundation, the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation Competition, dn the Joyce Dutka Arts Foundation Competition. Upon exiting Juilliard, Ms. Rivera was awarded the Richard F. Gold Shoshana Foundation Career Grant.
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