Jennifer Larmore (born June 21, 1958) is an American

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

singer, particularly noted for her performances in

coloratura Coloratura ( , , ; , from ''colorata'', the past participle of the verb ''colorare'', 'to color') is a passage of music holding elaboration to a melody. The elaboration usually takes the form of runs, trills, wide leaps or other virtuoso ma ...

and

bel canto , )—with several similar constructions (, , , pronounced in English as )—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing, and whose definitions have often been misunderstood. ''Bel canto'' was not only seen as a vocal technique ...

roles which she has performed in the world's major opera houses.Slonimsky, Nicolas and Kuhn, Laura (2001
"Larmore, Jennifer"
'' Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians''. Retrieved online via

HighBeam Research HighBeam Research was a paid search engine and full text online archive owned by Gale, a subsidiary of Cengage, for thousands of newspapers, magazines, academic journals, newswires, trade magazines, and encyclopedias in English. It was headqua ...

17 November 2013. She was a professor at the Music College of Seoul National University from March 2021 to March 2024.In 2025 she sings “The Countess” in Pique Dame of Tchaikovsky at Teatro Reggio, Torino and at Berlin Deutsche Oper.

Life and career

Larmore was born in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. She attended Westminster Choir College in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

and trained with Robert McIver, John Bullock and Regina Resnik. In 1982, she attended the Music Academy of the West summer conservatory program. She made her professional debut in 1986, at Opéra de Nice in Mozart's '' La clemenza di Tito''. In 1988, she sang Rosina in Rossini's '' Il barbiere di Siviglia'' ( Jérôme Savary production in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

). She made her

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

debut as Romeo ( Bellini's ''

I Capuleti e i Montecchi ''I Capuleti e i Montecchi'' (''The Capulets and the Montagues'') is an Italian opera (''tragedia lirica'') in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini. The libretto by Felice Romani was a reworking of the story of ''Romeo and Juliet'' for an opera by Nicol ...

)'' in 1994 and her

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

debut as Rosina in ''Il barbiere di Siviglia'' in 1995. She went on to sing at the Met in '' La Cenerentola'' (Angelina), ''

Hansel and Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" (; ) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). Hansel and Gretel are siblings who are abandoned in a forest and fall into the hands of a witch ...

'' (Hansel), ''

Les Contes d'Hoffmann ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died in ...

'' (Giulietta), ''

Giulio Cesare ''Giulio Cesare in Egitto'' (; ; HWV 17), commonly known as , is a dramma per musica (''opera seria'') in three acts composed by George Frideric Handel for the Royal Academy of Music in 1724. The libretto was written by Nicola Francesco Haym ...

'' (title role), ''

L'italiana in Algeri ''L'italiana in Algeri'' (; ''The Italian Girl in Algiers'') is an operatic ''dramma giocoso'' in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Angelo Anelli, based on his earlier text set by Luigi Mosca. It premiered at the Teatro San ...

'' (Isabella), ''

Die Fledermaus ' (, ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874. Background The original literary source for ' was ...

'' (Prince Orlofsky), the world premiere of

Tobias Picker Tobias Picker (born July 18, 1954) is an American composer, pianist, and Conductor (music), conductor, noted for his orchestral works ''Old and Lost Rivers'', ''Keys To The City (orchestral work), Keys To The City'', and ''The Encantadas (orches ...

's '' An American Tragedy'' (Elizabeth Griffiths), and ''Hamlet'' (Gertrude). In 2012, Larmore began adding

dramatic soprano A dramatic soprano is a type of operatic soprano with a powerful, rich, emotive voice that can sing over, or cut through, a full orchestra. Thicker vocal folds in dramatic voices usually (but not always) mean less agility than lighter voices but a ...

roles to her repertoire, singing Lady Macbeth in Verdi's ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' at the

Grand Théâtre de Genève Grand Théâtre de Genève is an opera house in Geneva, Switzerland. As with many other opera houses, the Grand Théâtre de Genève is both a venue and an institution. The venue is a majestic building, towering over Place Neuve, officia ...

and Kostelnicka in Janáček's '' Jenufa'' at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. In 2013, she reprised the role Lady Macbeth for the celebrations of Verdi's bicentenary at the

Teatro Comunale di Bologna The Teatro Comunale di Bologna is an opera house in Bologna, Italy. Typically, it presents eight operas with six performances during its November to April season. While there had been various theatres presenting opera in Bologna since the early ...

and in Reggio Emilia. In 2013 she also starred in the world premiere of ''The Fall of Fukuyama'', a new opera by Gregoire Hetzel and Camille de Toledo. Larmore has won the 1994 Richard Tucker Award, a 1992 '' Gramophone'' award for ''Giulio Cesare'' on Harmonia Mundi in which she sang the title role, and the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for ''Hansel and Gretel''. She sang at the 1996 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in Atlanta and hosted a satellite radio show for two years called ''Backstage with Jennifer Larmore''. Also in 1996 she performed during a tribute to

Gene Roddenberry Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter and producer who created the science fiction series and fictional universe ''Star Trek.'' Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up ...

on the live TV special Star Trek 30 Years and Beyond. She received the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French Government in 2002.

Radio France Radio France () is the French national public radio broadcaster. Stations Radio France offers seven national networks: *France Inter — Radio France's "generalist media, generalist" station, featuring entertaining and informative talk mixed wi ...

(2013). ag
Biographie: Jennifer Larmore
. Retrieved 17 November 2013 . Her first book Una Voce -The Drama in Opera Onstage and Off was written to help singers make sense of life as freelance artists.

Recordings

In addition to Rosina in '' Il barbiere di Siviglia'', Larmore has recorded leading roles in ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

'', '' Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra'', '' La Cenerentola'', ''

'', '' Bianca e Falliero'', ''

'', '' La Sofonisba'', '' Orphée et Eurydice'', '' Zanetto'', ''

'', and ''

''. She has also appeared in supporting roles in ''

l'Incoronazione di Poppea ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'' (Stattkus-Verzeichnis, SV 308, ''The Coronation of Poppaea'') is an Italian List of operas by Claudio Monteverdi, opera by Claudio Monteverdi. It was Monteverdi's last opera, with a libretto by Giovanni Francesco Buse ...

'', '' Maria Stuarda'', '' Francesca di Foix'', '' Elvida'', '' Adelaide di Borgogna'', '' Il Signor Bruschino'', ''

Semiramide ''Semiramide'' () is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto by Gaetano Rossi is based on Voltaire's tragedy ''Sémiramis (tragedy), Semiramis'', which in turn was based on the legend of Semiramis of Assyria. The opera was first ...

'', ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had c ...

'', '' Carlo di Borgogna'', '' Alessandro nelle Indie'' and Offenbach's ''

Vert-Vert ''Vert-Vert'' is an opéra comique in three acts by Jacques Offenbach, with a libretto by Henri Meilhac and Charles Nuitter, first performed on 10 March 1869 at the Paris Opéra-Comique. Based on the 1734 poem « Vert-Vert ou les voyages du perro ...

''. Larmore appears as the mezzo-soprano soloist in recordings of Duruflé's ''

Requiem A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is ...

'', Mozart's '' Great Mass in C minor'', ''

Gurre-Lieder ' (''Songs of Gurre Castle, Gurre'') is a tripartite oratorio followed by a Melodrama, melodramatic epilogue for five vocal soloists, narrator, three choruses, and grand orchestra. The work, which is based on an early song cycle for soprano, te ...

'', '' El Amor Brujo'', and '' El sombrero de tres picos''. Her solo CDs are ''Where Shall I Fly'', ''Born in Atlanta'', ''Jennifer Larmore, A Portrait'', ''Call Me Mister'', ''Amore per Rossini'', ''Rossini Songs'', ''Royal Mezzo'', ''Jennifer Larmore, Great Operatic Arias'', ''Bravura Diva'', and ''My Native Land''. She appears on several DVDs, including ''Il barbiere di Siviglia'' ( Netherlands Opera), ''L'italiana in Algeri'' (

Paris Opera The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

), ''

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, a C ...

'' (

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

) and ''Jennifer Larmore in Recital'' (recorded live at the Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, New York).

Discography

* '' The Faces of Love - The Songs of Jake Heggie'', RCA, 1999

References

External links

*
Biography
on

IMG Artists IMG Artists is a performing arts management company. The company manages the careers of classical and contemporary artists, dance companies, film with orchestra presentations and shows and attractions as well as produce and manage tours and events ...

OperaNet interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Larmore, Jennifer Living people 1958 births American operatic mezzo-sopranos Westminster Choir College alumni Singers from Atlanta Richard Tucker Award winners Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Grammy Award winners Music Academy of the West alumni Cedille Records artists 21st-century American women