Jonita Lattimore, soprano

Chicago-born soprano Jonita Lattimore made her Lyric Opera of Chicago debut in Kurt Weill’s The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, and was also seen on the Lyric’s stage as Micaëla in Carmen. She recently performed the role of Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro with Tulsa Opera, and debuted in the title role of the world premiere and recording of James Niblock’s Ruth at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Festival. With the Houston Grand Opera she appeared as Marguerite in Faust, the First Lady in Die Zauberflöte, as well as in the world premieres of Harvey Milk, The Book of the Tibetan Dead, and Jackie O (recorded on Decca). She made her Paris debut at the Bastille Opera as Serena in Porgy and Bess.

Recent oratorio and symphonic performances include the Dvorák Requiem with the N. O. Tonkunstler Orchestra of Vienna and the Brahms Requiem in her debut with the Northern Israel Symphony. Other performances include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (Albany Symphony), Britten’s Spring Symphony (Grant Park Music Festival), and Bernstein’s Songfest (Chicago Sinfonietta). She appeared at the Edinburgh Festival and debuted in Italy with the Orchestra della Toscana in concerts and radio performances. She is the soprano soloist in Robert Avalon’s Sextet de Julia de Burgos, recorded on Centaur.

An artist profile of Ms. Lattimore, entitled “Home Grown Diva”, was aired on WTTW-Chicago’s Public Broadcast System and she is featured on WTTW’s Opera Philes, a program of favorite opera arias and ensembles. She performed in the Dame Myra Hess Recital Series in Chicago, and at the box office opening for Ravinia’s 2000 season. In 2003 she performed Mozart’s Exsultate jubilate in a “Live at Ravinia” concert.

In the 2006-07 season, Ms. Lattimore sang Villa-Lobos’ “Three Songs” from Floresta do Amazonas with the Houston Symphony, a special Christmas concert tour in Lisbon with Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa, and Verdi’s Requiem with Helena Symphony.

A frequent recipient of awards, Ms. Lattimore has been honored by the Birgit Nilsson Competition, the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition, the Sullivan and George London Foundations, and Opera Index, Inc. She sang with NYFOS last season in Dvorák and the American Soul.