J'Nai Bridges

J'Nai Bridges
Born (1987-02-06) February 6, 1987
Occupation Opera singer (mezzo-soprano)
Years active 2015–present
Website jnaibridgesmezzo.com

J'Nai Bridges (born February 6, 1987) is an American mezzo-soprano.[1][2] She is known for representing the United States at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 2015.[3][4]

Early life and education

A native of Lakewood, Washington, Bridges grew up singing gospel in the church choir.[5] She was headed for a career as a basketball player, when she discovered classical singing, and turned down several college athletic scholarships to study music instead.[6]

Bridges obtained her Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance from the Manhattan School of Music and Master of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music.[7] In 2015, J'Nai completed a three-year residency with the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, an artist-development program at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.[1]

Career

Bridges made her professional debut in 2015 when she premiered the role of Carmen in the new opera Bel Canto by composer Jimmy López and playwright Nilo Cruz with the Lyric Opera of Chicago.[8]

Bridges made her European debut in 2017 as Bersi in Andrea Chénier at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich.[9] Also in 2017, Bridges performed in the world premiere of Girls of the Golden West, by composer John Adams with San Francisco Opera.[10] She sings at opera houses such as the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Los Angeles Opera (e.g. Akhnaten, 2016), the Bavarian State Opera, and Opernhaus Zürich among others.[11][12]

On the concert stage, Bridges has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at the Hollywood Bowl in 2017[13] and with the BBC Symphony Orchestra for the Bernstein centennial celebrations in 2018.[14] She has also performed Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with Christoph Eschenbach at National Symphony Orchestra[15] and with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under the baton of Esa-Pekka Salonen.[16]

Awards and recognition

References

  1. 1 2 Meyer, Graham (10 April 2015). "J'nai Bridges Is Conquering the Opera World". chicagomag.com. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  2. 1 2 Kragen, Pam (9 April 2016). "Friends team up for Madama Butterfly". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  3. ↑ "2015, Main Prize, Round 3". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  4. ↑ "BBC Cardiff Singer of the World: 20 finalists unveiled". bbc.com. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  5. ↑ Opera News Desk (3 March 2015). "Mezzo-soprano J'nai Bridges to Compete for BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, 6/14". broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  6. ↑ Claudia Escobar; Chloe Veltman (6 October 2016). "The rising opera star who traded layups for librettos". pbs.org. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  7. ↑ Miner, Erica (6 October 2016). "BWW Interview: J'nai Bridges Morphs from Sports to Suzuki in SDO Butterfly". broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  8. ↑ Tommasini, Anthony (8 December 2015). "Review: Bel Canto Opera Arrives at an Unsettling Time". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  9. ↑ Grimmel, Werner M. (14 March 2017). "Andrea Chénier am Münchner Nationaltheater". Schwäbische Zeitung (in German). Ravensburg. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  10. ↑ Winn, Steven (9 November 2017). "Cast finds gold in Girls of the Golden West". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  11. ↑ "The rising opera star who traded layups for librettos". pbs.org. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  12. ↑ Gerosa, Tobias (28 May 2018). "Opernhaus Zürich: Als hätte der Regisseur alle Ideen irgendwie zusammengemischt". Neue Luzerner Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  13. ↑ Swed, Mark (14 July 2017). "Dudamel and Beethoven — and Vin Scully — for the common man". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  14. ↑ Hewett, Ivan (30 January 2018). "The Escher String Quartet makes Shostakovich blaze at the Wigmore Hall, plus the rest of January's classical concerts". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  15. ↑ Anne, Midgette (15 June 2017). "At the end of his tenure, the NSO's Eschenbach delivers a performance to remember". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  16. ↑ "Next generation's opera virtuosos come to Beaver Creek". vaildaily.com. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  17. ↑ BWW News Desk (30 March 2012). "J'Nai Bridges Named Kennedy Center's 2012 Marian Anderson Award Recipient". broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  18. ↑ Rhein, John von (3 April 2016). "Lyric singers receive Tucker Foundation awards". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  19. ↑ Salazar, Francisco (15 September 2017). "J'Nai Bridges Wins Sphinx Medal Of Excellence". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
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