Concerto Competition
Fri
Dec
13
Rhoslyn Jones.
Courses Taught
Applied Lessons
Vocal Performance Lab
Education
AD, Curtis Institute
MM, University of British Columbia
BM, University of British Columbia
What is your hometown?
Aldergrove, BC, Canada
What is your favorite recording? Why?
Depends on the day and the weather and my mood. Mostly, I love divas who can really sing and perform. I love everything recorded by Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Pilar Lorengar, Leontyne Price, Rufus Wainwright, Patti LaBelle, Teresa Zylis-Gara, Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, Barbra Streisand, and of course the three great divas: Mariah, Whitney, and Céline. I love Christa Ludwig and Thomas Allen singing Mahler. I love Gabriela Benackova singing Jenufa. I love country music, gospel music, and rock & roll. Basically, I love listening to singers who rip my heart and soul out with their artistry.
What are you passionate about outside of music?
Naps, the spa, and foggy beach walks with my dog.
Who were your major teachers?
Marlena Malas, Nancy Hermiston, and Mikael Eliasen.
What is a favorite quote that you repeatedly tell students?
I asked my students and the popular answer was, “I really wish I was wrong, but I’m just not.”
What question do you wish students would ask sooner rather than later?
Can I build a life in music and be fulfilled? (The answer is yes)
What was the defining moment when you decided to pursue music as a career?
I knew early on that music was going to be central to my life and career, but my first year of college was important because I hated opera and was sitting in an opera repertoire class and my teacher played Act 2 of Tosca and I was forever changed, completely hooked, and totally in love.
If you weren't a musician or teacher, what do you think you would be doing now?
I would be married to a zillionaire and run my own animal rescue farm.
What is your daily practice routine?
I do my best practicing in the morning with coffee, yoga, good food, walking, singing something I love, listening to something I love, and kitchen table work on text and translations. Then more coffee.
If you could play only three composers for the rest of your life, who would they be?
Janacek, Puccini, and Strauss. Richard Strauss, natürlich.
What is your unrealized project?
I want to perform opera with my students and colleagues. I want to set an example of great artistry by actually doing the thing I’m training them for alongside them. I want it to be with orchestra, and I want it in a real theater, and I want industry professionals to direct, conduct, and coach the students.
Where can we hear recordings of you?
Described as a “superb singer and artistic presence,” Rhoslyn Jones has established herself as an important presence on the operatic and concert stages of the world. Equally at home on the stage and in the teaching studio, Rhoslyn is the newly appointed voice teacher for the San Francisco Opera Adler Fellows. She is also on the faculty of the San Francisco Opera Merola Program and the Chautauqua Institute in New York state.
Career highlights include multiple roles at San Francisco Opera including covering Tosca in their new production of Puccini’s masterpiece, Manon Lescaut, Madame Lidoine in Dialogues of the Carmelites, and Strauss’ Elektra where Ms. Jones stood out as the “compassionate Fifth Maidservant, singing in a shimmering, ringing soprano.” As Musetta in La Boheme at both Arizona Opera and Pittsburgh Opera, “her true genius vocally came through in the final scene when she reunites the near-death Mimi with Rodolfo. Her voice was powerful and nuanced, particularly in the upper register, but it was the sheer humanity she brought to the scene that earned her the audience’s resounding applause.”
Other roles include Tatyana in Eugene Onegin at Vancouver Opera, Mimi in La Boheme at Pacific Opera Victoria, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni at Chicago Opera Theater, and the title role in Floyd’s Susannah at Arizona Opera. A busy concert singer, Ms. Jones has also appeared with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, American Philharmonic, Anchorage Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, New York City Ballet Orchestra, Philadelphia Pops Orchestra, Sacramento Orchestra, Santa Rosa Symphony, Silicon Valley Symphony, and Vancouver Symphony.
Other teaching highlights include the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity: Opera in the 21st Century, voice faculty at The University of British Columbia, Director of the UBC Summer Vocal Workshop, Sonoma State voice faculty, and the Co-founder of the Bay Area Vocal Academy.
Ms. Jones attended the famed Curtis Institute of Music where she received her Diploma in Opera Performance. She received her Master of Music and Bachelor of Music at The University of British Columbia. She attended the Steans Institute at the Ravinia Festival, and was chosen to attend the Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera twice before being selected for a coveted spot in the Adler Fellowship.
Performances with Rhoslyn Jones
View Performance Calendar