Jessica Newman

Deemed “Opera Girl” by Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Pops, Boston-based mezzo soprano Jessica Newman is making a name for herself as a singing businesswoman, using her voice to advance equity in the arts. Recognized as a “committed” and “compelling” artist (Rochester City Newspaper), she was recently seen as the mezzo soloist with Calliope chorus and orchestra, performing “Träume” from Richard Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder. In February 2017, Jessica played Zosha in Out of Darkness (Heggie) with the Eastman Opera Theatre (EOT), a role she had the privilege of coaching with Heggie himself and librettist Gene Scheer. That same year, she won first place in the Great Composers Competition: Best Rossini Performance for her rendition of "Una voce poco fa" from Il Barbiere di Siviglia. With EOT, she also starred as Mezzo Soprano in the ensemble opera Hydrogen Jukebox (Glass), an avant-garde piece featuring the poetry of beatnik Allen Ginsberg, and appeared in the chorus of Our Town (Rorem) and Serse (Handel).

In April 2016 Jessica was the alto soloist in the Bach cantata Tönet, ihr Pauken! (BWV 214) at the Eastman School of Music. That same summer, she attended the German language and performance program Musiktheater Bavaria, where she appeared in opera scenes as Dritte Dame from Die Zauberflöte (Mozart), Frau Reich from Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor (Nicolai), and Cherubino from Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart). She also performed in opera scenes and aria concerts in Italy at the Italian language and opera program Si Parla, Si Canta.

In 2017, Jessica commenced a year-long position teaching English to international students and studying German at the University of Cologne. She currently serves as the Development Associate at ArtsEmerson, where she brings her passion for the arts, business, and global exchange to advance greater inclusivity for all cultures and colors in the theatre.

Jessica is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music with Highest Distinction, where she studied with acclaimed mezzo soprano Katherine Ciesinski. She will be attending the Yale School of Management in the Fall as a candidate for an MBA with a goal to one-day return to the arts nonprofit sector in a leadership capacity.