Mezzo Soprano Jennifer Larmore's Vocal Fireworks to Light up Finney Chapel April 16

One of the world’s foremost opera and concert artists, mezzo soprano Jennifer Larmore will light up the Oberlin campus with her vocal fireworks Saturday, April 16, at 8 p.m. in Finney Chapel. As part of the Artist Recital Series, her performance replaces that of Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, who is recovering from a back injury.

Noted for an incredible range of flexibility, Larmore is well regarded for her interpretations of works in the Baroque, bel canto, and Romantic styles. She was awarded the Chevalier des arts et des letters by the French government in 2002. Her wide-ranging appearances throughout the world include performances with the Cleveland Orchestra under Christoph von Dohnányi.

Larmore’s performance will include works sung in English, French, and Italian by Quilter, Stanford, Elgar, Findlay, Mozart, Rossini, Debussy, Duke, Niles, Hundley, Ives, Heggie, Nin, Guastavino, Obradors, and Herbert. Pianist Antoine Palloc is her accompanist.

Reserved-seating tickets are still available and are $10 for students, $22 for seniors and those with an Oberlin I.D. (faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and area educators), and $26 for the general public. Tickets purchased at the door are an additional $3. Please call Oberlin’s Central Ticket Service at 440-775-8169 for more information.

On Sunday, April 16, the day after her performance, Larmore will conduct a master class for Conservatory students from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in Bibbins Hall, room 238.

In 1986, Larmore’s French debut as Sesto in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito began a career that has expanded to include Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti, and she is still adding to the list. She has appeared in every major opera city in the world, including Milan, New York, Paris, London, Berlin, Amsterdam, San Francisco, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Vienna, and more.

While singing the Olympic Hymn at the Closing Ceremonies of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, Larmore was viewed by millions around the world. Her discography of more than 48 recordings of opera, concert, and recital repertoire includes a Grammy-nominated CD of Handel and Mozart arias.

Larmore has appeared in her signature role “Rosina” from Il barbiere di Siviglia to extraordinary acclaim in Paris, Amsterdam, Bonn, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Bilbao, Milan, Vienna, and London. It was this role that she chose for her Metropolitan Opera début in 1995.

Larmore’s definitive recording of the title role in Giulio Cesare received the Gramophone Award for Best Baroque Opera of the Year. She loves early music and has performed and recorded the role of Ottavia from Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea in Bologna, Montpellier, and the Early Music Festival in Innsbruck, Austria.

Equally at home on the concert stage, Larmore’s wide-ranging repertory extends from Handel’s Messiah and Vivaldi’s Magnificat to Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Mahler’s Rückertlieder, which she has sung not only at the Vienna Musikverein with Riccardo Muti and the Vienna Philharmonic, but also at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.