Biography
Noted for her "effortlessly produced, rich voice" (Opera News), American soprano Jill Gardner is swiftly establishing herself among today's leading operatic heroines. This "powerhouse soprano" (Syracuse New Times) continues to garner national praise for her "sparkling personality" (Coral Gables Gazette), her "lustrous, golden soprano and riveting stage presence" (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle) and for "her commitment, passion and ability to convey vocally the slightest nuance of emotion, making for gripping theater" (Opera News).
Over the past two seasons, the young soprano marked her Lyric Opera of Chicago debut performing Nedda in I Pagliacci and covering Mimi in La Bohème, her Florida Grand Opera debut as Musetta in La Bohème, her Boston Lyric Opera debut as Mimi in La Bohème, her Madison Opera debut as Marguerite in Faust, her Hawaii Opera Theater debut as Countess Charlotte Malcolm in Sondheim's A Little Night Music as well as performing the role of Margaret Johnson in the first opera house performances of The Light in the Piazza at Piedmont Opera.
In the 2009-2010 season, Ms. Gardner made her Kennedy Center Debut with the Washington Chorus, under the baton of Julian Wachner, in a concert called The Essential Puccini as well as her debut with the Tower Arts Series of Dallas' Highland Park United Methodist Church as soprano soloist in Verdi's Requiem. She also made returns to Hawaii Opera Theater as Helmwige in Die Walküre, Syracuse Symphony Orchestra as soprano soloist in Beethoven's 9th Symphony and Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music and Piedmont Opera as Liù in concert performances of Turandot.
For the upcoming 2010-2011 season, Ms. Gardner makes her celebrated return to Boston Lyric Opera in the title role of Tosca as well as making her company debuts with Arizona Opera in the role of Liù in Turandot, Opera Grand Rapids in her role debut of Manon in Manon Lescaut and Eugene Opera as Musetta in La Bohème. This season also marks Ms. Gardner's role debut of Leonora in Verdi's Il Trovatore with Piedmont Opera.
Additional engagements from recent seasons include a return to the Glimmerglass Opera as Eurydice in a new production of Orpheus in the Underworld, Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow with the Syracuse Opera, the title role in Susannah with New York Opera Projects, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni and Tosca with the Mercury Opera, and multiple performances with the Tri-Cities Opera including Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly, Violetta in La Traviata, and Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro. Ms. Gardner also performed the role of Madama Erlecca in Cimarosa's Li Sposi per Accidenti at Studio Lirico in Cortona, Italy.
In the summers of 2005 and 2006, Ms. Gardner was a member of the prestigious Young American Artist Program at the Glimmerglass Opera. During this tenure, she created the role of Madame Loiseau in the world premiere of Stephen Hartke's The Greater Good, which was recorded on the Naxos Label. Also at the Glimmerglass Opera, Ms. Gardner added two new roles to her repertoire in cover assignments: Elle in Poulenc's La Voix Humaine and the title role of Jenufa.
In concert, Ms. Gardner has performed Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Mass in C Minor, Verdi's Requiem, Vaughan Williams' Hodie and A Sea Symphony, Orff's Carmina Burana, Bach's B Minor Mass, Beethoven's Mass in C Major and Missa Solemnis, Brahms' Requiem and Mendelssohn's Elijah with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Susquehanna Valley Chorale, the Hamilton College Community Chorale and the Mostly Mozart Club of North Carolina.
She has been the recipient of the Richard F. Gold Career Grant of the Shoshana Foundation-NYC, a Special Opportunity Award from the New York Foundation of the Arts, an Emerging Artist Grant from the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Division of the North Carolina Arts Council and participated in a Public Masterclass on Puccini Style for the George London Foundation with Catherine Malfitano. She received a Master of Music degree in vocal performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from Centenary College of Louisiana.