Joanna Mongiardo
Soprano
Bio
The internationally acclaimed soprano Joanna Mongiardo is recognized for her effortless coloratura and spell-binding charisma on stage and is in high demand for both operatic and symphonic repertoire. Her performance of Rosalina in Giordano's Il Re with Teatro Grattacielo was recognized as one of the best individual performances of the year by Opernwelt Jahrbuch 2011. Opera News gushed of her, "Petite, with a theater-filling smile, Mongiardo radiated warmth through her unforced, pearly-fresh timbre." Sharing the stage with such conductors as Neeme Jarvi, Charles Dutoit and John Fiore, the singer has appeared at New York City Opera, Portland Opera, Caramoor Festival and with such orchestras as Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Detroit Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra.
Ms. Mongiardo has become a favorite at Central City Opera since performing Baby Doe for their 50th Anniversary production, to rave reviews. She returned there last summer to perform Eurydice in Orpheus in the Underworld, and she was invited there again for their 2011 season to play both Thèrése in Les Mamelles De Tirésias and Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi. Another highlight of the 2010/11 season was her debut with Teatro Grattacielo as Rosalina in Giordano's Il Re at the Rose Theater in Lincoln Center, which brought tremendous critical acclaim including the Opernwelt Jahrbuch 2011 honor. Opera News stated of that performance, "Mongiardo scored a triumph, effortlessly negotiating the fiorature, extended trills and stratospheric high notes originally sung by Toti Dal Monte in 1929." Other 2010/11 engagements included Anne Trulove in The Rake's Progress with Toledo Opera. In the 2011/2012 season, Ms. Mongiardo performed a last-minute Blonde in Die Entführung aus dem Serail for Grand Théâtre de Genève. In upcoming engagements, she will join the roster of the Metropolitan Opera for their production of Manon. She will also perform Blonde in Die Entführung aus dem Serail in a return to Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf, as well as Juliette in Roméo et Juliette for Dayton Opera.
The past two seasons have brought an array of debuts with major American orchestras, most notably The Messiah with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Carmina Burana with the Philadelphia Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony and Florida Orchestra, and Haydn's Creation with the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Mexico and Louisiana Philharmonic under Carlos Miguel Prieto.
Mongiardo's fest-contract at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf, Germany, lasted two years and culminated August 2007 in Taipei, where she sang Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier with the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan. During her stint in Düsseldorf she performed the roles of Nannetta in Falstaff, Blondchen in Die Enführung aus dem Serail, Gianetta in a new production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Gondoliers, Erstes Blumenmädchen in Parsifal, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, and Oscar in a new production of Un ballo in Maschera.
Upon returning to the US, Mongiardo sang the title role in The Ballad of Baby Doe's 50th Anniversary production at Central City Opera, a major operatic event that produced remarkable acclaim from the national press. The Denver Post noted that "Joanna Mongiardo handles the vocal demands of the title role with her suitable rich, golden voice."
She made her New York operatic debut as Adina in L'elisir d'Amore with the Caramoor Festival where she recently returned to sing Amore in Gluck's Paride ed Elena. She was also part of the Mostly Mozart Festival production of Così fan tutte and several productions at the New York City Opera, including Orlando and Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Mongiardo also sang Susanna with Portland Opera and Knoxville Opera, as well as Juliette with Madison Opera.
Joanna Mongiardo made her American symphonic debut in concert with the Minnesota Orchestra in L'Enfant et les Sortileges and quickly returned to sing the world premiere of Marc-André Dalbavie's song cycle, Troubadour. Among her signature works with orchestra are Carmina Burana, which she performed twice with the Detroit Symphony and with the Oratorio Society of New York on occasion of her Carnegie Hall debut. She also repeated the work with the symphonies of Memphis, Youngstown and Chattanooga, among others.
Overseas, she was heard as Adele in Die Fledermaus at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall in Greece and as the soprano soloist in Carmina Burana with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa.
The American born soprano of Italian, Greek and Armenian heritage is a 2003 Sullivan Award recipient, and received a Master's Degree in music from Yale University.