Jennifer Larmore is an outstanding American mezzo-soprano who has parlayed operatic success in Europe into international stardom . Known for excelling in the coloratura roles of the Baroque and bel canto, she has also added Romantic and Contemporary repertoire. Since the beginning of her career, Jennifer Larmore has recorded widely for the Teldec, RCA, Harmonia Mundi, Deutsch Grammophon, Arabesque, Opera Rara, Bayer, Naive, Chandos, VAI and Cedille labels in over seventy CDs to date, which has earned her the distinction of being the most recorded mezzo of all time. Her newest CD ROYAL MEZZO featuring Berlioz, Barber, Britten and Ravel was released on June 10, 2008 from Cedille Records.
Originally from Atlanta, Larmore studied at the Westminster Choir College of Princeton, New Jersey and then privately with John Bullock and Regina Resnik. She made her professional debut in the l’Opera de Nice production of Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito in 1986. During the same period, Jennifer sang her first Rosina from the Barber of Seville in the Savary production of Strasbourg—appropriate, considering that Rosina has since become her signature role…one that she has performed more than five hundred times! Her vocal talents, energetic acting, and natural beauty quickly established her as an emerging star and during the next decade she performed dozens of leading roles with major European houses to include the prestigious theaters of Paris, Vienna, London, Edinburgh, Rome, Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Brussels, Amsterdam, Geneva, Milan, Buenos Aires and Salzburg.
In 1994 Larmore returned to the United States in a triumphant Carnegie Hall appearance as Romeo in Bellini’s I Capuletti e I Montecchi. This success was followed by winning the prestigious Richard Tucker award that same year, and a debut as Rosina at the Metropolitan Opera in 1995. Since then, she has been a regular attraction at the Met, singing a wide range from Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Rossini’s, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Cenerentola and l’Italiana in Algeri, Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann, Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, to the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s An American Tragedy, and the upcoming Hamlet of Thomas.
With her frequent collaborator Antoine Palloc, she has made several International recital tours, including appearances in Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Vienna, London, San Juan, Prague, Melbourne, Brussels, Berlin, Rio de Janeiro, Lisbon, Sao Paolo, Athens and Copenhagen, as well as all the major American venues.
Symphonic repertoire plays a large role in this mezzo’s career with the works of Mahler, Schoenberg, Mozart, de Falla, Debussy, Berlioz and Barber featuring prominently. World orchestras under the direction of Muti, Lopez-Cobos, Bernstein, Runnicles, Sinopoli, Masur, von Dochnanyi, Jacobs, Mackarras, Spinosi, Guidarini, Kalmar, Rudel, Barenboim, Queler, Bonynge, Maazel, Osawa and many others have fallen under Miss Larmore’s spell.
Jennifer Larmore’s Giulio Cesare on Harmonia Mundi received the Grammophon Award for Best Baroque Opera of the year. Among her seven Grammy nominations, titles include L’Etoile, a collection of French opera arias; Call Me Mister, a celebration of mezzo-soprano trouser roles; Amore per Rossini, a trove of Rossini rarities…some never before recorded; My Native Land, a gathering of songs by American composers; Where Shall I Fly, featuring Handel and Mozart arias; Bravura Diva, a marvelous collection of rare bel canto masterworks; . Jennifer Larmore in Performance, a companion CD to the popular DVD from Video Artists International (VAI); Jennifer Larmore, A Portrait, a collection of early works from the Renaissance and Baroque periods; Born In Atlanta, a CD of varied operatic and concert selections released to commemorate Miss Larmore’s appearance at the Closing Ceremonies of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic games. Among the dozens of full operatic recordings are the title roles of Carmen, Elisabetta, Regina d’Inghilterra, La Cenerentola, L’Italiana in Algeri, Bianca e Falliero, Orphée, Giulio Cesare, Sofanisba and I Capulet e I Montechhi.
In 2004, Jennifer Larmore was the honored guest soloist in Washington, DC at the 35th Anniversary Celebration of the landing on the Moon by the Apollo 11 astronauts. A particularly unique venture has been her satellite radio program, Backstage With Jennifer Larmore on which she has proven herself a witty and insightful interviewer and commentator. In addition to her hosting many international airline Classical Listening programs, Miss Larmore is widely sought after to give Master Classes in prestigious national and international venues. She has appeared in numerous publications including, VOGUE, DOG FANCY with her miniature schnauzer Sophie, OPERA NEWS, the English OPERA, the French OPERA INTERNATIONAL. the German VOGUE and MAX, as well on a variety of television programs around the world including, Good Morning America, Breakfast With the Arts, the Classical Arts Showcase, the German Klassich, the French Jacques Martin and A cote du Chez Fred, as well as Musique au coeur; And for the UPN Network, The 30th Anniversary STAR TREK Celebration.
In 2002, Madame Larmore was endowed with Knighthood by the French Government carrying the title Chevalier des arts et des lettres in recognition of her contributions to the world of music.
In humanitarian efforts, Miss Larmore’s charity of choice has been the American Fund for UNICEF. Her focus is to raise awareness of the plight of under privileged children and she often speaks and sings in this worthy cause. In addition to her many activities, travels, performances and causes, author Jennifer Larmore is working on books that will bring a wider public to the love of opera!
