Jennifer Zetlan
Soprano Jennifer Zetlan is internationally recognized for her artistry and captivating stage presence, known for being “persuasive and powerful”, “flawless” (The New York Times), and a “tour de force” (Wall Street Journal) . Last season, Ms. Zeltan joined the American Lyric Theater for workshops of Tevye’s Daughters and Working for the Macbeths and Opera Saratoga for a workshop of The Other Side of Silence in the role of Helen. In concert, Ms. Zetlan presented Bach's Cantata #63, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, and selections of Bernstein’s MASS with the Cecilia Chorus of New York (Carnegie Hall). She also presented Libby Larsen’s The Magdalene with Brooklyn Art Song Society. Last summer, Ms. Zetlan sang as Chava in Fiddler on the Roof with Cincinnati Opera. Upcoming engagements include singing as the soloist in Handel’s Messiah and Mozart’s C Minor Mass with the Oratorio Society of New York at Carnegie Hall. She will also play the role of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Scalia/Ginsburg with Kentucky Opera.
Ms. Zetlan has performed with The Metropolitan Opera for many years, having most recently covered roles in Akhnaten and Eurydice. She has also appeared in War and Peace, Boris Godunov, Le nozze di Figaro, Macbeth, and Two Boys. She's also been a frequent featured artist at Seattle Opera, in Rigoletto, La bohème, and The Ring Cycle. Favorite productions elsewhere include Die Zauberflöte (Charlottesville Opera, Nashville Opera), The Last Savage (Santa Fe Opera), The Fairy Queen (Staatstheater Stuttgart), and L’étoile (New York City Opera). She has also appeared on Broadway in the 2015 Fiddler on the Roof.
Known for her passion for contemporary music, Ms. Zetlan has been featured in numerous American opera premieres. She has originated title roles in Ellen West, Rhoda and the Fossil Hunt (On Site Opera), and Louis Karchin’s Jane Eyre (Center for Contemporary Opera). Other notable premieres include Rorem’s Our Town (NYC premiere with Juilliard Opera Center), Aucoin’s Crossing (ART in Boston, BAM), The Classical Style (Ojai Festival, Carnegie Hall), Morning Star (On Site Opera, Cincinnati Opera), Dark Sisters (Gotham Chamber Opera, Opera Philadelphia), and Amelia (Seattle Opera).
Ms. Zetlan is a committed performer of orchestral works and song repertoire. On the concert stage, she has performed Kaija Saariaho’s Lonh with the New York Philharmonic at the Park Avenue Armory, Woglinde in Das Rheingold with the New York Philharmonic, soprano soloist in Bruckner’s Te Deum and Mozart’s Mass in C Minor with Oratorio Society of New York at Carnegie Hall and on tour in Uruguay, and was heard at Carnegie Hall as a celebrated alumna of Mannes College of Music in their Centennial Celebration concert. Recognized as a unique recitalist, Ms. Zetlan was selected as a Marilyn Horne Foundation artist and was awarded The Juilliard School’s 2012 Vocal Arts Honors Recital in Alice Tully Hall. She has given recitals with pianists David Shimoni, Martin Katz, and Ricky Ian Gordon and released her first solo album in collaboration with Mr. Gordon at the piano. Ms. Zetlan is on the voice faculty of the Mannes College of Music and is also the Director of Programs and Operations for American Lyric Theater.