JENNIFER LARMORE is an outstanding American mezzo-soprano, well known for her versatility, natural beauty and stage craft. This popular artist has a wide ranging repertoire, beginning in the coloratura roles of the Baroque and bel canto, in addition to music from the Romantic and Contemporary periods which she has performed at virtually every major opera house in the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Paris Opera, Berlin Deutsche Oper, and London Covent Garden. 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 one hundred CDs to date. Originally from Atlanta, Larmore studied with Dr. Robert McIver 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 Jerome Savary production of Strasbourg -- appropriate, considering that Rosina became her signature role…one that she has performed more than five hundred times! Her vocal talents, energetic acting, and entertaining personality 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 with the Opera Orchestra of New York and Eve Queler. 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. Following that success she became 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 Hamlet of Thomas. 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 was her satellite radio program, Backstage With Jennifer Larmore on which she proved herself to be 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 awarded the Chevalier des arts et des lettres from the French government in recognition of her contributions to the world of music. Jennifer's upcoming 2012-13 schedule finds her singing concerts in Coruna of Berlioz' La Mort de Cléopatra and Ravel's Shéhérazade; in Strasbourg for a recital with her long-time accompanist Antoine Palloc; to Beijing for a concert of the Sea Pictures of Elgar; to Dublin for a concert with her string quintet OpusFive; to Boglogna and Reggio Emilia for "Lady Macbeth" in the production of Macbeth by the great Robert Wilson; to Salle Pleyel in Paris for the World Premiere of Grégoire Hetzel and Camille Toledo's The Fall of Fukuyama, an Oratorio in 5 languages with Daniel Harding; to Québec with Fabien Gabel for Shéhérazade and Songs of Berg; to Moscow for Carmen and to Brussels for "Kostelnicka" in Jenufa and "Gertrude" in Hamlet. Miss Larmore, in collaboration with the double bass player Davide Vittone has created a new ensemble called Jennifer Larmore and OpusFive. The three programs they offer are entertaining and varied with Songs and Arias, Cabaret/Operetta and Movies and Broadway which feature string quintet and voice. To date, they have appeared in Mallorca, Menorca, Seville, Pamplona, Valencia, Las Palmas, Venice, Paris, Amiens and Aix en Provence. 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!

 

The OPUSFIVE Quintet was born in 2008 from an idea of the double bass player Davide Vittone and the American mezzo-soprano Jennifer Larmore. The basic idea was to combine Jennifer Larmore’s extraordinary vocal and dramatic qualities and a string quintet (de facto a small string orchestra) consisting of two violins, viola, cello and double bass. The alternating with the singer creates an interesting dynamic during the concert, which oscillates between the recital, the chamber concert and the "special event". Opus Five’s musicians are all leading roles of the most important European orchestras and refined chamber musicians. They have performed in: Valencia, Pamplona, Dublin, Amiens, Mallorca, Vigo, Venice, Aix-en-Provence, Santander, Seville, Paris, etc. In 2011 the Bru-Zane Palace invites "Jennifer Larmore & OpusFive" for a concert in Venice and so began the history of Opus Five Quintet ALONE. During the 2013/14 season, the Opus Five will perform on tour with an original chamber music program for string quintet, that includes precious musical compositions of Félicien David, George Onslow and Antonín Dvořák. The adventure of “Jennifer Larmore & OpusFive” continues with a tour in Switzerland, China and Turkey, proposing programs which combine traditional chamber music to more light repertoires that include cabaret, operetta and musicals.