Jessica Saunders is a soprano currently living in Jesup, Iowa. Equally comfortable on the operatic and concert stage, Saunders has most recently been seen and heard performing with Revival Theatre Company as Freida/Betty in their production of Sunday in the Park with George. Saunders also recently performed Schubert's Auf dem Strom for voice, french horn, and piano in a faculty chamber recital at Kirkwood Community College and appeared on City Circle Acting Company's Christmas Cabaret in December of 2017.
In the summer of 2015 Saunders appeared as Despina in the Iowa City Concert Opera's premier production of Così fan tutte, and she sang the role of Fiametta in the University of Iowa's Opera Theater summer production of The Gondoliers. Saunders has performed with the Druid City Opera Workshop in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where she performed the partial roles of Adina (L'elisir d'amore) and Pamina (Die Zauberflöte).
Other roles performed include:
Mrs. O'Malley (Funny Girl), Rosalinda (Die Fledermaus), soprano soloist in Bach's Wachet Auf, The Fairy Queen (Iolanthe), Olimpia (Prima Donna), Laetitia (The Old Maid and the Thief), 1st Lady (The Magic Flute).
Saunders was a featured soloist for the Wartburg Choir's European Tour. She has also appeared as a chorus member in productions by Opera Quad Cities, Des Moines Metro Opera, UNI Opera Ensemble, and the Wartburg Opera Ensemble. Saunders has performed with the Southeast Iowa Symphony, whateverandeveramen, and in concert with Simon Estes.
Jessica Saunders is a member of NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) and currently teaches applied voice at Grinnell College in Grinnell Iowa and Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. Saunders has also taught diction, vocal pedagogy, song literature, and directed the opera scenes program at Waldorf University in Forest City, She also runs a full private studio, Saunders Vocal Studios, in the Coralville/Iowa City area through West Music, with additional locations in Jesup and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Saunders graduated with her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Iowa in May of 2017. She was awarded an Anna Sosenko Performance Grant for her multimedia lecture recital "Songs of the Kalevala," which she presented in 2015 and served as the basis of her DMA research. She graduated with her Master of Music Degree from the University of Northern Iowa and her Bachelor of Music Degree from Wartburg College, from which she graduated magna cum laude.
In the summer of 2015 Saunders appeared as Despina in the Iowa City Concert Opera's premier production of Così fan tutte, and she sang the role of Fiametta in the University of Iowa's Opera Theater summer production of The Gondoliers. Saunders has performed with the Druid City Opera Workshop in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where she performed the partial roles of Adina (L'elisir d'amore) and Pamina (Die Zauberflöte).
Other roles performed include:
Mrs. O'Malley (Funny Girl), Rosalinda (Die Fledermaus), soprano soloist in Bach's Wachet Auf, The Fairy Queen (Iolanthe), Olimpia (Prima Donna), Laetitia (The Old Maid and the Thief), 1st Lady (The Magic Flute).
Saunders was a featured soloist for the Wartburg Choir's European Tour. She has also appeared as a chorus member in productions by Opera Quad Cities, Des Moines Metro Opera, UNI Opera Ensemble, and the Wartburg Opera Ensemble. Saunders has performed with the Southeast Iowa Symphony, whateverandeveramen, and in concert with Simon Estes.
Jessica Saunders is a member of NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) and currently teaches applied voice at Grinnell College in Grinnell Iowa and Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. Saunders has also taught diction, vocal pedagogy, song literature, and directed the opera scenes program at Waldorf University in Forest City, She also runs a full private studio, Saunders Vocal Studios, in the Coralville/Iowa City area through West Music, with additional locations in Jesup and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Saunders graduated with her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Iowa in May of 2017. She was awarded an Anna Sosenko Performance Grant for her multimedia lecture recital "Songs of the Kalevala," which she presented in 2015 and served as the basis of her DMA research. She graduated with her Master of Music Degree from the University of Northern Iowa and her Bachelor of Music Degree from Wartburg College, from which she graduated magna cum laude.
