8
September
2023
Romeo & Juliet
Juliet
New York City Opera
New York, NY
Joanna Mongiardo
Joanna Mongiardo has been lauded for her “smooth, plummy, seamlessly blended soprano and fluid coloratura,” (BachTrack) in operatic and orchestral performances worldwide. The soprano was recently recognized as “a triumph” by Opera News for her portrayal of Rosalina in Teatro Gratticielo’s Il Re at Lincoln Center, and The Boston Globe wrote about Boston Midsummer Opera’s L’elisir d’amore, “Joanna Mongiardo’s Adina delivered with style and luster.”
In 2022, Mongiardo celebrated the release of her first solo album, Evermore on Crossover Records, recorded live at Opera America.
In the fall of 2023, she makes her highly anticipated return to New York City Opera to star as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. Earlier in the year, she performed as the soprano soloist in Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Symphony of Westchester. In recent seasons Mongiardo has brought the “energy and charm [of] her delicious Blonde” (ForumOpera Magazine) to more than thirty performances of Die Entführung aus dem Serail, including productions at Grande Théâtre de Genève, Opéra Nice Côte d’Azur, and Deutsche Oper am Rhein – the company with whom she began her professional career and has performed numerous leading roles including Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, Oscar in Un ballo in maschera, Nannetta in Falstaff, and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro.
Mongiardo has been seen on concert stages from Bellingham, Washington, to Shanghai, China, and has performed her signature role as soloist in Carmina Burana with more than fifteen orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, and Oratorio Society of New York.
She made her debut with Charis Chamber Voices in Schubert’s Mirjams Siegesgesang in May 2022; performed in recital with Novus NY; was heard as the soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the National Chorale in 2021; and has performed works by Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Mahler and Schumann with the symphonies of Pittsburgh, San Diego, Indianapolis, Oregon, and Greater Bridgeport, and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México, under the batons of Charles Dutoit, Philippe Auguin, Jonathan Darlington, John Fiore, Leopold Hager, Neemi Jarvi, JoAnn Falletta and Carlos Miguel Prieto. In the fall of 2019, she was invited to perform as a part of New York City Opera’s 75th Anniversary celebration.
Mongiardo maintains a reputation for “her acting and rock-solid technique” (Boston Music Intelligencer), and counts among her career highlights her Dallas Opera debut as Brigitta in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta; and singing the roles of La Prima Elfe in Respighi’s La campagna sommersa with New York City Opera; Fata Azzurra in Respighi’s La bella addormentata nel bosco with Teatro Grattacielo; Cinna in Mozart’s Lucio Silla with Odyssey Opera; Juliette in Roméo et Juliette with Dayton Opera and Madison Opera; Anne Trulove in The Rake’s Progress with Toledo Opera; and the title roles of Rossini’s Semiramide with Opéra Nice Côte d’Azur and Flotow’s Martha with Boston Midsummer Opera. She also covered the role of Juliette in Boston Lyric Opera’s 2022 production of Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet sung in English.
At Central City Opera, Mongiardo has been seen in the roles of Eurydice in Orpheus in the Underworld, Thérèse in Les Mamelles de Tirésias, and Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi. There, she also sang the title role in the company’s 50th Anniversary production of The Ballad of Baby Doe.
Joanna earned her music degree from the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins and a master’s degree from Yale. She lives in Chappaqua, New York, where she is an active community member, loves cooking and cultivating her Italian and Greek-Armenian roots, and cherishes time spent with her family.
Current & Upcoming Performances
Upcoming Performance Schedule Coming Soon
Past Performances
6
May
2023
Knoxville: Summer of 1915
Soloist
Symphony of Westchester
Westchester, NY
13
August
2022
Romeo & Juliet
Juliet(Cover)
Boston Lyric Opera
Boston, MA
11
August
2022
Romeo & Juliet
Juliet(Cover)
Boston Lyric Opera
Boston, MA
Fata Azzurra in La bella addormentata nel bosco – Teatro Grattacielo
“Of the smaller roles, Joanna Mongiardo’s Fata Azzurra (in the Respighi) and Jordan Weatherston Pitts’ Becero (in the Leoncavallo) were unexpected scene-stealers, proving, with just a few lines of music, that their voices were grossly underutilized in this performance. Mongiardo adroitly navigated Respighi’s coloratura with strength and verve,” – Callum John Blackmore, PARTERRE BOX
“Several other things grabbed our attention: …above all Joanna Mongiardo’s fabulous coloratura fireworks as the Blue Fairy.” – Meche Kroop, VOCE DI MECHE
“Soprano Joanna Mongiardo as La Fata Azzurra gave a stunning performance. She glowed while singing and left a strong impression that set her apart from the rest of the ensemble. Mongiardo’s confidence and joy was a special highlight of this closing portion.” – Jennifer Pyron, OPERAWIRE
Adina in L’elisir d’amore – Boston Midsummer Opera
“You could hardly begrudge [Nemorino] spending his last lira on a sham draft of desire. And all the more so given the surrounding cast, with Joanna Mongiardo’s Adina delivered with style and luster…” -The Boston Globe
Cinna in Lucio Silla – Odyssey Opera
“Joanna Mongiardo delivered the role of Cinna, the senator’s friend, with a bright, pellucid clarity”. – The Boston Globe
“As Cinna, soprano Joanna Mongiardo sang with rosy tone and fluent control of Mozart’s florid line.” – Boston Classical Review
“Soprano Joanna Mongiardo leapt nimbly about the stage in the trouser role of Cinna, the flexibility of her voice in the stratosphere matched by its clarity at the bottom of her range.” – The Boston Music Intelligencer
“Joanna Mongiardo as Cinna was unrecognizable, persuasively masculine in carriage and demeanor. What was immediately recognizable, however, was her smooth, plummy, seamlessly blended soprano and fluid coloratura.” – Bachtrack
Lady Harriet/Martha in Martha – Boston Midsummer Opera
“Courtier (Lady) Harriet, who poses as the servant girl Martha, was masterfully sung by Joanna Mongiardo; …her acting and rock-solid technique provided a fascinating contrast to the lighter baritone and bass “rustic” roles used to frame her character throughout the score.” – The Boston Music Intelligencer
Concert for dignitaries, Nederlands Consulate General
“The surprise of the night was watching and listening to the American lyric coloratura soprano star, Joanna Mongiardo. Mongiardo, still performing in worldwide opera houses and playing numerous concerts all around the world, amazed us with her solid technique, musicality and stage control in difficult arias from Candide and La Traviata. She presented with a natural poetic power in Lieder.” – Opus Magazine
Blonde in Die Entführung aus dem Serail
“Et l’énergie, le charme, de Joanna Mongiardo font d’elle une Blonde délicieuse.” – ForumOpera Magazine
(And the energy and charm of Joanna Mongiardo made her a delicious Blonde.)
Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi / Therèse in Les Mamelles de Tirésias
“There were many fine performances among the three works, but no singers stood out more than… soprano Joanna Mongiardo. Mongiardo played Thèrese/Tirésias to the hilt.” – Opera News
Rosalina in Giordano’s Il Re
“As the besotted Rosalina, lyric coloratura, Joanna Mongiardo scored a triumph, effortlessly negotiating the fiorature, extended trills and stratospheric high notes originally sung by Toti Dal Monte in 1929” – Opera News
“Joanna Mongiardo was superb as Rosalina… Ms. Mongiardo’s beautiful soprano cut through the orchestra and enchanted the audience. An ovation followed.” – The Italian Voice
“Joanna Mongiardo, who has a voice of impressive size and warmth, as well as a technique with ornament that should give her Lucia, Philine and Zerbinetta to choose from, also has a putty face, capable of expressing several emotions at once and of making fun of herself while expressing them. Rosalina is a star role in the glorious line and Mongiardo brought the hall to its feet… I foresee a great future for her – and for Il Re, if she cares to remember it. (It’s a star vehicle if you’ve got the star.)” – John Yohalem, Opera Today
“Soprano Joanna Mongiardo’s firm ruby-colored tone capped with brilliant high D’s and her gift for communication revealed a worthy successor La Toti” – The Villager
Anne Trulove in The Rake’s Progress
“Ryan MacPherson (Tom Rakewell) and Joanna Mongiardo (Anne Trulove) made a radiantly attractive central couple with real chemistry which lent this (to my tastes) somewhat frosty work some emotional pull… Mongiardo’s sunny lyric sound surely won all hearts, and she rose to Anne’s famous leap to high C.” – Opera Magazine
“As his faithful lover, Anne Trulove, soprano Joanna Mongiardo is a winning match, her flexible and rounded voice entwines with MacPherson’s as convincingly as her acting balances his.” – The Toledo Blade
“One of the few readily recognized arias in Rake is Anne’s “I go to him”, which Joanna Mongiardo turned into a riveting mini-drama, delicately acted and deliciously sung.” – American Record Guide
