Stephanie Dawn Johnson - Soprano

Biography

“A most promising young artist with drama welded to her voice”
-- Peter Jacobi, The Herald-Times

Stephanie Dawn Johnson, a native of Greenville , South Carolina , has appeared in oratorio, concert, and opera performances throughout the country. She was recently named a National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. “With magnetic presence, vocal urgency, and infectious joy…” (Palm Beach Post), Ms. Johnson was the Second Place winner in the Advanced Division of the 2002 Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition. She is also the recipient of a San Francisco Opera Merola Career Grant and the Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation and Central City Opera where she performed Violetta in the Matinee Performance of La Traviata.

“As the shy, consumptive Mimì…” in La Boheme with the San Francisco Opera Western Opera Theater, Ms. Johnson “… threw herself into the role, singing with confidence and feeling” (The Providence Journal). Other recent performances for the soprano include a recital with Glimmerglass Opera as part of the Young American Artist Recital Series, appearances with Glimmerglass Opera in The Dialogues of the Carmelites, as well as performances as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with the Duke University Symphony.

Highlights among her performed roles include Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte with the San Francisco Opera Western Opera Theater, and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with the Indianapolis Opera and the San Francisco Opera Western Opera Theater. Other operatic performances for the soprano include Marguerite in Faust, Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro, Mařenka in The Bartered Bride, Electra in Idomeneo, and Musetta in La Boheme.

In addition to her theatrical stage appearances, the soprano also performs frequently as an oratorio soloist. Her concert performances have included works such as Verdi’s Requiem, Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Haydn’s The Creation, Bach’s Magnificat, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

Upcoming appearances for the soprano include recitals throughout the Southeastern United States as well as a return to Amherst College for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

Ms. Johnson completed a Performer Diploma in Professional Opera Studies and a Master of Music degree in Voice at the Indiana University School of Music. She currently resides in New York City and studies voice with soprano, Heidi Skok.

November 2004

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