Biography

Mezzo-soprano, Jenni Bank, was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and grew up in Binghamton, New York.  She is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University and continues to study under the tutelage of voice teacher Dr. Stanley Cornett.  Ms. Bank is the most recent winner of the prestigious Sylvia Green Voice Competition at Peabody and, in this capacity, had the honor of opening Peabody's 150th concert season with her performance of Dominick Argento's song set Casa Guidi with the Peabody Symphony Orchestra.  In addition, Ms. Bank has won the student division of the Baltimore Music Club Voice Competition, received the George Woodhead Prize in Voice, and was a finalist in the Annapolis Opera Competition.

This past summer, Ms. Bank was a Young Artist with Opera New Jersey where she covered the role of "Ruth" in Pirates of Penzance and performed in numerous concerts, scenes programs, and masterclasses.  In June and July of 2008, Ms. Bank will be an Apprentice Artist with Des Moines Metro Opera where she will be covering the role of "Ulrica" in Un Ballo in Maschera and performing in numerous scene programs and gala concerts. In addition, Ms. Bank was recently chosen to be a featured artist on a WSKG Public Broadcasting Station television series on emerging young artists.

At Peabody, Ms. Bank was actively involved in the Opera Department where her performances included "Quickly" in Verdi's Falstaff, "Marcellina" in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, "Giulietta" Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann, "Petra" in Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, "Hannah" in the World Premiere of The Alien Corn, "Frugola" in Il Tabarro, "Suor Dolcina" in Suor Angelica, and "The Witch" in an outreach version of Hansel and Gretel.

Ms. Bank performed the mezzo solo in the Verdi Requiem with the Annapolis Chorale and Chamber Orchestra for which the Baltimore Sun applauded her "lovely voice of striking range and enough power to project over the orchestra" and stated "her dramatic voice indicates a limitless future for the twenty-year old singer".  Ms. Bank returned to the Annapolis Chorale to sing the role of "Queen Jezebel" in Mendelssohn's Elijah for which critics hailed her performance, saying, "…Her brief appearance, characterized by a dark, lustrous voice and an imperious delivery of her accusations against the prophet, had me wishing that hers was a much larger role" (Annapolis Capital).  Ms. Bank sang with the chorale again the alto soloist in Bruckner's Te Deum and Mozart's Requiem, at a gala for the company, and in a cameo role as "General Cartwright" in Guys & Dolls. Ms. Bank performed "Miss Todd" Menotti's The Old Maid and The Thief with Harbor Opera Company and "Third Lady" in Mozart's The Magic Flute with Maryland Concert Opera.  Ms. Bank also enjoys Gilbert & Sullivan and has performed "Katisha" in The Mikado, "Ruth" in Pirates of Penzance with the Young Victorian Theatre Company and "The Fairy Queen" in Iolanthe and "Little Buttercup" in H.M.S. Pinafore with the Summer Savoyards of Binghamton, NY. Ms. Bank has also performed in gala concerts for MD Concert Opera was a soloist in Annapolis Opera's "Mozart by Candlelight" concert.