Biography
Praised for her “staggeringly brilliant...ethereal soprano” (The Source) Jocelyn Claire Thomas has engaged audiences with her haunting sound, musical intelligence, and unusual versatility. She has sung more than 40 operatic roles with Portland Opera, Tacoma Opera, Eugene Opera, Inland Northwest Opera, Opera Theater Oregon, OperaBend, Brava Opera Theater, Cascadia Chamber Opera, Opera in the Park Portland, and many others.
Recent solo highlights include Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Salem Philharmonia Orchestra, “Amore” in Orpheus & Eurydice with Inland Northwest Opera, "Soprano Soloist" in Messiah with Harmonia Seattle, and “Nedda” in Pagliacci with Opera Bend. Ms. Thomas was a featured soloist in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with Portland’s Bach Cantata Choir, about which Oregon ArtsWatch said “Ms. Thomas shone brightly as the angel.” Other highlights include Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate with the Central Oregon Symphony, "Susanna" in Le nozze di Figaro with Tacoma Opera, and Soprano Soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah with Bravo Northwest.
A passionate advocate for new music, Ms. Thomas has recently participated in the creation and premiere of several new works including The Dream and Free Men by Ashley Hastings, The Voice of One by Scot Crandal and Robert Bryant, Cantata Caffeinata by John Muehleisen, Tango of the White Gardenia by Ethan Ganz-Morse, Two Yosemities by Justin Ralls, and Via Lactea by Ellen Waterston and Rebecca Oswald, about which Northwest Reverb remarked "Soprano Jocelyn Claire Thomas as Peggy was also noteworthy; she has a fine, bright soprano and lent the right verve and spunkiness to a character that could have been annoying and trite in the wrong hands." Jocelyn also serves as the Troupe Soprano for Cult of Orpheus, Portland’s only all-original art song and opera troupe, founded by composer Christopher Corbell. Recordings with Cult of Orpheus include Viva’s Holiday, a new opera in which Jocelyn sings the title role, and also Sacred Works I: The Emerald Tablet, which Willamette Weekly called “fervently beautiful.”
Originally from Columbia, MO, Jocelyn holds a B.M. from the Oberlin Conservatory, a M.M. and a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory. Currently based in Portland, OR, Jocelyn maintains a private studio in voice, piano, and flute. She also serves as Artistic Director for Ping & Woof Opera, which is dedicated to bringing intimate and accessible opera experiences to the Portland-area community, and making opera available to everyone through donation based admission.
Upcoming engagements include a tour of "Lovers & Lieder" with Villa Catalana, Mendelsson's PDX, Linfield University, and Willamette University, Reverie: A Celebration of Live Music & Dance with Pathways Dance Company, Soprano Soloist in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Willamette Master Chorus, "Eliza" in Dark Sisters with Eugene Opera, and "Berta" in The Barber of Seville with OperaBend.
Recent solo highlights include Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Salem Philharmonia Orchestra, “Amore” in Orpheus & Eurydice with Inland Northwest Opera, "Soprano Soloist" in Messiah with Harmonia Seattle, and “Nedda” in Pagliacci with Opera Bend. Ms. Thomas was a featured soloist in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with Portland’s Bach Cantata Choir, about which Oregon ArtsWatch said “Ms. Thomas shone brightly as the angel.” Other highlights include Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate with the Central Oregon Symphony, "Susanna" in Le nozze di Figaro with Tacoma Opera, and Soprano Soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah with Bravo Northwest.
A passionate advocate for new music, Ms. Thomas has recently participated in the creation and premiere of several new works including The Dream and Free Men by Ashley Hastings, The Voice of One by Scot Crandal and Robert Bryant, Cantata Caffeinata by John Muehleisen, Tango of the White Gardenia by Ethan Ganz-Morse, Two Yosemities by Justin Ralls, and Via Lactea by Ellen Waterston and Rebecca Oswald, about which Northwest Reverb remarked "Soprano Jocelyn Claire Thomas as Peggy was also noteworthy; she has a fine, bright soprano and lent the right verve and spunkiness to a character that could have been annoying and trite in the wrong hands." Jocelyn also serves as the Troupe Soprano for Cult of Orpheus, Portland’s only all-original art song and opera troupe, founded by composer Christopher Corbell. Recordings with Cult of Orpheus include Viva’s Holiday, a new opera in which Jocelyn sings the title role, and also Sacred Works I: The Emerald Tablet, which Willamette Weekly called “fervently beautiful.”
Originally from Columbia, MO, Jocelyn holds a B.M. from the Oberlin Conservatory, a M.M. and a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory. Currently based in Portland, OR, Jocelyn maintains a private studio in voice, piano, and flute. She also serves as Artistic Director for Ping & Woof Opera, which is dedicated to bringing intimate and accessible opera experiences to the Portland-area community, and making opera available to everyone through donation based admission.
Upcoming engagements include a tour of "Lovers & Lieder" with Villa Catalana, Mendelsson's PDX, Linfield University, and Willamette University, Reverie: A Celebration of Live Music & Dance with Pathways Dance Company, Soprano Soloist in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Willamette Master Chorus, "Eliza" in Dark Sisters with Eugene Opera, and "Berta" in The Barber of Seville with OperaBend.
