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 50 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 others.
Recent solo highlights include "Eliza" in Dark Sisters with Eugene Opera, "Frasquita" in Carmen with Opera in the Park Portland, Soprano Soloist in Messiah with Harmonia Seattle, and Soprano Soloist in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 & Choral Fantasy with the Willamette Master Chorus. 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 Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Salem Philharmonia Orchestra.
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 served 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 sang 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 is also the co-founder of Ping & Woof Opera, which is dedicated to bringing intimate and accessible opera experiences to the PNW, and making opera available to everyone through donation based admission.
Some upcoming engagements include "Donna Elvira" in Don Giovanni with Villa Catalana, Broken Standards with The Muses Project in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Classical Broadway with the Northwest Piano Trio, "Ensemble Soprano" in Floyd Collins with Puddletown Theater Collective, "Monica" in The Medium with Cascadia Chamber Opera, "Judith" in Bluebeard's Castle with Ping & Woof Opera, and Songs from Jane Austen's Parlor with multiple venues.
Recent solo highlights include "Eliza" in Dark Sisters with Eugene Opera, "Frasquita" in Carmen with Opera in the Park Portland, Soprano Soloist in Messiah with Harmonia Seattle, and Soprano Soloist in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 & Choral Fantasy with the Willamette Master Chorus. 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 Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Salem Philharmonia Orchestra.
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 served 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 sang 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 is also the co-founder of Ping & Woof Opera, which is dedicated to bringing intimate and accessible opera experiences to the PNW, and making opera available to everyone through donation based admission.
Some upcoming engagements include "Donna Elvira" in Don Giovanni with Villa Catalana, Broken Standards with The Muses Project in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Classical Broadway with the Northwest Piano Trio, "Ensemble Soprano" in Floyd Collins with Puddletown Theater Collective, "Monica" in The Medium with Cascadia Chamber Opera, "Judith" in Bluebeard's Castle with Ping & Woof Opera, and Songs from Jane Austen's Parlor with multiple venues.
