Praised by the Chicago Tribune for her “firmly knit tone from top to bottom of an imposingly wide range,” American mezzo-soprano Jill Grove’s 2025-26 season will include the Witch in Hänsel und Gretel with Grand Teton Music Festival and Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria rusticana with Opera San José, as well as a return to The Metropolitan Opera to cover the role of Filipyevna in Eugene Onegin.
Ms. Grove’s 2024-2025 season included Ježibaba in Rusalka with Wichita Grand Opera and assignments with The Metropolitan Opera including covers of Die Amme in Die Frau ohne Schatten and Herodias in Salome, and sung performances of the Governess in Pique Dame.
The artist’s 2023-2024 season saw a return to the role of Klytämnestra in Elektra with The Dallas Opera, Fricka in Das Rheingold with Calgary Opera, Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Gertrude in Roméo et Juliette with Washington National Opera. During the previous season, she returned to Lyric Opera of Chicago as the Witch in Hansel und Gretel and made her Portland Opera debut as Ježibaba in Rusalka.
Other recent engagements of note include Madame Armfeldt in A Little Night Music with Arizona Opera, a return to The Metropolitan Opera for their productions of Elektra and The Rake’s Progress, the Governess in Pique Dame at both The Metropolitan Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago, Klytämnestra in Elektra with Minnesota Opera, the Fortune Teller in Arabella and Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria rusticana with San Francisco Opera, First Maid in Elektra with the Canadian Opera Company, and performances of Verdi’s Requiem with the Calgary Philharmonic.
Ms. Grove is a frequent guest at Lyric Opera of Chicago, having sung previous performances of Marthe in Faust, Ježibaba in Rusalka, Filippyevna in Eugene Onegin, Klytämnestra in Elektra, Margret in Wozzeck, the Witch in Hansel und Gretel, Die Amme in Die Frau ohne Schatten, Amneris in Aida, Erda in Götterdämmerung, Countess Geschwitz in Lulu, and Reginal Segla in the world premiere of Wlad Marhulet’s The Property as part of the inaugural season of Lyric Unlimited. At The Metropolitan Opera, her performances have included Erda in Siegfried and Das Rheingold, Magdalene in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Madelon in Andrea Chénier, Pantalis in Mefistofele, Emila in Otello, Mary in Der fliegende Holländer, Auntie in Peter Grimes, die Muschel in Die ägyptische Helena, and Cornelia in Giulio Cesare.
Other past performances include Ježibaba in Rusalka with Des Moines Metro Opera; Klytämnestra in Elektra with Michigan Opera Theatre; Auntie in Peter Grimes with Canadian Opera Company; Ježibaba in Rusalka and First Maid in Elektra with Houston Grand Opera; Buryja in Jenůfa, Madelon in Andrea Chénier and Jenny Reefer in Thompson’s The Mother of Us All at San Francisco Opera; Dame
Quickly in Falstaff, Muschel in Die ägyptische Helena, Florence Pike in Albert Herring, Ursule in Béatrice et Bénédict, and Antonia’s Mother in Les contes d’Hoffmann with Santa Fe Opera; Erda in Siegfried, Nutrice in L’Incoronazione di Poppea, and Zita in Gianni Schicchi at Los Angeles Opera; Baba the Turk in The Rake’s Progress with Pittsburgh Opera and Utah Opera; Amneris in Aida with the Canadian Opera Company and New Orleans Opera; Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera with San Diego Opera; and the Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas with Philharmonia Baroque. In Europe, Ms. Grove has performed the role of Haushälterin in Die schweigsame Frau with Théâtre du Châtelet; Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera with Welsh National Opera and Teatro Carlo Felice; and Erda in Siegfried and the First Norn in Götterdämmerung with the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich under the baton of Kent Nagano.
A sought-after concert soloist, Ms. Grove has joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, National Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Utah Symphony, Houston Symphony, Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, and Santa Fe Symphony for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. She has sung Verdi’s Requiem with the Toronto Symphony under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis, Tucson Symphony, Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, and Calgary Philharmonic; Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 with the Houston Symphony under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra with Mariss Jansons conducting; Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky with the National Symphony under the baton of Hans Graf; Maria Aegyptiaca in Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the San Francisco Symphony under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas and the Houston Symphony with Eschenbach, Bergen Philharmonic, and the Norddeutsche Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester under the baton of Eschenbach; Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass and Elgar’s The Kingdom at the Grant Park Music Festival; Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius with the Jacksonville Symphony; Handel’s Messiah with the Toronto Symphony under the batons of Nicolas McGegan and Sir Andrew Davis and with the National Arts Centre Orchestra under the baton of Trevor Pinnock; Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the San Francisco Symphony conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas; Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Minnesota Orchestra; Bernstein’s Jeremiah Symphony with The Orchestra NOW; Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody with the American Classical Orchestra; and Verdi’s Requiem with the Dallas Symphony conducted by Jaap van Zweden.
Ms. Grove’s recordings include Ulrica on a Chandos recording of Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera, Auntie in Peter Grimes on the London Symphony Orchestra Live label with Sir Colin Davis and in a new production by John Doyle at The Metropolitan Opera (available on EMI DVD), Magdalene in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg under the baton of James Levine and issued on DVD by Deutsche Grammophon, as well as the Muschel in Strauss’s Die ägyptische Helena with the American Symphony Orchestra on Teldec. As a member of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, she sang Tisbe in La cenerentola opposite Cecilia Bartoli, which was released by Decca/London.
Grove is the winner of the 2003 ARIA award, a 2001 Richard Tucker Foundation Career Grant, a 1999 George London Foundation Career Grant, a 1997 Sullivan Foundation Career Grant, a 1996 winner of The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a 1996 recipient of a Richard Tucker Foundation Study Grant, and a 1995 recipient of a Richard F. Gold Career Grant. She was a member of the Merola Program at San Francisco Opera and the Houston Grand Opera Studio and attended the Music Academy of the West, the New England Conservatory, and Stephen F. Austin State University. She received a Distinguished Alumna Award from the latter university in 2006.
Currently In
Three Decembers
Conductor
Ryan Murray
Stage DirectorVaughn Irving
BeatriceRena Harms
CharlieKeith Phares
MadelineJill Grove
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