J'Nai Bridges facts for kids

Quick facts for kids J’Nai Bridges
Bridges at the Saint-Georges International Music Festival in 2019
Education	Charles Wright Academy
Alma mater	Manhattan School of Music Curtis Institute of Music
Occupation	Operatic mezzo-soprano
Awards	Marian Anderson Award, Grammy Award

J’Nai Bridges is an amazing American opera singer. She is a mezzo-soprano, which means she sings with a deep, rich voice. J'Nai has won two Grammy Awards, which are big awards for music. She also won the Marian Anderson Award. Many people know her from her performances at famous places like the Metropolitan Opera. Some have even called her The Beyoncé of opera!

Early Life and Education

J'Nai Bridges grew up in Lakewood, Washington. She was one of four children in her family. When she was young, she listened to Motown music with her parents. She also loved singing in church.

J'Nai went to high school at the Charles Wright Academy in Tacoma. At first, she focused on playing basketball. But then she took a choir class. That's when she discovered her love for singing. She decided to focus on music instead of sports.

After high school, J'Nai went to the Manhattan School of Music. Then she studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. While she was learning, a famous opera singer named Renée Fleming helped guide her.

Her Opera Career

J'Nai Bridges looks up to many Black opera stars. Some of her inspirations include Denyce Graves and Jessye Norman. J'Nai even sang at Jessye Norman's funeral.

In 2012, J'Nai won the Marian Anderson Award. This led to her first performance at the Kennedy Center. In 2015, she competed in a big singing contest in the UK.

In 2016, J'Nai played the role of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly. She performed this opera at the San Diego Opera. There, she became friends with another singer, Latonia Moore. That same year, she also performed as Nefertiti in the opera Akhnaten. This show was at the Los Angeles Opera.

J'Nai continued to perform in many new operas. In 2017, she was in Girls of the Golden West. She performed this show in San Francisco and later in Amsterdam. In 2019, she returned to San Francisco. She played the main character in Bizet's famous opera Carmen.

Later in 2019, J'Nai made her big debut at the Metropolitan Opera. She sang in Akhnaten again. In 2020, she performed as Delilah in Samson and Delilah. This was her first time singing at the Washington National Opera.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many live shows stopped. J'Nai started doing online performances instead. She also helped lead an online discussion for Black opera singers. This was with the Los Angeles Opera. In 2022, she returned to the stage. She performed in Carmen for the Palm Beach Opera.

In March 2022, J'Nai performed a special new musical piece. It was called "A Knee on the Neck." This piece honored George Floyd and focused on important social justice themes. Critics said J'Nai's performance was "especially gripping."

In 2023, J'Nai Bridges was featured in a TV show. It was part of the American Masters series on PBS. The episode was called “In the Making.” She also sang with her friend Latonia Moore again at the San Diego Opera.

Awards