Janai Brugger facts for kids
Janai Brugger (born January 3, 1983) is an American opera singer. She is a soprano, which means she sings the highest parts in opera. In 2014, a music critic named F. Paul Driscoll said she had a "supple, beautifully shaded lyric soprano" voice. This means her voice was flexible and had lovely tones.
Early Life and Training
Janai Brugger was born in Chicago, Illinois. She loved music and went to DePaul University in Chicago. She earned a special degree in music in 2005. She got scholarships to help pay for her studies. In the same year, she won first place in a big singing competition called the National Association of Teachers of Singing.
While at DePaul, Janai performed in many student opera shows. She played Dido in Dido and Aeneas and Ilia in Idomeneo. She also played Mercedes in Carmen. Later, she studied singing with a famous singer named Shirley Verrett at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. She earned another degree in vocal performance in 2009. At Michigan, she sang the role of Tatyana in Eugene Onegin.
In 2006, Janai joined a special program for young artists at Chicago Opera Theater. This program helps new singers learn and grow. She made her first professional opera appearance there as the First Witch in Dido and Aeneas. That same year, she studied more at the Chautauqua Institution. She also sang with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
In 2008, Janai won a spot in a masterclass at Carnegie Hall. There, she worked with another famous singer, Marilyn Horne. In 2009, she played Adina in The Elixir of Love. This was for the Lyric Opera of Chicago's program that brings opera to neighborhoods.
From 2010 to 2012, Janai was part of the Young Artist Program at the Los Angeles Opera (LAO). She first sang with the LAO as Barbarina in The Marriage of Figaro in October 2010. She also performed as the page in Rigoletto (2010), Musetta in La Boheme (2012), and Pamina in The Magic Flute (2013).
Opera Career
In 2012, Janai Brugger won two very important singing competitions. She won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She also won a special prize at the Operalia, The World Opera Competition. After these wins, her career really took off.
In 2012, she sang for the first time at the Metropolitan Opera. This is one of the most famous opera houses in the world. She played Liu in Turandot. She also sang as Juliette in Roméo et Juliette for the Palm Beach Opera. She performed as The First Lady in The Magic Flute and as a soloist at the Ravinia Festival. She sang with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) there.
In 2013, Janai sang with the CSO again at the Cincinnati May Festival. She performed at the Grant Park Music Festival. She played the High Priestess in Aida at the Hollywood Bowl. She also made her first appearance at the Hawaii Opera Theatre as Liu. Later, she performed in Europe for the first time at the Peter Dvorský International Music Festival.
In February 2014, Janai returned to the Metropolitan Opera. She sang as Helena in The Enchanted Island. In May 2014, she sang as Micaëla in Carmen for Opera Colorado. Janai also recorded an opera song for the HBO television show Lovecraft Country. The song was based on a poem by Sonia Sanchez.
