Jonita Lattimore facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jonita Lattimore
Lattimore at the Grant Park Music Festival July 23, 2010
Born	December 13, 1969 Chicago, Illinois, US
Education	Eastman School of Music University of Illinois
Occupation	Opera singer (soprano)
Years active	1993–present

Jonita Lattimore (born December 13, 1969) is an American opera singer. She is a soprano, which means she sings the highest vocal parts. Jonita Lattimore is also a teacher at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts.

She grew up in Chicago and has performed many different opera roles. She has also sung with major orchestras both in the United States and around the world.

As a young person, Jonita sang with the Chicago Children's Choir. She also learned to play both voice and musical instruments. She earned a scholarship to the Eastman School of Music. Later, she continued her studies at the University of Illinois. She also trained in special programs for young artists at the Houston Grand Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Some of her important performances in the U.S. include singing at the opening of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. She also performed with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra. Jonita became a leading opera soprano in Chicago. She has been invited to sing at the Grant Park Music Festival every year.

Internationally, she has performed at the Opéra Bastille in Paris and the Edinburgh Festival. She has also sung with orchestras like the Tonkünstler Orchestra and the Calgary Philharmonic.

About Jonita Lattimore

Jonita Lattimore was born in Chicago on December 13, 1969. She started taking piano lessons when she was just three years old. She also played the trumpet. As a child, she often sang as a soloist with the Chicago Children's Choir.

She grew up in the Pill Hill neighborhood of Chicago. Jonita went to Kenwood Academy high school. After graduating in 1987, she attended the Eastman School of Music. She received a special scholarship named after her mentor, William Warfield. Later, she continued her studies at the University of Illinois.

Jonita comes from a family of musicians. Her younger brother, Alex, is a Rhythm and blues and jazz musician. Her father sang in a vocal group. Her aunts were singers, and one of her grandmothers was a music teacher. Jonita has a daughter named Joyelle.

Jonita Lattimore has won many awards for her singing. These include honors from the Birgit Nilsson Competition and the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition. In 1999, the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper named her one of Chicago's top young artists. The next year, they called her one of the 25 most interesting Chicagoans.

She teaches at Roosevelt University's Music Conservatory. Jonita has also been featured on TV shows like Artbeat Chicago. One episode about her was called "Home Grown Diva."

Her Singing Career

Early Training and Performances

In 1993, Jonita Lattimore performed with the Chicago Opera Theater. She was in their show Four Saints in Three Acts. She also sang the main soprano role in Cry, the Beloved Country.

In 1994, Jonita joined the Houston Grand Opera Studio. This program helps young singers develop their skills. She also sang as a soloist with the Houston Symphony. In 1995, famous singer Luciano Pavarotti chose her to advance to the finals of his singing competition.

She performed in many operas during this time. These included Jackie O and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's The Magic Flute. She also sang in Porgy and Bess in Paris, which was her debut there.

In 1998, Jonita began working with the Lyric Opera of Chicago's Center for American Artists. She made her debut with the Lyric Opera in The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. She also sang at the July 4 fireworks celebration at Navy Pier. She continued her training there until 1999. During this time, she performed in operas like Handel's Alcina and Verdi's La traviata. She also sang in Mozart's Don Giovanni.

Jonita was a featured singer at the Grant Park Music Festival in 1999. She sang music by Edvard Grieg and Gustav Holst. In 2000, she returned to the festival to perform Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

Touring and International Shows

After finishing her training programs, Jonita Lattimore began touring around the world. In 2000, she performed with the Concertante di Chicago. She also sang works by Bach and a new piece by Henry Burleigh.

In 2001, she performed in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro with the Tulsa Opera. She also sang at the Chicago Sinfonietta's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day tribute.

She continued to perform with the Houston Symphony in 2001 and 2002. In 2002, she sang in a musical theater show called Only Heaven. She also returned to the Tulsa Opera for Don Giovanni. Jonita performed Antonín Dvořák's Requiem with the Tonkunstler Orchestra in Vienna. That year, she also sang at the Grant Park Music Festival and with the Northern Israel Symphony.

In 2003, she performed with the Chicago Sinfonietta again. She also sang at an All-Mozart concert at the Grant Park Music Festival. Later, she performed with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra. She made her Italian debut with the Orchestra della Toscana.

In 2004, Jonita sang at the Chicago Gospel Music Festival. She was a special guest in a tribute to Mahalia Jackson. She also performed at the opening night of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. In 2005, she opened the Harris Theater's season with a tribute to Marian Anderson and Mahalia Jackson.

During 2006 and 2007, she went on a Christmas concert tour with the Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa. She also sang Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Calgary Philharmonic. She returned to the Houston Symphony in 2007. In 2008, she performed at Carnegie Hall in New York. She also sang Verdi's Requiem with the Oakland East Bay Symphony.

In 2008, Jonita Lattimore played the role of Serena in Porgy and Bess for the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Her performances were highly praised. This was the first time the Lyric Opera had performed Porgy and Bess since 1952.

In 2009, she helped Chicago celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 1909 Plan of Chicago. She performed a special new work called Plans at the Grant Park Music Festival. She also sang with the Luna Negra Dance Theater. Other performances included Gabriel Fauré's Requiem and Verdi's Requiem. In September 2009, she performed with the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Mexico.

Music Recordings

• The Song of Majnun (1997)
• Sonota for Violin & Piano, OP.6 - Son. for Flute & Piano, OP.26 - Sextet to Julia De Burgos, OP.21 (1998)
• Violin Sonata, Flute Sonata, Sextet with Soprano (1999)
• Only Heaven: A Musical Work by Ricky Ian Gordon (2002)
• Let Me Fly: Music of Struggle Solace & Survival in Black America (2006)