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 on December 13, 1969, is an American opera singer. She sings with a high, clear voice, called a soprano. Jonita is from Chicago, Illinois. She teaches at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts.

She has performed many opera roles. She also sings with big orchestras around the world. When she was young, Jonita sang with the Chicago Children's Choir. She also learned to play musical instruments. She earned a special scholarship to study singing at the Eastman School of Music. Later, she continued her studies at the University of Illinois.

Jonita also trained in special programs for young artists. These were at the Houston Grand Opera and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. She has performed at famous places like the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago. She also sang at the Hatch Memorial Shell in Boston. Jonita has performed in many cities across the United States.

Her international performances include shows at the Opéra Bastille in Paris. She also sang at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. She has performed with orchestras in Austria, Israel, Poland, Portugal, Canada, and Mexico.

About Jonita Lattimore

Jonita Lattimore was born in Chicago on December 13, 1969. She grew up in the city. She started taking piano lessons when she was only three years old. She also learned to play the trumpet. As a child, she often sang solos with the Chicago Children's Choir.

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 also singers. One of her grandmothers was a music teacher. Another grandmother was a singer and violinist.

After graduating from Kenwood Academy in 1987, Jonita went to the Eastman School of Music. She received a special scholarship named after her mentor, William Warfield. She later studied at the University of Illinois. Jonita has a daughter named Joyelle.

Awards and Recognition

Jonita Lattimore has won many awards for her singing. These include honors from the Birgit Nilsson Competition. She also received awards from the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition. Other awards came from the Sullivan and George London Foundations.

In 1999, the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper featured her. They named her one of Chicago's top talents under 30. The next year, they called her one of the 25 most interesting Chicagoans. Jonita has also been featured on TV shows. These include "Artbeat Chicago" and "Opera Philes" on WTTW.

Jonita's Singing Career

Jonita Lattimore began her professional singing career in 1993. She performed with the Chicago Opera Theater. She also sang in a play at the Goodman Theater.

Early Training and Performances

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

During her time at the Houston Grand Opera, she performed in several new operas. These included The Song of Majnun and Jackie O. She also sang in classic operas like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's The Magic Flute. In 1998, she made her debut in Paris. She sang the role of Serena in Porgy and Bess at the Opéra Bastille.

Later in 1998, Jonita joined the Lyric Opera of Chicago's Center for American Artists. This program also helps young singers. She performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago for the first time in The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. She also sang at the Navy Pier fireworks celebration on July 4. She performed a song from Georges Bizet's Carmen.

In 1999, she continued her training with the Center. She sang in operas by George Frideric Handel and Giuseppe Verdi. She also performed with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. That year, she sang at the Grant Park Music Festival. She performed music by Edvard Grieg and Gustav Holst.

Touring and Major Performances

After finishing her training programs, Jonita Lattimore began touring internationally. In December 2000, she performed works by Samuel Barber. She also sang pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach. In 2001, she performed with the Tulsa Opera in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. She was also featured in 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 performance about Langston Hughes. She also returned to the Tulsa Opera for Don Giovanni. In April 2002, she performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. She also sang Antonín Dvořák's Requiem with the Tonkünstler Orchestra in Vienna.

Her 2002 performances at the Grant Park Music Festival included works by Ildebrando Pizzetti and Johannes Brahms. She also sang Brahms' Requiem with the Northern Israel Symphony. During the 2002–03 season, she performed spirituals and opera songs with the Opole Philharmonic in Poland.

In 2003, she performed with the Chicago Sinfonietta again. Her Grant Park Music Festival appearance that year was an All-Mozart concert. She also performed with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra. She sang arias and show tunes from Mozart, Verdi, and Gershwin. Internationally, she performed at the Edinburgh Festival. She also made her Italian debut with the Orchestra della Toscana.

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

During the 2006–07 season, she performed a Christmas concert tour in Portugal. She also sang Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in Canada. She performed Verdi's Requiem in Montana. She also sang with the Houston Symphony. In 2007, she performed in the King Day celebration by Chicago Sinfonietta.

In 2008, she returned to Carnegie Hall for a special performance. She also sang Verdi's Requiem with the Oakland East Bay Symphony. She performed with the Louisiana Philharmonic in May 2008. Her 2008 Grant Park Music Festival performances included works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Karol Szymanowski.

In 2008, Jonita Lattimore played the role of Serena in Porgy and Bess at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Her performances of "Oh Doctor Jesus" and "My Man's Gone Now" were highly praised. This was the first time the Lyric Opera had performed Porgy and Bess since 1952.

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

Discography

• 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)