Biography

Jennifer Gliere,

from Cincinnati, Ohio, has been described as "a sensitive artist who knows how to turn a phrase while giving urgent meaning to the text.” She has appeared in recital and oratorio in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, and throughout the United States. She has given two recital tours in Mexico, performing in live festivals and events around the country as well as giving masterclasses to several youth choirs and appearing in television and radio studios. Her repertoire runs the gamut from Barbara Strozzi chamber music and cantatas, early Baroque zarzuelas, Handel’s Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day, Bach’s B Minor Mass/Magnificat, and Rossini’s Stabat Mater to Luigi Dallapiccola’s Canti di Prigionia, Poulenc’s Gloria, and several world premieres. She was honored to celebrate Pope Francis’ visit to the US by singing in His Holiness' Mass in Madison Square Garden and soloing in Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace with Camerata New York. In the seasons before and after the Covid pandemic she has performed with the New York Philharmonic, American Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Zhitomir Chamber Ensemble, Lviv Chamber trio. Summer 2019 found her in Russia, performing recitals in Ekaterinburg and Moscow.

Equally at home on the concert and operatic stages, Gliere has most recently garnered rave reviews for her portrayal of Musetta in La bohème and Violetta in La traviata; OperaWire noted that she was a “delicate powerhouse... displaying vocal effervescence as good as any champagne.” Other acclaimed roles include Suzel in Mascagni’s L’amico Fritz and Gilda in Rigoletto. Recent seasons have included productions with the Bard Opera Theatre, Boston Early Music Festival, dell’Arte Ensemble, Regina Opera, and Amore Opera. Favorite operatic credits at home and abroad include Le nozze di Figaro, Lucia di Lammermoor,/ and The Telephone/Old Maid and the Thief.

Gliere was awarded a Master's and Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where she studied with Kathryn Cowdrick. Principal mentors have also included Will Crutchfield, Christopher Fecteau, Benton Hess, and Russell Miller.

Jennifer is indeed related to the Ukrainian/Soviet composer Reinhold Gliere. Relatives from Brazil, Moscow, and Berlin have all taken part in forming an extensive family tree and discovering the rich Gliere family history back to 1350. Jennifer’s musical life started with the violin, continuing a long family tradition of making and playing string and woodwind instruments in Germany and Russia. She is working on an edition of Reinhold’s many romances for publication in the next year. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Gliere has performed several benefit recitals, highlighting Reinhold’s Ukrainian roots and encouraging peace in that region and the world.

Jennifer is indeed related to the Ukrainian/Soviet composer Reinhold Gliere. Relatives from Brazil, Moscow, and Berlin have all taken part in forming an extensive family tree and discovering the rich Gliere family history back to 1350. Jennifer’s musical life started with the violin, continuing a long family tradition of making and playing string and woodwind instruments in Germany and Russia. The instrument she plays was made by her great-great grandfather and handed down, becoming one of her most prized possessions in 6th grade.