Praised for her "warm, gleaming lyric soprano" voice (Washington Post), American soprano Jennifer Forni is quickly establishing herself as a singer to look out for. Always “attentive to the subtler points of interpretive expression” (The Baltimore Sun), Ms. Forni, while possessing a “fuller lyric sound” (Opera News) has maintained the ability to float stunningly-spun pianissimos above the staff.
Ms. Forni was granted the Evelyn Puddy Oliver Scholarship to attend the Oberlin Conservatory of Music where she received a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. She continued her studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she received a Master of Opera. During this time, she was personally selected by Marilyn Horne to represent the university in The Song Continues masterclass series at Carnegie Hall.
In 2008, while Ms. Forni was a member of the prestigious Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program, she was asked to take over the role of Nannetta in Verdi's Falstaff. Remarkable for the short-lead time involved, the performance was widely viewed as a triumph. When interviewed about Ms. Forni's performance by Classical Singer Magazine, Glen Lewis (Head of Music, Pittsburgh Opera) said, "When we finally heard her on stage, [her voice] felt almost luxurious for a Nannetta. We think it won’t be long until she moves into a more substantial repertoire." Subsequently, Ms. Forni has moved on to ampler roles such as Tatyana from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, Fiordiligi from Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte, and Micaela from Bizet's Carmen.
Ms. Forni is a former member of the Portland Opera Studio, where she appeared in Berstein's Trouble in Tahiti, Monteverdi's Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, Il Ballo delle Ingrate, and Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel.
Ms. Forni is equally at home on the concert stage, performing such works as Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Oregon Mozart Players, Mahler Symphony No. 2 with the Greeley Philharmonic, and Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony with the Oberlin Musical Union. During her Portland Opera debut recital she was hailed for her performance of Strauss’s legendary work the Vier Letzte Lieder. “She shone spectacularly in Strauss’s Four Last Songs. Brava Ms. Forni.” (Stephen Llewellyn, Portland Opera official blog).
In March of 2011, Ms. Forni joined New York City Opera to understudy the role of Rita Clayton in Stephen Schwartz's World Premiere Opera Seance on a Wet Afternoon. She was invited back the following season to understudy the role of Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata.
Ms. Forni recently made her role debut as Micaela in Bizet’s Carmen, with the Springfiled Regional Opera. According to TAG Magazine, Ms. Forni's "voice literally steals scenes!" And the Springfield News-Leader praised her "exquisite pianissimo".
In January of 2013, Ms. Forni joins the Metropolitan Opera in their new production of Wagner's Parsifal. Ms. Forni will make her Metropolitan debut in February of 2013, singing the role of the First Esquire. This exciting new production will be broadcast live in HD.