ACCLAIM
Eugene Onegin (Tatyana) "Though Onegin gets the top billing, Forni's Tatiana steals the show." - Willamette Weekly
Eugene Onegin (Tatyana) "Fortunately, the warmth is supplied by Jennifer Forni as Tatiana, whose performance signaled to me that, again, the Portland Opera has put exactly the right artists under the lights. Forni’s voice has the power and brilliance of a roman candle, and yet is never pushed, always in control. She has the best messa di voce (getting softer and louder on one note) I’ve heard in a long time. And she convincingly brought to life the facets of her teenage angst, brought about attempting to deal with Onegin." - Oregon Arts Watch
Madama Butterfly (Cio-Cio San) "The heart of the opening night cast was soprano Jennifer Forni as Cio-Cio-San, the fragile "Butterfly," who is only 15 when we meet her, innocent and love-struck -- and ready for her betrothal to U.S. Navy Lt. B.F. Pinkerton, whose ship the Abraham Lincoln is anchored in Nagasaki. Forni sailed through this demanding role with a warm plush tone and exquisite high notes. Her "One Fine Day" aria was lovely, rising and falling on her long solid breaths. In the opera's final agonized moments, she delivered the goods with earthy power." - San Jose Mercury News
Madama Butterfly (Cio-Cio San) "Jennifer Forni Shines as Madama Butterfly at Opera San Jose... Making her debut with Opera San Jose in Falstaff at the beginning of the current 30th anniversary season, soprano Jennifer Forni showed her amazing singing talent and dramatic flair as fragile Cio-Cio San in Puccini’s classic Madama Butterfly. Ms. Forni as Madama Butterfly is at the top of her game, shaping a highly believable character and never losing the strength of her beautiful vocal delivery." - Russian American Weekly
Madama Butterfly (Cio-Cio San) "This opening night belonged to Jennifer Forni, whose rich, lush voice could be heard from anywhere on the raked stage (a stage that slopes downward toward the audience), even when she didn’t directly face the audience. Thanks to her impeccable acting skills, this power did not seem at odds with the frail Butterfly.
Forni’s voice melded perfectly with the robust voices of Nicole Birkland and Christopher Bengochea. Some of the most gripping moments were those scenes in which Forni sung over Bengochea and vice versa, particularly in the love songs in Act I." - Stark Insider
Madama Butterfly (Cio-Cio San) "During the second act, Cio-Cio San (played on this night by Jennifer Forni) delivered an amazing aria. Her voice was so powerful and enchantingly beautiful, there was no way to think she was feeling anything but the raw emotion Cio-Cio San was experiencing in that moment. Her performance was truly breathtaking." - The Stunning Post
Madama Butterfly (Cio-Cio San) "In the dramatic acting of soprano FORNI and in her marvelous flute-sounding tone of voice. the character of MADAMA BUTTERFLY took a life of its own. We felt her love in her duet with PINKERTON as she sings Dolce Notte, Quante Stelle as both the newly wed observe a beautiful starry sky above their heads. Her rendition of Un Bel di Vedremo made us experience her longing, she sang it with such feeling that it brought out tears to our eyes." - Cultural World
Madama Butterfly (Cio-Cio San) "Forni sings with a versatile dynamic tone that is always lush and never screeching. She was a pleasure to listen to, singing with a genuine simplicity that was easily empathizable." - Examiner
Madama Butterfly (Cio-Cio San) "At first, Jennifer Forni's Cio-Cio San seems a little too subdued, but then one begins to notice the tremendous warmth of her tone and the opportunities that her understated approach opens up. The famed "Un bel di" sprouts from a simple conversation (as it should), and the silent spaces of the third act grow in their ominous power." - Operaville
Carmen (Micaëla) "Forni provided the night’s plushest star turn with her expansive phrasing and round, yet incisive tone in the opulent aria “Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante.” - Willamette Weekly
Carmen (Micaëla) Jennifer Forni created a superb Micaëla, singing with tenderness and beauty when conveying the letter from Don José’s mother to him and making her pitch for marriage. Later her voice supported Micaëla's steely nerves as she followed the gypsies to their mountain campsite. - Northwest Reverb
Carmen (Micaëla) The cast overall was young, strong and well matched, with other especially noteworthy performances from Jennifer Forni (Micaëla) - The Oregonian
La Bohème (Musetta) "Jennifer Forni, also a middleweight lyric, sang persuasively and made Musetta less flighty, more solidly grounded and serious than usual. One imagined that Isiguen and Forni could have exchanged roles and been at least as effective." - Opera News
La Bohème (Musetta) "Jennifer Forni's performance as the charming, coquettish and sluttish Musetta helps a great deal. This lively soprano has previously appeared in two Portland Opera Productions, and her depiction of over-the-top flirtatiousness is just right here, as is her sharp, bright voice. The whole production lights up when the focus is on her... In fact, the lightest parts of the production are the strongest... In this sense, the practical and jaded Musetta - with her charming waltz, nicely rendered by Ms. Forni" - Oregon Arts Watch
Falstaff (Alice Ford) "soprano Jennifer Forni (as Alice) sang with silvery tones that became increasingly impressive through the night" - San Jose Mercury News
Falstaff (Alice Ford) "the best work from Falstaff's love targets, Alice Ford and Meg Page, comes in the form of brisk, tight ensembles, and in this soprano Jennifer Forni and mezzo Lisa Chavez excel, delivering bright tones and bright faces reminiscent of a good "Cosi fan tutte." - Operaville
New York Choral Society (A Sea Symphony) "The raven-haired soprano Jennifer Forni appropriately chose a very pretty aquamarine gown for tonight's concert; the singer, who recently debuted at The Met as the First Esquire in the new production of PARSIFAL, displayed an unusually rich quality in her lyric-soprano voice. She sang with clarity, warmth and an attractive upper register. Undoubtedly she'll be asked for spinto roles thanks to the unexpected and appealing density of her timbre" - Oberon's Grove
Carmen (Micaëla) "Jennifer Forni (whose voice literally steals scenes as Don Jose's other suiter, Micaela).
- Furman and Forni, in particular, are nothing less than vocal superstars.
- Forni's mournful, soaring prayer solo in Act III, "C'est des contrebandiers le refuge ordinaire," almost literally brought the house down." - TAG Magazine
Carmen (Micaëla) "Forni drew sustained applause from the large opening night crowd with her vibrant, full-throated duet with Jose early in the action and, even more so, with her finely-wrought third act prayer that ended in exquisite pianissimo. The ovation that greeted her curtain call was richly deserved." - Springfield News-Leader
Eugene Onegin (Tatyana) "Of course, it helped that he had in Jennifer Forni a remarkable soprano to sing that scene… Forni, as the hopelessly lovesick Tatyana, sounded like a singer already well on her way to enjoying a successful career. Her voice revealed warmth and evenness throughout the registers, never turning harsh when pushed, and her phrasing was consistently eloquent. It was exciting to hear such a young artist so technically accomplished and so attentive to the subtler points of interpretive expression.” - The Baltimore Sun
A Midsummer Night's Dream (Helena) “Jennifer Forni, who played Helena, showed the most promise, with a warm, gleaming lyric soprano that was most appealing at lower dynamic levels” - The Washington Post
Hansel and Gretel (Dew Fairy) “Impressive also was Jennifer Forni as the Dew Fairy in the guise of a 1950s housewife with a glamorous coiffer.” - Oregon Music News
Hansel and Gretel (Dew Fairy) “Soprano Jennifer Forni has a fuller lyric sound than we usually hear as the Dew Fairy.” - Opera News
Street Scene (1st. Nursemaid) “Jennifer Maria Forni and Magdalena Wór, who were delightful as the two nursemaids who ease the tension with their funny, breezy lullaby duet.” - The Wall Street Journal
Alceste (Coryphee) “Jennifer Forni had an appealing moment in the spotlight as Coryphée” - New York Times
Alceste (Coryphee)“The young singers in the smaller roles were admirably cast with Jennifer Forni (Coryphée)” - Seen and Heard International Opera Review