Pianist, Vocal Coach, Conductor
Bio
As a pianist, vocal coach, and conductor, Jesse Cunningham has been exposed to diverse repertoire and has worked with Opera Theatre Saint Louis, Indianapolis Opera, Chicago Summer Opera, Bay View Music Festival for Opera, MIOpera, New York Lyric Opera, and Lyric Theatre at Illinois. She also has held staff positions at the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s College, Eastern Illinois University, and Mannes School of Music. In 2019, Jesse made her Carnegie Hall debut. Currently, she is the Chorus Master and Collaborative Pianist at the Winter Opera St. Louis and runs her piano studio in Urbana, IL.
Jesse has a DMA in Vocal Coaching and Accompanying from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has an MM and BM in Piano Performance from Florida International University. In addition, she earned her associate degree in Computer Science, majoring in Data Systems and Development at Parkland College in 2023. As much as Jesse loves being in opera rehearsals, she also works on problem-solving.
Resume
Opera Experience
Winter Opera Saint Louis
2019 - present
Chorus Master & Pianist
18th season
- Mozart: Magic Flute
- Donizetti: Anna Bolena
17th season
- Mozart: Don Giovanni
- Puccini: Manon Lescaut
- Herbert: Naughty Marietta
16th season
- Puccini: La Rondine
- Verdi: Macbeth
- Romberg: The Desert Song
15th season
- Holiday Extravaganza
- Sullivan: Gondoliers
- Puccini: Madama Butterfly
14th season
- Puccini: Suor Angelica
13th season
- Donizetti: La Fille du Regiment
Southern Illinois Music Festival
2022 - present
Orchestra & Rehearsal Pianist
21st season
- Donizetti: Anna Bolena
- Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore
20th season
- Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro
19th season
- Puccini: La Rondine
- Verdi: Ernani
18th season
- Strauss: Salome
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
2023 - 2024
Pianist
- OTSL's Season Preview @World Chess Hall of Fame
Pianist
- Joplin: Treemonisha
Quarantine Self-Study
2020 - 2021
- Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore
- Puccini: Tosca
- Puccini: Madama Butterfly
- Bizet: Carmen
- Leoncavallo: Pagliacci
- Verdi: Rigoletto
- Verdi: La Traviata*
New York Lyric Opera Theatre
2019
Conductor & Pianist
- Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel
- Mozart: Don Giovanni
Carnegie Hall
2019
Conductor & Pianist
- Opera Gala of New York Lyric Opera Theatre
Chicago Summer Opera
2019
Assistant Conductor
- Rossini: Le Comte Ory
Chicago Summer Opera
2019
Resident Pianist & Coach
- Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro
Free Armory Theatre
2019
Music Director
- Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice
Eastern Illinois University
2018
Music Director
- Puccini: Gianni Schicchi
Conducting Masterclass & Workshop Series
2018
Participant Conductor
- Verdi: Overture from La Forza del Destino
- Strauss: Overture from Die Fledermaus
Indianapolis Opera
2018
Resident Pianist
- Freund: Star-Cross’d Lovers
Teatro Sociale di Rovigo & Accademia Lirica di Padova, Italy
2018
Pianist
- Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte
Midwest Institute of Opera
2018
Pianist & Vocal Coach
- Offenbach: Les Contes d’Hoffmann
- Sullivan: The Pirates of Penzance
Lyric Theatre at Illinois
2015 - 2017
Pianist & Vocal Coach
- Berlioz : Béatrice et Bénédict
- Britten: A Midsummer Night's Dream
- Mozart: Don Giovanni
Bay View Music Festival
2015
Pianist
- Puccini: La Bohème
Education
Parkland College
2023
AS; Computer Science in Data Systems and Development
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2018
DMA; Vocal Coaching and Accompanying, Cognate in Voice Studies
Florida International University
2010
MM, BM; Piano Performance
Mentors
Dennis Helmrich
Shannon McGinnis
Jose R. Lopez
Language Skills
- Took ten semesters of college level language courses in It, Ger, Fr.
- Completed lyric diction courses in It, Ger, Fr, and En.
- Fluent in Korean and English
Additional Study
Orchestra Conducting
2019
Donald Schleicher
Voice
2015 - 2018
Cynthia Haymon-Coleman
Barrington Coleman
Ollie Watts Davis
Organ
2017
Dana Robinson
Harpsichord
2013
Darlene Catello
Media
Photo Gallery
Copyright © 2024 Jesse Cunningham - All Rights Reserved.
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