Press

Filter Press Articles:

Acclaim

The Best of San Diego 2023

"In October the San Diego Opera presented another of 2023’s top concerts with a dynamic night of singing featuring Latonia Moore and J’Nai Bridges. The concert demonstrated the power and beauty of a trained human voice and all the technical and emotional qualities it can convey."

San Diego Reader
Read

Acclaim

Review: The Philharmonic Feasts on ‘The Planets’

“The mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges sang with oracular authority in the somber vocal lines, rising to flashes of intensity… Bridges’s focused tone was just right for Perry’s poignant austerity.”

The New York Times
Read

Features

Her Music Fell Into Obscurity. Now It’s Back at the Philharmonic.

“Programming Julia Perry is about making room,” Bridges said. “Not just to tick boxes, but because we want to continue performing beautiful music.”

The New York Times
Read

Acclaim

Latonia Moore and J’Nai Bridges at San Diego Opera

"It wasn’t just the way she performed the piece, it was her ability to sing the aria as it should be sung. The money notes in this piece are the low notes and they were lush and full. I was moved by the dedication and respect it takes for a singer to develop those notes."

San Diego Reader
Read

Acclaim

Opera Divas Do It Better for San Diego Opera

"...Moore and Bridges evoked all the mystery of that opera’s Venetian night tableau with their sumptuous account of this inimitable barcarolle."

San Diego Story
Read

Features

Hear from the cast members of Houston’s newest opera

"This role that I'm playing in this opera, it doesn't feel like I'm acting, it doesn't feel I'm having to go too far outside of who I am and where I come from."

KHOU 11
Read

Features

Interview: J’Nai Bridges of INTELLIGENCE at Houston Grand Opera

"It’s quite a heavy role but I connected with her so deeply. This role is me. She is my mother. My grandmother. My ancestors. They didn’t have the freedom to have their voices heard."

Broadway World
Read

Features

In harmony: Opera stars Latonia Moore and J’Nai Bridges talk Grammys, friendship, roles and what’s on their playlists

"I admired and dreamed to sing with Latonia since I was a college student, so sharing the stage with her was a mix between my dreams coming true and being starstruck. The production, music making and the whole experience was something I will forever cherish."

The San Diego Union-Tribune
Read

Features

Financial Times – Opera singer J’Nai Bridges: ‘US audiences are changing dramatically’

“There is so much in this country that is unhealed when it comes to its past and slavery, even where we are now politically. I grew up with some of the phrases written in the libretto [of Jake Heggie's 'Intelligence']. My grandmothers used to say the exact words, like: 'You are here to tell the whole story so that we are not forgotten.'"

Financial Times
Read

Features

WAMC – The Roundtable

"The Tanglewood Festival is very near and dear to my heart, so when I got the call through my manager I said absolutely."

WAMC
Read

Acclaim

SCRUTINY | J’Nai Bridges Makes Auspicious Toronto Summer Music Festival Debut

“One was immediately struck by her rich, opulent tone and charismatic stage persona.”

Ludwig Van Toronto
Read

Acclaim

Review | J’Nai Bridges Dazzles Toronto Audience with Canadian Recital Debut

"...Brahms’s lush melodic lines were met with Bridges’ vocal warmth and incredible sensitivity; his writing emphasizing the ease with which she sings in her lower register."

mySCENA
Read

Features

253 Lifestyle Magazine Cover and Q&A

"Some of the work that I'm doing to improve diversity in opera is, number one, having conversations about the inequities."

253 Lifestyle Magazine
Read

Acclaim

Back from Carnegie, Noseda & NSO return with dynamic program and world premiere

"She applied the many gorgeous facets of her voice to this Technicolor piece, ardently so in the two opening American songs, actually composed by folk music collector John Jacob Niles. Her musicality shone through as she maintained rhythmic independence in the fast “Rossignolet du bois,” and her chest voice resonated with male strength in the Sicilian song “A la femminisca.”

Washington Classical Review
Read

Features

Grammy-winning opera star J’Nai Bridges to perform in Bay Area

ABC7 Bay Area News
Read

Acclaim

This is the part when I break free

"Bridges emphasizes the character’s urgent need for freedom over external sexiness, and it works splendidly..."

Parterre Box
Read

Acclaim

Review: With a cast like this, ‘Carmen’ at Lyric Opera is a sure thing

"The irresistible dualities of Bridges’s voice are all but made for Carmen: breezy enough to sound extemporized but unrelenting in its command, radiating heat in every register yet hinting at a knowing reserve."

Chicago Tribune
Read

Acclaim

J’Nai Bridges and Yonghoon Lee in a thrilling concert performance of Samson and Delilah in Seattle

“Overall, the concert was stunning and showcased the cast’s immense talent, including J’Nai Bridges’s captivating Delilah, Yonghoon Lee’s powerful Samson and Greer Grimsley’s menacing turn as the High Priest of Dagon. Despite the limitations of the stage, the performances were nothing short of exceptional. It was a memorable night that left the audience eagerly anticipating the next production from the Seattle Opera.”

Seen and Heard International
Read

Features

KIRO 7 News: Western Washington Gets Real: Pacific Northwest native wowing the opera world

"So, music has always been in my life and in my ear, and in my body. But classical voice came a bit later."

KIRO 7
Read

Features

KNKX: Lakewood native reprises role as Delilah in Seattle Opera debut

"I sang the role for the first time three years ago. It was scary for me because I just kind of felt like this woman is – she's complex. So I kind of felt like I didn't have enough life on me. And now I'm at a point where I've experienced some things. And so kind of delving into my experiences where I can relate to her really helps."

KNKX
Read

Acclaim

The Seattle Times: Not seen at Seattle Opera for nearly 60 years, ‘Samson and Delilah’ excites

"Bridges’ rich, opulent voice illuminated every line of her role, soaring to the high B-flat of the opera’s most famous aria, 'Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix.' Beautiful and regal, she proved an assured actor, convincing both as cynical plotter and as commanding temptress."

The Seattle Times
Read

Features

The Day with Trae

"There have been so many incredible black, specifically American-American, opera singers — I mean it's a whole lineage — and every time I step on stage I honor one of them, at least one of them."

Converge Media
Read

Features

King 5 News: Amid huge success in the opera world, Lakewood native J’nai Bridges set to perform at home

"I feel like it's my homecoming," Bridges said. "Everything I've been doing for the past 20 years; I'm coming home to say thank you."

KING-TV
Read

Features

The Seattle Times: A star comes home to make her long-awaited Seattle Opera debut

"Her return to the region to sing Delilah therefore signifies more than 'just performing. It’s the best gift that I know how to give in return.'"

The Seattle Times
Read

Acclaim

Imagination, beauty and wit: 2022’s musical riches

"'Oedipus,' the cagey tour de force in which Stravinsky tries to convey tragic emotion while denying that’s what he’s doing, turned into an explosive torrent of guilt and recrimination, with wondrous performances by tenor Sean Panikkar, mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges and baritone Willard White."

Datebook
Read

Acclaim

The Washington Post: Best of classical music in 2022

"And in May at the Kennedy Center, the Choral Arts Society of Washington presented the East Coast premiere of Damien Geter’s 'An African-American Requiem,' a response to police violence against Black Americans, modeled after Verdi’s formative 'Requiem.' The former was a showcase for mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, tenor Norman Shankle and baritone Kenneth Overton; the latter a star turn for commanding mezzo-soprano Karmesha Peake."

The Washington Post
Read

Acclaim

OperaWire’s Top 11 Singers of 2022

"Hailed as the 'Beyonce of opera,' Bridges has truly become opera royalty as one of the leading mezzo-sopranos of her generation and in 2022 she continued to solidify her status on an international level."

OperaWire
Read

Features

Between 2 Stands Podcast – The Voice as an Instrument

Detroit Symphony Orchesetra
Read

Acclaim

Carmen at Dutch National Opera

"J’Nai Bridges inhabited the role of Carmen utterly, exhibiting a natural presence on stage portraying the interior workings of Carmen’s complex character with ease."

Bachtrack
Read

Features

J’Nai Bridges featured in Diane von Furstenburg’s editorial page “DVF Woman”

"I give thanks every day knowing I have a voice that reaches the hearts and souls of people. We have all been put on this earth to say something, and I feel InCharge by brightening someone’s day, challenging one’s thoughts, opening one’s mind, and spreading the love through the gift of song."

Read

Features

What’s Up With Opera? Podcast Ep. 9 (with host Rebecca Hass)

Pacific Opera Victoria
Read

Acclaim

Oedipus Rex at San Francisco Symphony

"A regular at San Francisco Opera, Bridges’s regal presence and seamless range brought depth to the character’s music." - Seen & Heard International

"The Jocasta of mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges sounded both noble and tender..." - San Francisco Chronicle Datebook

"Mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges sang this short role with great intensity and a gleaming, contralto-dark sound." - San Francisco Classical Voice

Read

Features

J’Nai Bridges Talks Hope, Healing, and Neruda Songs with Cultural Attaché Ahead of Power to the People! Festival!

"These songs give me hope. They really do. It’s not always easy being an opera singer and someone that is basically nomadic and on the road all the time. Sometimes these dark thoughts come in and I think I’m never going to find love or this world is just crumbling. But these songs really present the gift of eternal life and hope. It’s always such a blessing to sing pieces that really have such a profound effect on me. I feel changed. I really do from these poems. I just wish that I could speak to [the Liebersons] directly. But I feel that their spirit is definitely shining down and through me. I do hope that the audience also will feel some healing and a sense of hope. I think we all could use that." - J'Nai Bridges

Cultural Attaché
Read

Features

J’Nai Featured in New York Times’ ” 5 minutes that will make you love mezzo-sopranos”

"The clarity and beauty of Grace Bumbry’s tone and the playfulness of her expression made me instantly fall in love..."

Read

Features

J’Nai featured on the cover of Opera News – February 2022 issue

"I feel when you have a sense of self, things don’t tend to ruffle your feathers as much, and that’s important. Being an artist takes a lot of mental and emotional fortitude, but real confidence helps ground you.”

Read

Acclaim

Ample majesty

"J'Nai Bridges found ample majesty in her voice to convince us that Jocasta was deeply loved by the people ..."

Opera News
Read

Features

100 Women of Color Remember Their First Encounter With Racism—And How They Overcame It

"That moment really changed me for many reasons. I didn't even know that I had this voice in me, but that was the first instance where I was like, ‘Wow I have a voice that's bigger than mine.’ It was about our collective humanity, and breaking down these ingrained stereotypes. And my voice is bigger than me.”

Oprah Daily
Read

Features

J’Nai Bridges Featured in 2021 Converse All Stars Campaign

Converse All Stars
Read

Features

J’Nai Bridges interviews and writes about legendary soprano Reri Grist for February Issue of Opera News

"As I was writing this article about the legendary soprano Reri Grist, I realized that I wrestle with the definition of success - and that I often fight the conditioned urge to quantify the value of my work or the amount of income earned to secure the definition. Reri Grist achieved professional fame and great personal happiness, but she fashioned her own success in accordance with what she valued most - consummate integrity." -J'Nai Bridges

Opera News
Read

Acclaim

10 Greatest Black Opera Singers of All Time

Tuko
Read

Acclaim

Notable Performances and Recordings of 2020

In the wake of nationwide protests following the murder of George Floyd, the mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges organized an online discussion with five fellow African-American singers: Julia Bullock, Lawrence Brownlee, Russell Thomas, Karen Slack, and Morris Robinson. Their candor rocked the complacent world of American opera, encouraging an outwardly liberal establishment to see how systemic racism cuts through the heart of their institutions.

The New Yorker
Read

Acclaim

Houston Symphony’s Baroque Christmas Concert Offers Hope in Troubled Times

"Making her Houston Symphony debut, mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges gave the nimble “O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings to Zion” the lyricism and care one of the oratorio’s most radiant melodies deserves."

Houston Chronicle
Read

Features

WRKF 89.3: Interview with Amy Kleinman

WRKF 89.3
Read

Features

Sing LOUDER Podcast Ep. 3 (with host Jake Heggie)

Sing LOUDER
Read

Features

The Root 100 – The Most Influential African Americans in 2020

Making her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 2019, Bridges is becoming well known for what the New York Times calls her "plush" mezzo-soprano voice.

The Root
Read

Acclaim

Lyric Opera review: ‘For the Love of Lyric,’ with Renee Fleming and more, celebrates singing, virtually

"Like Fleming, Bridges proved she can break free of operatic conventions at will.”

Chicago Tribune
Read

Features

Voices of love: Grand dame Renée Fleming, shooting star J’Nai Bridges in Lyric songfest

Bridges, featured with the Chicago Children’s Choir in the pre-recorded Lyric event, saw her starring run at the Washington National Opera in Saint-Saens’ “Samson et Dalila” cut short by the pandemic shutdown. She’s a veritable poster artist for skyrocketing young opera singers brought back to earth by the virus catastrophe.

Chicago on the Aisle
Read

Features

How an Opera Star Is Making Classical Music Possible for Everyone

J’Nai Bridges knows that most people perceive opera as being an artform for the elite. Because opera was traditionally catered towards nobility, many today still don’t feel welcome. Bridges wants to change that.

CNN/Great Big Story
Read

Features

Opera Can No Longer Ignore Its Race Problem

In late May, shortly after the killing of George Floyd, the mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges was invited by Los Angeles Opera to give a virtual recital.

“As much as I wanted to, I wasn’t in the right emotional space to present myself in that way,” she later recalled in an online discussion with the tenor Lawrence Brownlee. So she made a counteroffer: What if she assembled a group of fellow Black singers for a panel on race and inequality in opera?

The New York Times
Read

Acclaim

Global Citizen Highlights: Miley Cyrus Covers Beatles at Rose Bowl, Dudamel, Justin Bieber, ‘Hamilton’ Cast

"Opera singer J’Nai Bridges brought it all home with great warmth and the help of Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Philharmonic and that org’s youthful YOLA... made “Heaven” and “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” into something both spiritually soaring and earthen, with a sense of inclusion in its third stanza: “She’s got the whole world in Her hands.”

Variety
Read

Acclaim

This Opera Performance of ‘Heaven & Whole World In Your Hands’ From ‘Global Goal’ Will Have You in Tears

"A stunning performance... wearing a beautiful yellow gown, Bridges hit every note perfectly, radiating a tremendous energy"

Billboard
Read

Features

Musicians and Composers Respond to a Chaotic Moment

One day, with the collaboration of the Los Angeles Opera, the mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges led a Zoom panel on racial inequality with a distinguished group of colleagues: Julia Bullock, Karen Slack, Lawrence Brownlee, Russell Thomas, and Morris Robinson. After the singers described their reactions to Floyd’s killing and their own fraught encounters with the police, they addressed subtler but pervasive tensions in the opera world.

The New Yorker
Read

Features

A Met Opera Star Was Born, ‘Then Everything Stopped’

When Ms. Bridges, 33, debuted at the Met in November in Philip Glass’s “Akhnaten,” she had already sung canonical roles around the world. But she found in Mr. Glass’s Nefertiti an ideal vocal and theatrical fit. With this unconventional role there would be fewer preconceived notions, she said, and “more space for people to receive my performance honesty and openly.”

The New York Times
Read

Features

UNLADYLIKE2020: Sissieretta Jones’ Story

J'Nai Bridges spoke with Unladylike2020 to discuss the life and career of Sissieretta Jones, the first African American woman to headline at Carnegie Hall

UNLADYLIKE 2020
Read

Features

J’Nai Bridges, Russell Thomas, Lawrence Brownlee Headline LA Opera’s ‘Lift Every Voice’ Online Conversation

On Friday, June 5, 2020, mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, tenor Lawrence Brownlee, tenor Russell Thomas, soprano Karen Slack, soprano Julia Bullock, and bass Morris Robinson will come together to have a discussion on racial disparity and inequality in the opera world.The conversation, which kicks off at 3 p.m. EDT / Noon PT, will be showcased on the company’s Facebook page.

OperaWire
Read

Features

The Passion of J’Nai Bridges: Her Voice, Her Soul, Her Performance

Gifted with a voice and soulfulness that resonates beyond her age, J’Nai Bridges shares her motivation, inspiration, and preparation as she premiers in the role of Delilah in the upcoming Washington National Opera’s “Samson and Delilah”.

Monarch Magazine
Read

Features

J’Nai Bridges: New Star of ‘Samson and Delilah’

"She is, as been said about many originals, “the real deal.”

The Georgetowner
Read

Acclaim

‘Samson and Delilah’ has old-school opera style and strengths

The headline draw was American mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, as Delilah, making her WNO debut. Her instrument and talent were striking.... her low notes were great, elemental things, seeming to roll through the auditorium, her high range all sharply milled gunmetal.

Washington Post
Read

Features

J’Nai Bridges’ debut in ‘Samson and Delilah’ is a dream come true

When J’Nai Bridges made her triumphant debut in Camille Saint-Saëns’ Samson and Delilah Sunday night, it was the fulfillment of a dream. The young mezzo-soprano’s star has been rapidly rising — this season she made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Philip Glass’ Akhnaten — but Delilah is special.

DC Metro Theatre Arts
Read

Features

Rising African American Opera Star Snags Lead Role In Samson & Delilah At Kennedy Center

From the basketball court to the opera stage, J’Nai Bridges is bringing her vibrant voice to The Kennedy Center. The rising star that once appeared to be destined for a career in pro basketball, counts among the few African Americans who have excelled in the opera.

Baltimore Times
Read

Features

Opera and The Black Woman: Breaking Barriers and Glass Ceilings

These opera singers sang their ways into history books and music lovers' hearts with their supreme vocals. Now, barriers have been broken and ceilings have been crushed thanks to their perseverance, undeniably quest for equality and artistry.

BET
Read

Features

J’Nai Bridges Was Born for Big Stages

Acclaimed mezzo-soprano J'Nai Bridges almost didn't make it to the Metropolitan Opera. In high school, she was captain of the varsity basketball team with her sights set on going pro. And though Bridges grew up singing in her church choir, it wasn't until she was forced to choose between the sport she knew and the art she loved that she began taking her passion seriously.

Paper Magazine
Read

Features

From Carmen to Nefertiti, J’Nai Bridges Is the Next Big Voice in Opera

Performed by mezzo-soprano sensation J’Nai Bridges (pronounced “Jah-Nay”), Nefertiti is equal parts impervious queen, renowned beauty, devoted helpmate and mother, and, thanks to her flowing blue wig and gold-gilded crown, reminiscent of a superhero. Altogether, it’s an aspirational combination many women (and especially many black women) are all too familiar with. And yet, even while making her Met debut, Bridges’ presence is already undeniably regal.

The Root
Read

Acclaim

A new leader and new sounds at the Met: Philip Glass’s striking ‘Akhnaten’

In his love duet with Nefertiti, his wife, Costanzo and J’Nai Bridges, with a beautiful, full mezzo-soprano, wore long red robes that trailed behind them like Christo banners, constraining them as well as showing them off.

The Washington Post
Read

Features

How an Opera Star Dresses for Work

When J’Nai Bridges was in high school, she was faced with a tough decision: play in her basketball team’s finals, or go to her first opera rehearsal. Thanks to some scheduling wizardry, she managed to make it to both events, only to have her coach bench her for prioritizing music over sports. Realizing she couldn’t juggle the two, Bridges made the decision to focus on music.

The Cut
Read

Acclaim

Gleaming and Self-Aware, Philip Glass’s Akhnaten Is Borne to the Met

The opera’s emotional center, if you can call it that, is the second-act scene between Akhnaten and his queen Nefertiti (sung by J’nai Bridges, whose Met debut leaves the audience craving much, much more).

New York Magazine
Read

Acclaim

Review: ‘Akhnaten’ Puts You on Philip Glass Time

The rich-voiced mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, in an auspicious Met debut

The New York Times
Read

Acclaim

Philip Glass’ ‘Akhnaten’ Is a Somber Triumph for the Met

The sumptuous mezzo of J’Nai Bridges

New York Observer
Read

Features

J’Nai Bridges, ‘The Beyoncé Of Opera,’ Makes Her Debut As Nefertiti

“I always like to say this career really chose me,” says opera phenomenon J’Nai Bridges backstage at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. “I never [imagined] in a million years that I’d be singing on the world’s biggest stages,” the 31-year-old continues.

BET
Read

Acclaim

A place in the sun

Costanzo was at his best when singing in conjunction with mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, in her Met debut as Akhnaten’s wife, Nefertiti.

Parterre
Read

Acclaim

Music, beauty and jugglers make for a memorable night in Met’s “Akhnaten”

The vocal blend of Costanzo’s Akhnaten with mezzo J’Nai Bridges as his wife, Nefertiti, ... was sublime.

New York Classical Review
Read

Acclaim

‘Akhnaten’ Review: Long Live the King

Mr. Costanzo’s love duet with Ms. Bridges had an erotic charge that was enhanced by their slow, deliberate movements.

The Wall Street Journal
Read

Acclaim

Akhnaten Makes Beguiling Impact In Vivid Met Debut

Glass operas don’t always showcase their stars very well, and as Nefertiti, J’Nai Bridges left you wanting to hear her in a larger role.

Classical Voice North America
Read

Features

How a Fast-Rising Opera Singer Prepared for Her Met Debut

On a Monday evening in early November, the singer J’Nai Bridges, 32, is standing at the piano in the front room of her Harlem apartment. In just four days, she will make her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where she will sing the part of Nefertiti in Philip Glass’s 1983 opera “Akhnaten,” but tonight she is practicing runs from the 19th-century French opera “Samson and Delilah,” which she will perform at the Washington National Opera in the spring.

The New York Times
Read

Features

J’Nai Bridges: All Hail the Queen

Some of us grow up wanting to be a Rockstar, an astronaut, or a scientist, but J’Nai Bridges wanted to be an Opera singer, and with that job, she gets to be a Queen. Actually, she gets to be THE Queen.

Bronze Magazine
Read

Features

Rising Opera Star J’Nai Bridges Sings Beethoven At Tanglewood

Opera singer J’Nai Bridges takes to the Tanglewood stage on Sunday in the midst of a whirlwind year.

WAMC
Read

Acclaim

San Francisco Opera: Carmen

Bridges smoldered from the outset with a seductive account of the Act 1 Habanera, was alluring in her Gypsy dance and castanet-bearing courtship of Don Jose, and stood her ground with steely determination to live free.

San Francisco Examiner
Read

Acclaim

San Francisco Opera: Carmen

Mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges is young, sexy, vibrant, and dangerous... a Carmen of exceptional musical finish.

Opera today
Read

Features

J’Nai Bridges getting pumped up for starring turn in SF Opera’s ‘Carmen’

“I’m so ready for this,” said J’Nai Bridges, the American mezzo-soprano who is taking on the tempestuous title role in San Francisco Opera’s upcoming “Carmen.” Several hours later, the singer proved her point.

San Francisco Chronicle
Read

Features

J’Nai Bridges Multitasks in Her Debut as Carmen

“I call this role the Beyoncé role of opera because one must be able to sing and dance at the same time, which is much harder than it looks.”

San Francisco Classical Voice
Read

Acclaim

Dutch National Opera: Girls Of The Golden West

J’Nai Bridges, was excellent in the role...the rich colours of her voice, its pleasing timbre and her careful, neat phrasing, fleshing out the character’s inner beauty.

OperaWire
Read

Acclaim

Dutch National Opera: Girls Of The Golden West

J’Nai Bridges brings nobility of spirit to Josefa

Financial Times
Read

Acclaim

Dutch National Opera: Girls Of The Golden West

Ms. Bridges’s Josefa...is fiercely dignified, and entrancing

The New York Times
Read

Features

Mezzo J’Nai Bridges rising fast in opera world

“As a performer, J’Nai really has everything,” said soprano Renee Fleming, who got to know Bridges as adviser to the Ryan Center. “She is exciting onstage, a compelling actress, with a gorgeous presence. But most important of all, J’Nai’s voice has a beautiful, distinctive timbre. ... I don’t see any limits to how far she could go.”

Associated Press
Read

Features

This Singer Was Forced To Choose Between Basketball And Opera. Now She’s Performing Worldwide With Zero Regrets

"I've spoken to a lot of people and they think this is for only rich white people, and it's just not the truth, you know?"

Buzzfeed
Read

Acclaim

Carnegie Hall Recital Debut

Her voice is a rich blanket of plush sound, capacious and flexible, with a panoply of colors and weights, and as she demonstrated from the start, she’s not afraid of doing nothing.

Opera News
Read

Acclaim

Carnegie Hall Recital Debut

Demonstrating her versatility, interpretation, and passion for performing, J’Nai Bridges undoubtedly created an impression that will have audiences talking for quite some time to come.

OperaWire
Read

Acclaim

Carnegie Hall Recital Debut

A very good voice, rich and beautiful...she sang with dignity and feeling.

The New Criterion
Read

Acclaim

Carnegie Hall Recital Debut

A lyric mezzo-soprano with a regal, classic sound

Seen and Heard International
Read

Acclaim

Carnegie Hall Recital Debut

A rich-toned mezzo-soprano with a calmly commanding stage presence

The New Yorker
Read

Acclaim

LA Opera: Satyagraha

J’Nai Bridges sang with warmth and empathy as Kasturbai

Opera News
Read

Acclaim

LA Opera: Satyagraha

He is joined by an outstanding cast that includes J’Nai Bridges, gorgeously resonant as Gandhi’s wife, Kasturbai

Los Angeles Times
Read

Acclaim

LA Opera: Satyagraha

The statuesque mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges…brings a sense of stoic certainty to the role of Kasturbai.

San Francisco Classical Voice
Read

Acclaim

LA Opera: Satyagraha

Ms. Bridges, our Nefertiti of last season, has a captivatingly rich sound and she stood out consistently as a performer and voice to keep an eye on.

Parterre
Read

Acclaim

LA Opera: Satyagraha

The role of Kasturbai, Gandhi's wife, gave J'Nai Bridges the chance to shine both vocally in sonic splendor and visually in a lovely sari.

BroadwayWorld
Read

Acclaim

LA Opera: Satyagraha

J’Nai Bridges was seen here in 2016 as Nefertiti in Glass’s Akhnaten, and as Gandhi’s wife she once again proved to have the depth of tone and expression to carry off the vocal demands of a Glass score.

Seen and Heard International
Read

Features

J’Nai Bridges

Like something out of a movie, J’Nai Bridges' senior year of high school she was faced with a dilemma. A choice that would alter the course of her life, she had to decide between music or basketball.

Flaunt Magazine
Read

Features

Philip Glass’ opus ‘Satyagraha’ brings collective communion — and otherworldly puppets — to L.A. Opera

“It really feels like we’re just one big unit,” she says. “Not one person is more important than the other.”

Los Angeles Times
Read

Acclaim

LA Master Chorale: Mozart Requiem

gorgeously projected, rich tones.

Los Angeles Times
Read

Acclaim

Lyric Opera of Chicago: Stars of Lyric Opera at Millennium Park

Bridges seduced the entire audience with a powerful performance characterized by a rich, earthy sound and admirable legato.

Hyde Park Herald
Read

Acclaim

Lyric Opera of Chicago: Stars of Lyric Opera at Millennium Park

The fullness and tonal depth of Bridges’ upper notes, the husky quality of her low ones and the sheer lusciousness of her legato lines gave the evening its first thrilling high point.

Chicago Tribune
Read

Features

Opera Requires No Formula

It was by no means certain that she would be drawn to the opera. During school, J'NAI BRIDGES had other things in mind than Verdi or Puccini, Bizet or John Adams.

OPERNWELT
Read

Acclaim

San Francisco Opera: Girls Of The Golden West

Bridges displayed breathtaking composure and inner strength in the part. She is lovely to behold, and her melting voice only adds to the impact of her terrifying story.

The Bay Area Reporter
Read

Acclaim

San Francisco Opera: Girls Of The Golden West

J'Nai Bridges sings the ill-fated Josefa with pride, elegance and a gloriously rich mezzo (as well as looking stunning)...

BachTrack
Read

Acclaim

San Francisco Opera: Girls Of The Golden West

J’Nai Bridges gave a glowing, searing performance as Josefa, who responds to the mob with serene fury.

The New Yorker
Read

Acclaim

San Francisco Opera: Girls Of The Golden West

J'Nai Bridges brought a lush mezzo and a defiant ferocity to Josefa...

The Wall Street Journal
Read

Acclaim

San Francisco Opera: Girls Of The Golden West

Mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges sang Josefa Segovia with glowering intensity and a beautiful dark tone.

San Francisco Classical Voice
Read

Features

J’Nai Bridges Is Ready

Fist bumps and high fives don’t often follow a mezzo-soprano’s brisk high Cs or equally impressive delivery of low range, dusky, rich notes, but when ambition appears in the voice and form of J’Nai Bridges, it’s hard to resist.

San Francisco Classical Voice
Read

Acclaim

Lyric Opera of Chicago: Stars of Lyric Opera at Millennium Park

Bridges [was] seductive... [She] had the most gorgeous gown of the evening (and it was an evening of many gorgeous gowns) — a tight fitting fuchsia confection with a mermaid skirt and undulating ruffles at the neck and down the back. She was equally gorgeous in "Va! Laisse couler mes larmes" from “Werther.” Her approach was thoughtful, the result was moving, and she had particularly lovely dark sound in her lowest notes.

Hyde Park Herald
Read

Acclaim

National Symphony Orchestra: Christoph Eschenbach Conducts Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony

Try not to get choked up at Eschenbach’s majestic and even surprising take, delivered by the reliable Choral Arts Society and a superb cast of soloists (Leah Crocetto, J’nai Bridges, Joseph Kaiser, and Solomon Howard).

Washington Classical Review
Read

Acclaim

National Symphony Orchestra: Christoph Eschenbach Conducts Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony

Mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, a sensation at Wolf Trap in recent summers, brought refinement and power to the alto solo.

Washington Classical Review
Read

Acclaim

Vancouver Opera Festival: Dead Man Walking

Bridges is blessed with a rich, clear, yet often sultry-as-Louisiana-summer mezzo that scales easily into the higher register and finds all the shading of the score's jazzier lilts.

The Georgia Straight
Read

Acclaim

Vancouver Opera Festival: Dead Man Walking

...Bridges is exemplary, a singer we will surely hear from in the future.

Vancouver Sun
Read

Acclaim

Bayerische Staatsoper: Andrea Chénier

J’Nai Bridges as the ladies-maid Bersi turned prostitute made a lot of the relatively small role. Singing with significant heft over the raucous music in ‘Temer Perché?’ the mezzo-soprano confidently proclaimed she had nothing to fear from revolutionary spies.

Seen and Heard International
Read

Acclaim

Bayerische Staatsoper: Andrea Chénier

American mezzo J’Nai Bridges looked and sounded astoundingly good as Bersi.

Opera News
Read

Features

Talking with singers: J’Nai Bridges

Yet Bridges has an unexpected advantage. Before pursuing seriously her singing career, she ran track competitively and played basketball. Like many opera singers do, Bridges considers the discipline she had as an athlete, "kind of like being an opera singer."

Schmopera
Read

Acclaim

LA Opera: Akhnaten

Particularly affecting, both musically and dramatically, was Akhnaten and Nefertiti’s duet in Act II. Slowly emerging from the wings in scarlet robes with long trains, Anthony Roth Costanzo and J’Nai Bridges sang elegantly of their love. As in the “Liebestod” from Tristan and Isolde, it became a moment outside time, a mystical glimpse into the beyond. Costanzo has the classic countertenor’s eerie celestial sound, well-suited to the role, and Bridges’s rich mezzo blended with his voice so well that it felt like listening to the folk tradition of blood harmony – that singular sound of close relatives singing together, which creates a sort of aural shimmer.

Seen and Heard International
Read

Acclaim

LA Opera: Akhnaten

J’Nai Bridges, a rising star, is an opulent Nefertiti.

Los Angeles Times
Read

Features

J’Nai Bridges Bounces from the Basketball Court to the Opera House

Now, at the age of 29, the American mezzo-soprano is performing major roles for some of the world’s most renowned companies including the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Los Angeles Opera, and the Bavarian State Opera.

KQED Arts
Read

Acclaim

Wolf Trap Opera: The Rape of Lucretia

...with the gentle female sphere of Lucretia, which Britten drapes with luminosity, and which J’Nai Bridges invested with regal anguish

The Washington Post
Read

Features

J’Nai Bridges Is Conquering the Opera World

The mezzo-soprano just finished the Lyric’s training program and heads toward a promising career.

Chicago Mag
Read

Features

Opera News – Rising Stars

Last spring, mezzo J'Nai Bridges was one of a handful of American artists competing for Cardiff’s Singer of the World prize.

Opera News
Read

Acclaim

San Diego Opera: Madama Butterfly

J’nai Bridges’ Suzuki can lay claim as one of the finest displays of Japanese reserve and restraint. Vocally gifted with effusive, smoky substance, her softness and soulfulness fit like a glove as the devoted servant. It is here (and likely the only place) where true frisson and pathos deeply penetrate the soul. Ms. Bridges expresses her character with moving delicateness; she will go far.

ConcertoNet.com
Read

Features

Friends team up for ‘Madama Butterfly’

Raised in Lakewood, Wash., Bridges also sang in church as a girl, but unlike Moore, her voice never suited the demands of gospel music. Instead she found her groove as a classical singer when she was a basketball-playing senior in high school ... Her facility at winning contests — she gives credit to her athletic training, which helps her perform well under pressure — put her on the map with a lot of artistic directors and conductors, who have booked her for many upcoming roles through mid-2017.

The San Diego Union-Tribune
Read

Features

BWW Interview: J’Nai Bridges Morphs from Sports to Suzuki in SDO Butterfly

When it comes to rising stars in the opera world, J'nai Bridges is one to watch.

Broadway World
Read

Features

Forty (More) Under Forty: The Next Generation of Great Opera Singers, Part 2

J’nai Bridges, mezzo-soprano, memorably sang the role of Carmen, a young Peruvian, in Jimmy López and Nilo Cruz’s Bel Canto at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

WQXR Operavore
Read

Acclaim

Lyric Opera of Chicago: Bel Canto

​Carmen’s character is deftly etched in Lopez’s music, and J’nai Bridges delivered it exquisitely, her rich mezzo commanding admirable attention.​

Huffington Post
Read

Acclaim

Lyric Opera of Chicago: Bel Canto

That said, there are beguiling musical turns in this work that make it a success, notably a pair of powerful, side-by-side duets near the close and a touching aria written for a rebel named Carmen, sung beautifully by mezzo J'Nai Bridges.​

Denver Post
Read

Acclaim

Lyric Opera of Chicago: Bel Canto

​Carmen’s character is deftly etched in Lopez’s music, and J’nai Bridges delivered it exquisitely, her rich mezzo commanding admirable attention.​

Seen and Heard International
Read

Acclaim

Lyric Opera of Chicago: Bel Canto

​sung by ​the plush-voiced mezzo-soprano J’nai Bridges​ . . .

The New York Times
Read

Acclaim

Los Angeles Philharmonic and Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony

​The other soloists — soprano Mariana Ortiz, mezzo-soprano J'nai Bridges and tenor Joshua Guerrero (all are on the recording as well) — made a tight, strong ensemble.​

Los Angeles Times
Read

Acclaim

Lyric Opera of Chicago: Il trovatore

J’nai Bridges, a star in the making, likewise brought more detail to the servant Inez than the usual cypher.

Chicago Classical Review
Read

Acclaim

Lyric Opera of Chicago: Il trovatore

Like everyone else in the cast, mezzo-soprano J’nai Bridges, who appeared as Inez, Leonora’s handmaiden, brought a sense of fully-drawn character to her role.

Chicago Sun-Times
Read

Acclaim

Lyric Opera of Chicago: Beyond the Aria

The idea is to pair two established artists with a young Ryan Center artist for each program. As it turned, out, Ryan member Bridges, delivered some of the finest moments of the evening. The mezzo-soprano’s rendition of Ravel’s Sheherezade cycle was mesmerizing, alternately impassioned and suffused with sensual languor and smoky tone. She brought a maternal caressing expression to Montsalvatge’s lullaby Canción de cuna para dormir un negrito and sassy panache to Gershwin’s I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise, returning this standard to its jazz-age roots.

Chicago Classical Review
Read

Acclaim

Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Recital

In the French songs of Debussy, Bridges opened confidently with a rich resonant sound surrounded by a dramatic depth, even when she was not singing.

Washington Life Magazine
Read

Acclaim

Finger Lakes Opera: Carmen

J’nai Bridges and Gregory Kunde lit the fire of a passionate, sensual, once-in-a-lifetime, full-moon evening. The children’s ensemble, the reckless knife fights, the sexy ballet and the driving energy overwhelmed my previous memory of Placido Domingo’s Metropolitan Opera production twenty years ago.

Read

Acclaim

Knoxville Opera: Norma

KO executive director Brian Salesky hit pay dirt in casting the role of the priestess Adalgisa with mezzo-soprano J’nai Bridges, a singer probably unlikely to be in Knoxville Opera’s price range for much longer. Bridges’ voice is warm and velvety, but with a thrilling edge quite miraculous in a young singer. Her Act I aria, 'Sgombra e la sacra selva … Deh! proteggimi, o Dio,' a prayer to her god to protect her from the misfortunes of love, was memorable for its dramatic impact, not to mention a clarity of tone capable of causing a few spine tingles.

metropulse.com
Read

Acclaim

Lyric Opera of Chicago: Rising Stars in Concert

...Bridges can be a knockout. She most certainly was in Sapho's recitative and aria from the eponymous Massenet work, which she delivered with an earthy, alluring sound, impressive range and proud bearing, to match the vibrant Bess she sang later in the program opposite the Porgy of second-year baritone Will Liverman.

Chicago Tribune
Read

Acclaim

Chicago Symphony Orchestra: Ravel’s Shéhérazade

Currently a young artist at the Lyric Opera’s Ryan Opera Center, Bridges possesses a clear and flexible voice and her performance of Ravel’s Chansons madecasses was first class in every way. The young mezzo brought just the right degree of sensual languor to “Nahandove” in a flowing and sensitive rendering. She put across the emotional intensity of the anti-colonialist 'Aoua!' with bracing fervor and dusky chest tone without losing Gallic refinement or going over the top. The relaxed romantic essence of 'Il est doux' was equally poised and expressive. The trio support by Aucoin at the piano, cellist Kenneth Olsen and Jennifer Gunn doubling flute and piccolo was on a comparably high level.

Chicago Classical Review
Read

Acclaim

Lyric Opera of Chicago: La traviata

Standouts among the comprimarios included Richard Ollarsaba's velvety Grenvil and an uncommonly alluring Flora from J'nai Bridges.

Opera News
Read

Acclaim

Lyric Opera of Chicago: Stars of Lyric Opera Concert

The 'Carmen' sequence was notable chiefly for allowing the promising young American mezzo-soprano J'nai Bridges to strut her alluringly dusky voice and fiery temperament as the Gypsy femme fatale, opposite tenor Brandon Jovanovich's ardent Don Jose. This was a good start on a touchstone role she may well make her own one day.

Chicago Tribune
Read

Acclaim

Curtis Opera Theatre and Opera Company of Philadelphia: Elegy for Young Lovers

J’nai Bridges’s smoky, well-projected mezzo as the secretary Carolina was another standout.

Bachtrack.com
Read