Jazmine Saunders is a soprano from Rochester, New York currently in her first year in the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera. During the Met’s 2025-26 season, she will make her role debut as Clara in Porgy and Bess, and cover Lisa in La Sonnambula. During the Metropolitan Opera's 2024–25 season, Saunders makes her company debut as Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro, covers Pip in Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer's Moby-Dick, and covers two of the voices of the Unborn Children in Die Frau ohne Schatten. Additionally, this season she covered the role of Claire Devon in the United States premiere of Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek's The Listeners at Opera Philadelphia.

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Last summer, Saunders joined The Santa Fe Opera as an Apprentice Artist, where she made her company and role debut as Shannon in the world premiere of The Righteous by Gregory Spears and Tracy K. Smith. There, she also covered Giannetta in L'elisir d'amore, covered the Dressmaker in Der Rosenkavalier, and appeared in the Apprentice Scenes as Lisette in La Rondine. In the summer of 2023, Saunders joined Wolf Trap Opera as a Studio Artist, where she covered Donna Anna in Don Giovanni. There, she also performed as Gilda (Rigoletto) and Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier) in the Studio Spotlight scenes perfomance.

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On the concert stage, Saunders has appeared as the soprano soloist in Dame Ethel Smyth's Mass in D with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Cathedral Choral Society, Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore and Bach’s Magnificat with The New Choral Society, Mozart’s Requiem with Glens Falls Symphony, and Mozart’s Great Mass in C-minor with the City Choir of Washington. Additionally, Saunders was a participant in both Renée Fleming’s SongStudio, and Joyce DiDonato’s Master Class series at Carnegie Hall.

 

Saunders recently earned her master's degree in voice from The Juilliard School (MM '24, Vocal Arts), where she was a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship. There, she covered Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito, performed as Elaine O’Neill in John Musto’s Later the Same Evening, performed as La Suora Infermiera in Suor Angelica, and performed as a soloist in Purcell's King Arthur. ​​Saunders earned her bachelor's degree in voice from the Eastman School of Music (BM ‘22, Voice Performance), where she graduated with Highest Distinction, and performed the title role of La Calisto, The Witch in Into the Woods, The Lady with the Hand Mirror in Postcard from Morocco, and Tonina in Salieri's Prima la musica e poi le parole. At Eastman, she was the 2020-2022 recipient of the William Warfield Scholarship.

 

Saunders performed as Adele in Die Fledermaus with Rochester Summer Opera, and is an alumna of Houston Grand Opera’s 2021 Young Artists’ Vocal Academy (YAVA). As an Emerging Artist at Seagle Festival 2022, Saunders performed as Miss Lightfoot in Fellow Travelers, Suor Osmina in Suor Angelica, and covered Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi.

 

In addition to her extensive stage experience, Saunders has received numerous awards from many prestigious vocal competitions, including the The Albert Sherman Memorial Award from the 2024 Opera Index Vocal Competition, the Audience Choice Award from Houston Grand Opera's 2024 Eleanor McCollum Competition, the Encouragement Award from the 2022 Opera Index Vocal Competition, first place in the Developing Artist Division of the 2023 Duncan Williams Voice Competition, second place in the 2023 Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition (Opera Division), and New York District winner and recipient of the Encouragement Award from the Eastern Region of the Metropolitan Opera's 2023–24 Laffont Competition.

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Most importantly, Jazmine Saunders is a follower of Jesus Christ. Saunders wholeheartedly believes that her purpose in life is to glorify God and to share His love through the use of her voice.