Jill Grove

Praised by the Chicago Tribune for her “firmly knit tone from top to bottom of an imposingly wide range,” American mezzo-soprano Jill Grove returned to Houston Grand Opera as Ježibaba in Rusalka, Lyric Opera of Chicago as Margret in Wozzeck, and San Francisco Opera as Buryja in Jenůfa in the 2015/16 season. She also returned to Baba the Turk in The Rake’s Progress with Pittsburgh Opera and, in her home state of Texas, Verdi’s Requiem with the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra. Future engagements include returns to the Lyric Opera of Chicago and San Francisco Opera. Last season, she reprised Klytaemnestra in Elektra with Michigan Opera Theatre and Ježibaba in Rusalka with New Orleans Opera. She also made her role and company debut with Utah Opera as Baba the Turk in The Rake’s Progress with Thierry Fischer conducting and sang Elgar’s The Kingdom at the Grant Park Music Festival. In addition, she returned to the Lyric Opera of Chicago for the world premiere of Wlad Marhulet’s The Property in performances throughout the Chicagoland area in the inaugural season of Lyric Unlimited, a new educational initiative that expands community engagement through artistic innovation. 

Ms. Grove is a frequent guest at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, where she has sung performances of Ježibaba in Rusalka, and in past seasons, has joined the company as Klytaemnestra in Elektra, the Witch in Hänsel und Gretel, Die Amme in Die Frau ohne Schatten, Amneris in Aida, Erda in Götterdämmerung, and Countess Geschwitz in Lulu. At the Metropolitan Opera, her performances include Erda in Götterdämmerung and Das Rheingold, Magdalene in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Madelon in Andrea Chénier, Pantalis in Mefistofele, Emila in Otello, Mary in Die fliegende Holländer, Auntie in Peter Grimes, die Muschel in Die ägyptische Helena, and Cornelia in Giulio Cesare. 

A sought-after concert soloist, she has joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, National Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Utah Symphony, and Houston Symphony for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. She has sung Verdi’s Requiem with the Toronto Symphony under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis and with the Tucson Symphony and Calgary Philharmonic. She has performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 with the Houston Symphony under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra with Mariss Jansons conducting.

Ms. Grove’s recordings include Ulrica on a Chandos recording of Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera, Auntie in Peter Grimes on the London Symphony Orchestra Live label with Sir Colin Davis, a new production by John Doyle at the Metropolitan Opera (available on EMI DVD), Magdalene in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg under the baton of James Levine and issued on DVD by Deutsche Grammophon, as well as the Muschel in Strauss’s Die ägyptische Helena with the American Symphony Orchestra on Teldec. As a member of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, she sang the role of Tisbe in La cenerentola opposite Cecilia Bartoli which was released by Decca/London.