Jessica Graves is a versatile soprano with a passion for both opera and musical theatre. Originally from Brooklyn, NY, she is now based in Boston, MA, where she regularly performs with companies such as Odyssey Opera, MassOpera, Opera on Tap, and the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra.

In 2024, Jessica won second place in the professional musical theater division of Opera Mississippi’s John Alexander National Vocal Competition and performed in the winner’s concert in February 2024. Her 2024 season also included exciting debuts with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra (Norma) and Odyssey Opera, where she performed in Dominick Argento’s The Voyage of Edgar Allan Poe, presented in partnership with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project.

Last spring, Jessica made her debut as Pamina in MassOpera’s 2023 production of The Magic Flute, conducted by Lisa Graham and directed by Pascale Florestal. She was also named a semi-finalist in the 2022 MassOpera Competition.

Previous engagements include her time as a Young Artist with the Opera Company of Middlebury, where she covered the role of Diane and performed in the ensemble of Orphée aux enfers under the baton of Clinton Smith and directed by Doug Anderson. She was also a featured soloist in the company’s 2022 Young Artist Concert, performing Italian and zarzuela selections. In 2019, Jessica was an Apprentice Artist at the Miami Music Festival, where she made role debuts as Lucinda (Dark Sisters, Muhly) and Solo Niña (Ainadamar, Golijov).

Jessica earned her Master of Music from the Mannes School of Music in 2021, studying with Amy Burton and Susan Caldwell as a Provost’s Scholarship recipient. She was a featured soloist in both the 2020 and 2021 Mannes Sounds Festival, performing a diverse repertoire ranging from Kaija Saariaho’s contemporary works to Cole Porter cabaret standards. She holds a Bachelor of Music from Boston University, where she studied with Sharon Daniels and received the College of Fine Arts Scholarship throughout all four years of attendance as well as the Ella Lou Dimmock Honors Award & Recital in her last year of studies. During her time there, she performed in the Boston University Opera Institute’s productions of The Cunning Little Vixen and La Traviata.

Beyond opera, Jessica made her Apollo Theater debut in 2016 as the soprano soloist with Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. She is also a proud alumna of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in New York City and a National YoungArts Foundation Merit Award winner.