Jennifer Maines-Chamandy
Soprano
Jennifer Maines-Chamandy loves to sing. In fact there isn't any other profession that she'd rather do. As a child Jennifer loved to show off by singing and dancing for her large family of Aunts, Uncles and cousins. It was Jennifer's Mother that decided she should learn the piano and at an early age Jennifer thrived in shared piano classes where she could demonstrate her talent to the other six and seven year olds. Her mother didn't stop with piano lessons, she wanted Jennifer to attend the high school of the arts which by fate was just up the street from their middle class home in Ottawa, Ontario. Jennifer auditioned for the vocal program and was amazed to be accepted. She thought that she would be singing Whitney Houston all day, or perhaps Cindy Lauper or Madonna but this genre was not part of the curriculum and so Jennifer learned all about medieval chants, baroque, classical and so on. Her vocal cords were very happy in this environment and they flourished.
After high school, Jennifer went on to the University of Toronto where she obtained her Bachelor of Music degree. She had enjoyed singing almost exclusively art songs of different languages and early music. During her four years Jennifer had worked as an usher for the opera division performances and thus heard and developed an appreciation for opera. She loved one certain soprano the best because this soprano always made her cry. The girl was a favourite with the opera division and with the audience because she had it all, the pipes, the talent, the looks, and most of all the dramatic connection between the opera singer and the character she was portraying. Jennifer decided that she too could and would make an audience love her, cry for her, and mourn for her.
Some of Jennifer's performed roles to date include Micaela, Rosalinda, Donna Elvira, and most recently Carlisle Floyd's Susannah. In October of 1999 Jennifer will make one of her ultimate dreams come true by singing one of her favorite heroines, Madama Butterfly. She will finally have the opportunity to encompass a life and a death on stage. And will they cry? The answer is waiting in the future.
Currently living in Innsbruck, Austria, Jennifer is pursuing an international career.
Reviews
- The National Post - April 1 1999
- "Jennifer Maines-Chamandy in the demanding role was the mainstay of the production. She conveyed Susannah's goodness and love of life with body and voice; at the end of the opera, the hardening of her voice and face brought home the cruel destruction of a young woman's life.
- The Globe and Mail - April 1 1999
- "Jennifer Maines-Chamandy's soprano voice darkens and acquires a more substantial vibrato as it effortlessly ascends the scale. She sparkled in HMS Pinafore at the Huntsville Festival and The Merry Widow with Toronto Operetta Theatre in recent seasons and it was gratifying to see her successfully tackle meatier fare.
- The Toronto Star - Monday, March 29, 1999
- "Chamandy's was not a refined soprano, so the naturalness of her singing rang especially true to character."
- The Ottawa Citizen - Monday, October 19. 1998
- "Jennifer Maines-Chamandy, Dina Martire, and Jullie Nesrallah formed a delightful ensemble as the Three Ladies. Vain and flirtatious, but also well-meaning, they were as convincing with their acting as with their fine singing."
- Opera Canada - Winter 1998 issue
- "...the Three Ladies (sung by Jennifer Maines-Chamandy, Dina Martire, and Jullie Nesrallah) provided the requisite sizzle and lusty singing."
- Opera Canada - Spring 1996 issue
- "The high point in the evening came from soprano Jennifer Chamandy as Micaela, in her poignant aria 'Je dis que rien ne m'epouvante,' she was truly brilliant."
- The Performing Arts and Entertainment Magazine - 1995
- "Guillermo Silva-Marin mentions soprano Jennifer Chamandy as someone who he believes will be a major Canadian artist; TOT (Toronto Operetta Theatre) audiences may get the chance to say they knew her when..."
- Opera Canada - Spring 1995 issue
- "If anybody can steal a show and the audience's heart at the same time, it is Jennifer Chamandy. Her coquettish, charming Adele was brilliantly sung and solidly acted."
- The Huntsville Forester - July, 1994
- "...most notably the powerful soprano voice of Jennifer Chamandy, who played the Captain's daughter, Josephine."
- The Globe and Mail - Monday, March 7, 1994
- "The cast was led by the delightful Jennifer and Dan Chamandy, who portrayed Terese and her Husband, he with wonderfully focused tone, relaxed humor, and exemplary diction, she with a big, eager, blooming soprano."
Further information and contact details
For further information see Jennifer Maines-Chamandy's home page
E-mail: Jennifer Maines-Chamandy
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