Praised for her “luminous strands of silver vocalism” (Parterre Box), and her “voice of both power and beauty” (Operawire), soprano Jessica Sandidge is a versatile singing actor performing multiple styles and genres from classical to contemporary music. Recent and upcoming performances include some of Puccini’s greatest works, which are becoming staples in her vocal career. Her recent role debut as Tosca in Los Angeles showed her full range and abilities as a singing actor. She also reprised the role of Musetta (La Bohème), a role she has performed several times, at the McCallum Theater in Palm Desert. Up next is her role and company debut as Manon Lescaut with Opera Festival Chicago. Noteworthy recent performances include Elle in La Voix Humaine in a live performance recorded on a green screen, which was later screened at a movie theater in North Hollywood.
She first joined the Metropolitan Opera in their 2016/17 season. She was cast in cover roles such as Jano, Jenufa's sidekick in Janacek's devastating opera, and Dawn, the secretary in the US premiere of Nico Muhly's haunting opera Marnie, which is based on the Hitchcock film.
She is a Grand Prize Winner in the Marker and Pioneer International Singing Competition Soprano category as well as Third Place Winner in both the London International Music Competition and the Medici International Music Competition.
She is a Grand Prize Winner in the Marker and Pioneer International Singing Competition Soprano category as well as Third Place Winner in both the London International Music Competition and the Medici International Music Competition.
Another company she has worked with for multiple seasons is Sarasota Opera. Her debut there was in 2020 as Musetta (La Bohème) and Walter (La Wally). Her performance as the trouser role Walter in La Wally "displayed vocal virtuosity”(Opera Warhorses). In 2022 she made her role debut as Marie in Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment, which received critical acclaim from The Herald Tribune: “Sandidge has a voice you could listen to all day as she negotiates florid coloratura with great ease up and down her range.”
“...her dynamic control and expressive gestures notable throughout."
-Vivien Schweitzer, New York Times
In 2019 Jessica was honored to debut the challenging and heartbreaking role of Cio-Cio San (Madama Butterfly) with Long Island Lyric Opera with stage director Carol Caster, widow of the late Nico Castel.
Jessica then traveled halfway across the globe to reprise the much lighter and enchanting role of Hanna Glawari (The Merry Widow) in Hong Kong with Musica Viva later that year.
Jessica then traveled halfway across the globe to reprise the much lighter and enchanting role of Hanna Glawari (The Merry Widow) in Hong Kong with Musica Viva later that year.
Jessica has performed in a number of World Premiere pieces during her career. In the Summer of 2022 she performed with The American Opera Project in a World Premiere performance of Letters that you will not get: Women's voices from The Great War, a contemporary chamber opera by Kirsten Volness. In 2024, with West Bay Opera, she sang the role of Eva Peròn in the US premiere of Corpus Evita, by Carlos Franzetti. In 2017 she was only the second soprano to ever perform the role of Margaret Hughes in Carlisle Floyd’s last work, Prince of Players.
She has also received critical acclaim in rarely performed operas such as Donizetti’s Il Pigmalione (Galatea) with New York City Opera which was hailed by The New York Times. And three of Gluck’s one act operas: The Reformed Drunkard (Colette) with Little Opera Theater of NY, and La Corona (Atalanta)/Il Parnaso Confuso (Apollo) with Pacific Opera Project.
In 2018 she made her company debut with St Pete Opera as Violetta (La Traviata), a role she loves singing and had previously performed three times. This role not only suits her voice perfectly, but it also prepared her for the meatier role of Norma which she debuted later that year. That summer she also reprised Mimì (Bohème) with Pittsburgh Festival Opera. She has currently been in over half a dozen productions of La Bohème, in which she performed Mimì and Musetta multiple times.
Jessica has performed at Carnegie Hall several times in new works and the old classics. Her debut was Soprano in Fauré's Requiem in 2015. And in 2016 she premiered A Prayer for Mother Earth, by Ivo Antogninni. This concert also included solos in Requiem for the Living by Dan Forrest. Her Lincoln Center debut was in 2016 when she performed Violetta's aria, Ah, forse è lui...Sempre libera in Rose Hall. She then performed as Soprano in the National Chorale's Messiah Sing-in at David Geffen Hall.
Jessica currently lives in Los Angeles with her fiancé and teaches voice at Azusa Pacific University. She also sings and plays mandolin with her band The Opera Cowgirls at opera houses and theaters across the US.