Jana Holzmeier, DMA

Soprano Jana Holzmeier has been praised by reviewers as a “delightful performer,” possessing “celestial” sound, “impeccable phrasing and a keen sense of character.”  The Austin American-Statesman described her as a performer who could “stir up a few goose bumps with her vocal power and expression; just when you thought she had reached her limit, she found something in reserve.”

Jana is currently a Professor of Music at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, NE, where she teaches Voice, Musical Theatre Voice, Vocal Pedagogy, and Singer’s Diction.  Her past voice students have included winners of the Nebraska and Iowa Metropolitan Opera Auditions, winners of the Hal Leonard Vocal Competition, and students who were selected as apprentice artists at Des Moines Metropolitan Opera, and Sarasota Opera.  Jana has a Master’s Degree in Vocal Music Performance from Indiana University, where she was a student of Dale Moore.  She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Music Performance from The University of Texas at Austin, where she was a student of Darlene Wiley.

Jana has appeared as a soloist at Avery Fisher Hall with New York’s Westside Orchestra and at venues in Germany, Austria, Italy, and Hungary.  She has performed with Abendmusik–Lincoln, the Lincoln Symphony, the Voices of Omaha, Lincoln Lutheran Choir, the Axtell Area Oratorio Society, Lincoln Civic Orchestra, Lincoln Municipal Band, the Victoria Bach Festival, the New Texas Festival, Chamber Music Quad Cities, the Quad City Symphony, and the Quad Cities Mozart Festival.  Her orchestral repertoire includes Canteloube’s Chants d’Auvergne, Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Copland’s Old American Songs, and Barber’s Knoxville:  Summer of 1915.  Jana’s oratorio performances include Handel’s Messiah, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Mozart’s Requiem, Coronation Mass, and Grand Mass in C Minor, Poulenc’s Gloria, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion and Magnificat, Schubert’s Mass in G Major, and Fauré’s Requiem.

On the operatic stage, Jana has appeared as Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Laurie in Copland’s The Tender Land, Adele in Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, Mrs. Nolan in Menotti’s The Medium, the Female Chorus in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, Nella and Ciesca in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Antonia in Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann, Mary in Randall Thompson’s The Nativity According to St. Luke, and Nedda in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci.