Vita

American soprano Janet Williams is uniquely qualified to teach singers and coach performers, having won international critical acclaim for performances in leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera, Berlin Staatsoper, Paris Opera, Opera de Lyon, Nice Opera, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Geneva Opera, Frankfurt Opera, Cologne Opera, Leipzig Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington Opera, Dallas Opera, and Michigan Opera Theatre.  Her repertoire covers the epochs from Baroque to Contemporary and she has performed over 40 leading roles in the lyric – coloratura repertoire. Janet enjoys equal success on the world’s concert stages with renowned conductors, such as Daniel Barenboim, Philippe Herreweghe, René Jacobs, Raymond Leppard, Nicholas McGegan, Zubin Mehta, Sir Neville Marriner, Kent Nagano, Donald Runnicles, Gerald Schwarz, Patrick Summers and Michael Tilson Thomas.  Her recordings and television appearances are numerous and she was a featured performer in the Oscar-winning documentary film In the Shadow of the Stars.

“Irrepressible’ is a word that hardly does her justice. Her first act entrance … floating a high pure phrase across the house, had that charge of electricity that immediately rivets attention, and her famous ballroom aria Mein Herr Marquis was delightfully saucy.” – The New York Post on Janet Williams’ Metropolitan Opera debut.

Janet has studied and trained voices for more than 30 years, earning Bachelor degrees in both Music Education and Vocal Performance from Michigan State University and a Masters in Vocal Performance from Indiana University, where she was an Assistant Instructor under Professor Camilla Williams. She has taught master classes across the United States, in London, Paris and Berlin. She was recently invited to join the faculty of the Lotte Lehmann Academy in Germany. Her instructors and mentors have included world-renowned singers Professor Camilla Williams, Regine Crespin, Kammersängerin Helen Donath, Kammersängerin Brigitte Eisenfeld, Kammersängerin Reri Grist and noted international vocal pedagogue David Jones.

In 2006 Janet founded Performance Enhancement by Design to inspire emerging young artists and professional singers alike to develop untapped performance potential. Her love of the craft, her curiosity to find answers to speak to the individual performer’s needs and her vision of empowering singers to live their dreams led her write Nail Your Next Audition, The Ultimate 30 – Day Guide for Singers.