Soprano Janese Pentico has been described as “a hardworking, humble artist, open to direction, and a joy to have as part of a creative process.” (Gene Roberts, Stage Director) In the 2019 season, she made her role debut as Mimì in La bohème at the Midwest Institute of Opera and in the title role of Madama Butterfly at Operfestival di Roma. Fresh out of her graduate work, she was heard last fall as Contessa Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro with New York Lyric Opera Theatre.
In 2020, Ms. Pentico joined the Young Artist Program at Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, where she covered the role of Madama Butterfly. She also performed as Zerlina in Don Giovanni, was heard in a variety of educational outreach programs, and sang in the popular Sundays at the Basile series while she was a resident artist at Indianapolis Opera. Following her residency at IO, Ms. Pentico prepared the title role in Rachmaninoff’s Francesca da Rimini with the prestigious Russian Opera Workshop by virtual means.
A lover of French and contemporary opera, in 2016 Ms. Pentico created the role of Soprano in Isabelle Aboulker’s Les fables enchantèes in Pèrigueux, France with the Franco-American Vocal Academy. She has also performed the title role of Cendrillon and Lìa in L’enfant prodigue. Other contemporary roles include Liberty in Milton Granger’s The Proposal, Betsy in Marc Bucci’s Sweet Betsy from Pike, and Julie the Realtor in Michael Ching’s Speed Dating Tonight!. Traditional repertoire includes Dido in Dido and Aeneas and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni.
After teaching secondary music education in rural Utah, Ms. Pentico earned a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from North Park University in Chicago. She attained her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education at Southern Utah University, where she studied with Lawrence Johnson and Carol Ann Modesitt. Janese is a current student of Samuel M. Handley. She resides in Wisconsin with her husband, two sons, and their beloved beagle.