Jennifer Trost

The last several years have been occupied with teaching and performing new works. One of the highlights of my performing was commissioning Judith Cloud's Beethoven's Slippers: A Monodrama which is a one-act opera for either piano quartet and voice, or piano and voice.  The world premiere was at Judith's university (Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ) in a fully staged version directed by Eric Gibson.  Later I received a sabbatical semester and performed the piano/voice version (with Rita Borden or Svetlana Rodionova at the piano) in California, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and culminating in a presentation at the 2019 NOA National Conference in Salt Lake City, UT.

​

My occasional guesting with Penn State Opera Theatre has also been a lot of fun and has allowed me to get to know my students in a different way, outside of the studio and classroom, as well as being able to share with them who I am as a performer. Memorable roles have been the Mother in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, Lady Billows in Britten's Albert Herring, Aunt March in Adamo's Little Women, Madame de Croissy in Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites, and La Zia Principessa in Puccini's Suor Angelica.

​

I have also enjoyed performances with Maestro Edelstein and the Penn State Philharmonic, in particular Bernstein's Symphony No. 1 (Jeremiah) and Mahler's Symphony No. 3. 

​

Of course, my main focus has centered on my students and my teaching.  I love working with young singers and seeing them develop and mature as both singers and people.  It is so exciting and fulfilling to be a part of their life journeys.  It's what makes life truly satisfying.