American dramatic soprano Jillian Finnamore is based in Berlin and is building a reputation for her powerful voice and commanding stage presence. Her repertoire now centers on the major dramatic roles of Wagner, including Isolde, Brünnhilde, and Kundry, alongside core Italian roles. In 2026, Jillian will perform Isolde (Tristan und Isolde) in Berlin.
Her recent engagements include Marietta/Marie in English National Opera’s 2023 The Dead City/Die tote Stadt, Turandot for Instant Opera’s 2025 production of Turandot, and soprano soloist in Verdi’s Requiem (2025, Abingdon Musical & District Society). Ms. Finnamore also performed Dritte Norn and both Woglinden in Regents Opera’s 2025 award-winning Des Ring des Nibelungen, performed in London.
Opera Now magazine has remarked that “she commanded the stage” at English National Opera, and how she has “a particularly voluptuous middle register.”
After winning the Robert Presley Memorial Verdi Prize in fall 2021, Ms. Finnamore made her debut singing Abigaille from Nabucco (Verdi), another long and demanding soprano role. In 2022, she also made her debuts singing Micaëla in Carmen and Marietta/Marie from Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt, both with Regents Opera.
Before moving to Berlin in October 2019, she sang extensively throughout the United States and Italy. Roles included Tosca with the Mediterranean Opera Festival, Aida with Opus Concert Productions, Mimì with Arbor Opera Theatre, and Desdemona (Otello) and Violetta (La Traviata), both with Center Stage Opera. Ms. Finnamore widely performed Lucia di Lammermoor, along with Donna Anna and Musetta.
Katie Loff Photography
She also performs on the concert stage as soprano soloist. Past oratorios have included Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate and Coronation Mass, Brahms’ Requiem, the Christmas Oratorio of Saint-Saëns, Haydn’s Little Organ Mass and Lord Nelson Mass, Fauré’s Requiem, Schubert’s Mass in G, and Handel’s Messiah.
During the German lockdown, Ms. Finnamore worked at the Berlin Staatsoper with director Caroline Staunton and conductor Ben Woodward, working on Tosca, Amelia (Un Ballo in Maschera), Butterfly, and Mimì (La Bohème).
Jillian continues to light up the concert stage with her beautiful, authentic singing. She has performed 1920’s & 30’s German lieder and opera, both in Germany and New York City. She also created the role of Tourist A in the world premiere of the opera Lost in Translation, by Bruce Trinkley and Jason Charnesky. Ms. Finnamore covered the role of Zemphira (from Rachmaninoff’s Aleko), sung in Russian, and has performed extensive operatic excerpts from Manon, La Juive, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Cendrillon, Die Zauberflöte (Queen of the Night, Paminia, and First Lady), and Don Pasquale.
Elizabeth Vrenios, past president of the National Opera Association, has said that soprano Jillian Finnamore is “an extremely talented and energetic beauty who has drama, musicianship, flair, and a gorgeous instrument.” She was a finalist in both The Rising Star Emerging Artist Award and the Harold Haugh Competition and sang the role of Mabel in Southern Great Lakes Symphony’s Pirates of Penzance concert.
As part of her concert repertoire, she performs themed recitals for social justice causes, archetypal, and mythological themes. She has curated classical recitals around Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey—the story template on which the Star Wars franchise is based.
Ms. Finnamore has participated in numerous opera courses, including the Harrower and Crittenden Opera Workshops, Lotte Lehmann Akademie, Bel Canto in Tuscany, Elysium International Festival, and the Mediterranean Opera Festival. Finally, she has intensively studied Alexander Technique, participating in Total Vocal Freedom for 11⁄2 years, the inaugural training course led by Peter Jacobson.
Jillian graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor’s of Music in Vocal Performance. Born in Papua New Guinea and raised in West Africa, she brings an international perspective to her work.
Katie Loff Photography