Soprano Jackline Madegwa, Native of Kenya, is Butterfly in American Chamber Opera Production of 'Madame Butterfly'

Jackline Madegwa (Butterfly)

Yesterday AfriClassical featured Jonathan Paul Cambry (b. 1982), a Haitian-American pianist who co-founded American Chamber Opera in 2011 and is the company's CEO.  Today we turn the next production, Madame Butterfly, January 18-20 and February 8-10, 2013.  Jackline Madegwa will sing the role of Butterfly.

Madame Butterfly Cast

Conductor: Codrut Birsan

Director: Jennifer Cox
Pianist: Jonathan Cambry
Jackline Madegwa (Butterfly)

Bio

Soprano Jackline Madegwa is a singer of exceptional artistry and versatility. A native of Eldoret, Kenya, Ms. Madegwa is a specialist of African music and dance and has appeared as a solo artist throughout her country and at the Kenyan State House. 

An expressive actress, Ms. Madegwa has appeared as Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with the Bay View Music Festival, where she also performed Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Bay View Chamber Orchestra, as the winner of the 2012 Adrian Boyer Concerto Competition. Additional stage credits include the role of Eliza in the world premiere of Lanye’s Highway to Canaan, and appearances with the Illinois Opera Theatre as the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Magic Flute, and as Bertha in Rossini’s Barber of Seville.

Jackline Madegwa is the 2012 Bel Canto Foundation Competition Winner. Other honors and awards include the SongFest (Pepperdine University) Stern Fellow in 2011, the Rochester Oratorio Society’s Classical Idol V Competition Audience Favorite in 2011, the Second National American Spirituals Competition Winner in 2010, the Central Illinois NATS Competition Winner in 2010, and the West Virginia Mountain State Classical Competition First-place winner, Honorable Mention at the Music Teacher’s National Association Eastern Region competition, and Winner of the Alderson-Broaddus College Concerto Competition, all in 2009. 

Ms. Madegwa holds the Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She earned the Bachelor’s degree in Musical Arts and Psychology from Alderson-Broaddus College (WV), where she was a featured soloist with the touring group, The West Virginians. She is currently pursuing the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and is a student of Dr. Ollie Watts Davis.