Jade Espina mezzo-soprano

An Arkansas native, mezzo-soprano Jade Espina is a classical singer and private voice and piano instructor based in Miami. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) in Voice Performance and Pedagogy with a cognate in Choral Conducting at the University of Miami Frost School of Music.

Ms. Espina earned her Master of Music in Voice Performance from Boston University, where she studied with Penelope Bitzas, and holds dual Bachelor of Music degrees in Voice Performance and Choral Music Education from the University of Colorado Boulder. She has appeared with numerous Boston-area companies, including Odyssey Opera, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Boston Opera Collaborative, Cantata Singers, NEMPAC Opera Project, Arlington Friends of the Drama, Due Donne Productions, and Promenade Opera Project. Her festival and training program credits include the Miami Music Festival Apprentice Program, Chicago Summer Opera, Up North Vocal Institute, Brevard Music Festival, CU Boulder’s College of Music “Music and Performing Arts – Renaissance in the XXI Century” study abroad program in Florence, and CU Boulder’s New Opera Workshop with Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer.

Passionate about teaching, Ms. Espina has served on the voice faculty of Boston University Tanglewood Institute’s Young Artist Vocal Program (YAVP), where she taught private lessons, Lyric Italian Diction, and directed opera scenes. She also earned her Professional Teacher License in Music Education in Massachusetts after four years of classroom teaching, with positions at Framingham Public Schools, New England Conservatory Preparatory School, and the Handel and Haydn Society’s Youth Choruses. In addition, she has maintained a thriving private studio in both Boston and Miami.

Recent stage credits include the role of the Older Woman in Jonathan Dove’s Flight with the Frost Opera Theater, as well as participation in Julie, a contemporary opera by Ember Shilts. In the 2024–2025 season, Ms. Espina joined Florida Grand Opera’s inaugural CANTO program (Classical Arts Network for Training and Outreach), where she performed and emceed the recital SongFest: The Party Goes On! with FGO Studio Artists and appeared as a featured lobby performer for Die Fledermaus, L’elisir d’amore, and Carmen. She looks forward to continuing with the CANTO program in 2025–2026.

Beyond her singing and teaching, Ms. Espina is an enthusiastic music director, having led productions of SpongeBob SquarePants (Youth Edition), Mary Poppins, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda Jr. at schools and youth theaters in Massachusetts.