With her warm, expressive voice, dynamic stage presence, and conscientious attention to musical detail, soprano Shannon Jongema is a mesmerizing storyteller on opera and concert stages alike. 

Shannon’s recent operatic and concert credits include the roles of Mimì (La bohème) and Julia (Der Vetter aus Dingsda) at the University of Memphis; Mme. Silberklang (Der Schauspieldirektor), Suor Dolcina/Suor Osmina (Suor Angelica), and soprano soloist (Mozart Requiem) with Varna International Music Academy in Varna, Bulgaria and on tour through northern Italy; soprano soloist (Elijah) with Rhodes MasterSingers; soprano soloist (Bach Mass in B Minor, Still And They Lynched Him on a Tree) with the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, Florida; as well as Lucy (The Telephone) and Mrs. Gobineau (The Medium) with Musical Traditions, Inc. in Altamonte, Florida. 

Shannon is passionate about storytelling through music, and she shares that passion by stage directing as well as singing. Shannon’s directing credits include Menotti’s The Medium and scenes from Verdi’s La Traviata at the University of Memphis. She has also assistant directed productions of Don Giovanni at the University of Memphis and The Rake’s Progress with Opera Memphis. 

Shannon is looking forward to singing the role of Rosabella in Loesser’s The Most Happy Fella at the University of Memphis in Spring 2025. In the summer she will assistant direct Cavalli’s La Calisto with Opera Memphis, and in the fall she will present Remembering the Words, a solo degree recital highlighting poets and writers whose words have been set to music. She is also workshopping a chamber opera project in which she will both direct and sing in a double bill of Menotti’s The Telephone and Heggie’s At the Statue of Venus. 

Shannon is currently pursuing her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in vocal performance with a cognate in stage directing at the University of Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music serving as a graduate teaching assistant in voice and opera and studying under Dr. Paulina Villareal. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in music and secondary education from Rollins College where she studied under Dr. Caitlin Mohr and Professor Amy Gifford.