Jennifer Piazza-Pick, DMA

Biography

Praised for singing with “passion and emotional depth” (Richmond Times-Dispatch), soprano Jennifer Piazza-Pick has had an active career encompassing oratorio, recitals, concerts, opera, chamber music, world premieres, and ensemble singing. She was a member of the House Chorus with the Nationaltheater Mannheim in Germany, where she performed in over 50 different productions. In the U.S., she has performed with Ithaca Opera, Long Beach Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Opera Piccola of San Antonio, the Princeton Festival and the Charlottesville Symphony, among others. Active also as a concert singer, Piazza-Pick has performed in several concert series as a soloist and ensemble singer, including a concert tour of Poland, Belarus, Latvia, and Lithuania with the U.S. Army Europe Band. Her professional ensemble experience includes the Oregon Bach Festival, Dallas Choral Festival, Virginia Chorale, San Antonio Chamber Choir, and special choral ensembles at Carnegie Hall. The winner of Hawaii Public Radio’s art song contest, Piazza-Pick was also a finalist for the American Prize in the women’s art song division and the winner of the George Cortes Award for Classical Singing by the Artist Foundation of San Antonio. Her work has been featured on NPR across the country, on several podcasts, and the TV show Virginia Currents.

Collaborating with other artists is one of Dr. Piazza-Pick’s passions. She has performed with Alamo City Ballet and the Richmond Ballet, as well as with dancers and poets for individual projects. She has been featured in concerts with San Antonio’s poet laureate Carmen Tafolla and Maryland’s poet laureate Grace Cavalieri. Piazza-Pick’s musical curiosity led her to co-found Whistling Hens, a chamber ensemble devoted to performing and commissioning music by women. Since 2018, they have commissioned 14 original works, 10 transcriptions, the Women Composers Coloring Book, and inspired 17 dedicated works. Their debut album, Reacting to the Landscape, features the works of seven living American women composers. Whistling Hens has earned many awards and accolades, including the prestigious Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Grant. Their second album, Big Crass Monster, debuts in October 2025.

Piazza-Pick also actively researches music by women for early-stage singers. Her research on women composers has been presented at the International College Music Society Conference, National NATS convention, National Opera Association National Conference, International Music by Women Festival, Darkwater Womxn in Music Festival, Women Composers Festival of Hartford, Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention, International Clarinet Association, Sam Houston State University’s Art Song Festival, and the American Library Association National Convention. It has also been featured in Journal of Singing.

Education

D.M.A., Solo Voice, University of Maryland
Graduate Certificate, Nonprofit Management and Leadership, University of Maryland
M.M., Voice Performance, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
B.M., Music Education and Voice Performance, Ithaca College