JMU D.M.A student performs in Houston Grand Opera’s landmark season
School of Music student, Jondra Harmon, joins the cast of Porgy and Bess
College of Visual and Performing Arts
James Madison University Doctor of Musical Arts student, Jondra Harmon, took the national stage this fall, performing in Houston Grand Opera’s new production of Porgy and Bess as part of the company’s recently announced 2025-26 season.
Harmon, a mezzo-soprano and D.M.A. graduate assistant in the vocal performance program at JMU’s School of Music, brings nearly two decades of teaching experience while pursuing her degree.
For Harmon, appearing with one of the nation’s most acclaimed opera companies represents a significant step in her emerging career.
Harmon’s success contributes to CVPA’s growing national footprint. As D.M.A. candidates like Harmon take the stage with leading arts organizations, they help amplify JMU’s reputation for producing artist-scholars who are ready to perform, teach, and lead at the highest levels.
JMU voice professor, Sonya Baker, recently traveled to Houston and saw Harmon perform with HGO.
The Doctor of Musical Arts degree program is the most advanced course of study offered in the School of Music. The program is designed to make graduates more marketable in higher education by emphasizing pedagogy and literature, as well as advanced performance and conducting skills.
Experiences like performing in the Houston Grand Opera enrich the School of Music’s learning environment, offering fellow students a window into the realities of large-scale opera production, audition preparation, and career development.
Harmon earned a Bachelor of Arts in music education with dual concentrations in voice and bassoon, as well as a Master of Music degree in voice performance from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University.
Harmon has performed across America and internationally with the American Spiritual Ensemble and has been featured in productions with esteemed organizations such as Opera Carolina, Kentucky Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Washington National Opera, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Her extensive performance experience includes a wealth of oratorio and symphonic credits, such as Duruflé’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Mozart’s Requiem, and Haydn’s Mass in Time of War.
Currently, she balances her responsibilities as a chorister with Asbury United Methodist Church in Harrisonburg and as a soloist with First Presbyterian Church in Richmond.
Harmon, a mezzo-soprano and D.M.A. graduate assistant in the vocal performance program at JMU’s School of Music, brings nearly two decades of teaching experience while pursuing her degree.For Harmon, appearing with one of the nation’s most acclaimed opera companies represents a significant step in her emerging career.
Harmon’s success contributes to CVPA’s growing national footprint. As D.M.A. candidates like Harmon take the stage with leading arts organizations, they help amplify JMU’s reputation for producing artist-scholars who are ready to perform, teach, and lead at the highest levels.
JMU voice professor, Sonya Baker, recently traveled to Houston and saw Harmon perform with HGO.
The Doctor of Musical Arts degree program is the most advanced course of study offered in the School of Music. The program is designed to make graduates more marketable in higher education by emphasizing pedagogy and literature, as well as advanced performance and conducting skills.
Experiences like performing in the Houston Grand Opera enrich the School of Music’s learning environment, offering fellow students a window into the realities of large-scale opera production, audition preparation, and career development.
Harmon earned a Bachelor of Arts in music education with dual concentrations in voice and bassoon, as well as a Master of Music degree in voice performance from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University.
Harmon has performed across America and internationally with the American Spiritual Ensemble and has been featured in productions with esteemed organizations such as Opera Carolina, Kentucky Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Washington National Opera, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Her extensive performance experience includes a wealth of oratorio and symphonic credits, such as Duruflé’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Mozart’s Requiem, and Haydn’s Mass in Time of War.
Currently, she balances her responsibilities as a chorister with Asbury United Methodist Church in Harrisonburg and as a soloist with First Presbyterian Church in Richmond.
