Coloratura soprano, Jessica Spafford, has had success both nationally and abroad. She earned her doctorate in music performance, pedagogy, and literature from James Madison University in 2017. Since then, she has been teaching around the Shenandoah Valley at James Madison University, Mary Baldwin University, Bridgewater College, and Eastern Mennonite University, while maintaining a full private voice studio. In addition to her teaching career, Jessica also maintains an active performing schedule. Aside from being an avid recitalist, she most recently performed as Gretel in Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel with Luray Opera. In June 2016, she performed in Dresden, Germany, having been recruited to sing the Queen of the Night with the Radebeul Landesbühnen Sachsen Theater in their production of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. While abroad, she also performed the role of Lucy in Menotti’s The Telephone with the Mittelsächsisches Theater. Previously, she won the Columbus Opera’s young singer competition while at Ohio Wesleyan University and performed with the Central Ohio Symphony Orchestra. She went on to earn her Master of Music degree from Duquesne University, where she studied with Sari Gruber. Other prominent teachers include Anne Kopta, Marilyn Nims, and most notably, Dorothy Maddison. Jessica has performed other numerous leading roles in her career such as Soeur Constance in Dialogues des Carmélites, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Musetta in La bohème , Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Madame Herz in Der Schauspieldirektor , and Cunegonde in Candide.