Isola Jones — adjunct Voice faculty at SMCC -- is internationally recognized as an extraordinary mezzo soprano. Making her professional debut in the Verdi Requiem with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Ms. Jones within two years made her Metropolitan Opera debut in the role of Olga in Eugene Onegin. Since then she has sung more than 500 performances as a leading artist at “The Met,” paired with such international artists as Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Leontyne Price, Joan Sutherland, and performing under the baton of Richard Bonynge and James Levine.   Ms. Jones has performed many leading roles in her distinguished career including Giulietta in Les Contes D'Hoffman, Ulrica in Ballo in Maschera, Preziosilla in La Forza del Destino, Amneris in Aida, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Maddalena in Rigoletto, and Dalila in Samson and Dalila. But it is her portrayal of Carmen, her signature role, for which she is best known.

    This internationally acclaimed artist can be heard on a number of opera and concert recordings such as The “ Flying Dutchman,” Mahler’s “Symphony # 8” and “ Les Noces,” with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Sir Georg Solti and James Levine, respectively; “Porgy and Bess” with Lorin Maazel conducting; RCA’s “ Cavalleria Rusticana. “ James Levine, conducting; and a solo recording titled "Music of Bach, Handel and Purcell." Ms. Jones has also appeared in 10 "Live from the Met" telecast productions including: La Forza del Destino; Manon Lescaut; The 100th Anniversary Gala of the Metropolitan Opera and Francesca DaRimini all of which are available on video. Ms. Jones has sung with the following opera companies: Arizona Opera, Baltimore Opera, Calgary Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Dallas Opera, Denver Opera, Greensboro Opera, Hungarian Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Seattle Opera, Spoletto Festival, and at the Kennedy Center with the Washington Opera. In 1984 Ms. Jones was presented with the prestigious Merit Award from her Alma Mater, Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She earned a Master's Degree of Science in Education from Capella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Musical Arts from Providence College in Rhode Island.

Ms. Jones is currently teaching voice as an adjunct faculty member at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, Arizona, and has been inducted as an honored member of the United Who's Who of Executives and Professionals. You may also find Ms. Jones listed in “Faces of Arizona,” an art book of Arizona’s famous artists and patrons created and photographed by Michel Sarda. She was honored to participate in the world premier of “The Blessingway Songs” by composer James DeMars. Ms. Jones opened the 2005-2006 season of the Arizona Opera in the title role of Carmen and in April 2006 she was heard as the mezzo-soprano soloist in the Mahler Symphony #2 performed at ASU in Gammage Auditorium under the baton of Dr. Timothy Russell.

In January 2007, Ms. Jones was a celebrity dancer for The Arizona Kidney Foundation's first annual "Dancing with the Stars" fund raiser. Other celebrity dancers included Tony Dovolani from the popular reality series, "Dancing with the Stars," which airs weekly on the ABC broadcast network. Ms Jones is presently collaborating with ASU professor and composer James DeMars on a opera based on the legend of Our Lady of Guadalupe to be premiered in the Phoenix area in December 2007.