Jahnavi Rao

Jahnavi Rao is a senior from outside of Philadelphia, and is thrilled to be rejoining her Harvard College Opera family for this season’s production of Le Nozze di Figaro, portraying Susanna! Jahnavi made her HCO debut, as Pamina in the 2020 production of Die Zauberflöte. She made her operatic debut in the world-premiere of the International Opera Theater’s production of “Il Sogno di Una Notte di Mezza Estate,” an original Italian operatic adaptation of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer’s Nights Dream,” in Citta della Pieve, Italy. In high school, Jahnavi was in the PA All-State, All-National and All-Eastern Choirs, along with shows and competitions. She also had the opportunity to perform solo at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, and as a Virtue at the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Italy in the world premiere of “Hildegard von Bingen: Bambina Mistica.” Jahnavi has music directed the on-campus show Ghungroo for the past 3 years, and was previously a member of the Lowkeys, an on-campus a cappella group, and the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum. Outside of singing, Jahnavi is president and founder of the 501(c)3 nonprofit, New Voters, which empowers high school student leaders to civically engage their peers. She leads a team of over 50 full and part time high-school and college students, and registered 50,000 students to vote for the 2020 election across 300 high school chapters. Jahnavi has also been President of the Harvard South Asian Women’s Collective, Director and Founder of High School Engagement at the Harvard Votes Challenge, and Social Chair of South Asian Association.