Her most celebrated roles were Chrysthomenis in Elektra, the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier, and Sieglinde in Die Walküre; all parts which she recorded and which she performed both at the Metropolitan Opera and as a guest artist with other organizations.
[4] Jessner made her professional opera debut in 1930 at the Krušnohorské Theatre in Teplice as Elsa in Richard Wagner's Lohengrin.
[1] Jessner came to the United States after being invited by Edward Johnson to become a principal artist at to the Metropolitan Opera ("the Met").
[7][8] Other roles Jessner performed with the Met included Alice Ford in Falstaff,[9][3] Amelia in Simon Boccanegra,[3] Chrysothemis in Richard Strauss's Elektra,[3][10] Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro (on tour to Boston),[11] Desdemona in Otello,[12][1][13] Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni,[14][15][3] Elsa in Lohengrin,[16][17] Elisabeth in Tannhäuser,[18][19] Eurudice in Orfeo ed Euridice,[20] Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg,[3][21] the First Lady in The Magic Flute,[22][23] a Flower Maiden in Parsifal,[24][25] Freia in Das Rheingold,[26] the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier,[27][28][1][29] Sieglinde in Die Walküre,[3] and the title role in Tosca.
[32] Jessner had a reputation as an outstanding performer in the operas of Richard Strauss, and was particularly celebrated in the roles of Chrysthomenis in Elektra and the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier.
[40] Jessner's other roles at the San Francisco Opera included Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1938, with Friedrich Schorr as Hans Sachs),[34] and the roles of Sieglinde in Die Walküre and Alice Ford in Falstaff which she performed with the company during World War II.
Also for Columbia, she recorded the third act of Die Walküre with the Metropolitan Opera chorus and orchestra in 1946; singing the roles of both Sieglinde and Ortlinde.
Some of her recordings that were originally made for the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts have become available on disc, including Met performances of Elektra and Der Rosenkavalier.
Many of her students went on to have successful performance careers; including tenors Léonard Bilodeau and Mark DuBois; bass-baritone Maurice Brown; contralto Portia White; and sopranos Mary Lou Fallis, Lois McDonall, Roxolana Roslak, Teresa Stratas, Lilian Sukis, Heather Thomson, Riki Turofsky, and Jeannette Zarou.