I Puritani

The Metropolitan Opera
Elvira

For gorgeous melody, spellbinding coloratura, and virtuoso vocal fireworks, I Puritani has few equals. On New Year’s Eve, the curtain goes up on the first new Met production of Bellini’s final masterpiece in nearly 50 years—a striking staging by Charles Edwards, who makes his company directorial debut after many successes as a set designer. The Met has assembled a world-beating quartet of stars, conducted by Marco Armiliato, for the demanding principal roles. Soprano Lisette Oropesa and tenor Lawrence Brownlee are Elvira and Arturo, brought together by love and torn apart by the political rifts of the English Civil War, with baritone Artur Ruciński as Riccardo, betrothed to Elvira against her will, and bass-baritone Christian Van Horn as Elvira’s sympathetic uncle, Giorgio.

December 31  and  January 03, 06, 10, 15, 18
Metropolitan Opera
New York, NY

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Masterclass

Carnegie Hall
Teacher

Lisette teaches art song at Carnegie hall in a live masterclass.

January 12
Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

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I masnadieri

Teatro Real
Amalia

Lisette returns to the Teatro Real in Madrid to perform one of her iconic Verdi roles, Amalia in I masnadieri. 

February 10, 14
Teatro Real
Madrid, ES

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Recital

Swiss Made Culture
Soprano

Lisette joins her longtime collaborator, Alessandro Practicò in a night of bel canto favorites in Crans Montana Switzerland.  Her program for the evening consists of arias by Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Meyerbeer, Mercadante and Verdi.

February 23
Chapelle St-Christophe
Crans Montana, CH

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La traviata

The Metropolitan Opera
Violetta Valery

Lisette returns to the Metropolitan Opera as Violetta Valery. She last sang this role at the Met in 2020.

March 20, 24, 28, 31  and  April 04, 07, 10
Metropolitan Opera
New York, NY

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Lucia di Lammermoor selected as Gramophone Editor’s Choice album for December 2025.

Award

hank you so much to Gramophone for selecting Lucia di Lammermoor as the Editor's Choice album for December 2025. It has truly been an honor to be a part of a great recording with great colleagues! If you want a signed copy, head to my bandcamp page, there are still a few CDs remaining. 

"Oropesa’s soprano has all the distinctive darkness of Callas but with the pinpoint agility of Sutherland at her peak. I’ve long thought her the most technically accomplished singer on the bel canto block, so her dazzling coloratura is entirely anticipated, but this is more than a vocal acrobatic display; it’s a complete characterisation."

Read the Gramophone review here!

Lisette wins "Best Soprano" with the Amics de l’Òpera in Valencia for Manon

Award

Huge thank you to the Amics de l’opera y de les Arts de la Comunitat Valenciana and the Opera de les Arts in Valencia for awarding me Best Soprano of the 2024-25 season. It was a pleasure to sing Manon for this incredible audience!

Fauteuils d’orchestre

Media

On November 7th, 2025, Lisette was on a special episode of Fauteuils d'orchestre where she sang Quando m'en vo' from Puccini's La Bohème and talked a little bit with the cast on the stage of the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. 

Lisette hosts the Andrea Chénier broadcast at the Metropolitan Opera

Media

 

Lisette is the guest host for the Andrea Chénier Live in HD Broadcast at the Metropolitan Opera

You can watch the replay of Andrea Chénier on Met Opera on Demand in a couple of months. 

Interviews

Interview

Here are a few of Lisette's interviews in the past few months:

The Advocate (English)
BBC3 "In Tune" (English)

"La Traviata" at Unter den Linden: A star-studded cast lives up to the high expectations.

Oct. 18, 2025

In the final performance of the series, Lisette Oropesa celebrated her long-awaited house debut. The singer with Cuban roots already enjoys international star status. The justification for this was clear within minutes. Oropesa's well-guided lyric soprano, in addition to a very appealing timbre, possesses remarkable phrasing artistry. Not a syllable, nor a phrase is left to chance. The singer passionately shapes and gives Violetta a very personal, individual profile. Even if the high notes in the big aria of the first act sound a bit forced – no matter! By the time she is in her death throes, Oropesa joins the great interpreters of this role. The three main performers were celebrated ecstatically, with applause for Oropesa reaching hurricane force.
—  Peter Sommeregger  •  Klassik Begeistert

In the first flush of love

Nov. 1, 2025

Externally, Lisette Oropesa perfectly embodies the idea of the fourteen-year-old Juliette in Charles Gounod's Shakespeare adaptation "Roméo et Juliette." Lisette Oropesa wholeheartedly embraces the director's concept. Even in silent performance, she embodies a completely believable Juliette. And then she begins to sing the famous waltz: "Je veux vivre" – "I want to live." Immediately, one is captivated by this voice, the jubilant sound, the brilliance of coloratura, the brightness, and the charming timbre. Lisette Oropesa is Juliette, note by note. No wonder she captivates Roméo with her acting and vocal dedication. The evening ends in triumph for Lisette Oropesa, who hopefully will soon perform in Berlin again.
—  Karin Coper  •  Klassik Magazin

First Traviata absolutissima, Lisette Oropesa leads the dance in the resumption of the Traviata in Munich

Nov. 15, 2025

It is precisely for the music and for the singing that the audience gathered, and above all to hear once again the incomparable Lisette Oropesa, a stellar singer whose Violetta is one of her signature roles. The coloratura soprano sparked enthusiasm from the audience throughout the evening, her performance is supported by a remarkable technique that allows her to flawlessly express all facets of the role: carefree joy and passionate fervor, the fragility of body and heart, illness and poverty, renunciation and moral greatness, despair and agony. The complex emotional palette of the traviata (the wayward woman) is rendered with impeccable mastery. Fully immersed in the role, the singer merges with her character whom she endows with a radiant incandescent aura that illuminates the whole dramatic lyricism. Love consumes her as much as the illness that eats away at her. Lisette Oropesa brings the radiant beauty of her voice to an interpretation of poignant emotional authenticity. The top honors go to Lisette Oropesa, who dominates the entire production and transports us to other spheres, bright and distant, whose sublime beauties transcend the abyssal world of sacrifice to which her character is exposed.
—  Luc-henri Roger  •  Résonances Lyriques

Review: Singers Come First in the Met Opera’s New ‘Puritani’

Jan. 1, 2026

Oropesa’s has an outward state that swerves from ecstasy to insanity, but with a firmly held core. Even at her most desperate, she manages to retain control, especially over her voice. This holds true regardless of whether she was primly composed in her Puritan garb or refusing for months to take off her wedding dress, a Miss Havisham in the making. Oropesa needed no time to warm up on Wednesday, entering with confidence, precision and agility. Her passaggio, the sometimes perilous transition between vocal registers, was smoothly imperceptible. In one phrase that ended with a chromatic descent, she so clearly articulated each pitch down the scale, it was like listening to someone run their fingers across the keys of a piano.
—  Joshua Barone  •  New York Times

La traviata

Staatsoper Unter den Linden
Violetta Valery

Lisette makes her debut at the Staatsoper Berlin in a production of La traviata, 

October 17
Staatsoper Unter den Linden
Berlin, DE

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Roméo et Juliette

Staatsoper Unter den Linden
Juliette

The most famous lovers ever: virtually mythical figures, Romeo and Juliette from Shakespeare’s eponymous drama have dominated world literature ever since its premiere in 1597. Among the many musical settings of the work, Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette is one of the most performed. It was a triumphant success already at its premiere as part of the 1867 Paris Exposition. 

October 26, 29  and  November 01, 06
Staatsoper Unter den Linden
Berlin, DE

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La traviata

Bayerische Staatsoper
Violetta Valery

Men don't fall in love with courtesans! That's the opinion of Alfredo's father after his son moves in with the mortally ill Violetta Valéry. In her love for Alfredo Violetta even agrees. She leaves him, dies poor, ill – still dreaming of the happiness of true love. One of Verdi's most beloved operas continues to hold the mirror up to society and its hypocritical morality. An exemplary production! See it!

November 11, 14, 16
Bayerische Staatsoper
München, DE

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Concert with Susan Graham

Opéra Louisiane
Soprano

Lisette returns to her hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana to perform a one-time charity concert with friend and colleague, Susan Graham. 

November 23
First Baptist Church
Baton Rouge, LA

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I Puritani

The Metropolitan Opera
Elvira

For gorgeous melody, spellbinding coloratura, and virtuoso vocal fireworks, I Puritani has few equals. On New Year’s Eve, the curtain goes up on the first new Met production of Bellini’s final masterpiece in nearly 50 years—a striking staging by Charles Edwards, who makes his company directorial debut after many successes as a set designer. The Met has assembled a world-beating quartet of stars, conducted by Marco Armiliato, for the demanding principal roles. Soprano Lisette Oropesa and tenor Lawrence Brownlee are Elvira and Arturo, brought together by love and torn apart by the political rifts of the English Civil War, with baritone Artur Ruciński as Riccardo, betrothed to Elvira against her will, and bass-baritone Christian Van Horn as Elvira’s sympathetic uncle, Giorgio.

December 31  and  January 03, 06, 10, 15, 18
Metropolitan Opera
New York, NY

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Lucia di Lammermoor - To be released Oct 31!

Recording

I am so happy to announce that my new album, Lucia di Lammermoor will be released on Oct 31st this year!

👀  Watch the trailer here!
 

The experience of being Lucia is one that has repeatedly given me a lot of joy. Over the years I have performed the role in 10 productions. But it never feels like the same piece twice, and this is due to the incredible mastery of Donizetti. In our recording, which I’m so proud of, I had the privilege of working with Maestro Carminati, who was born in Donizetti’s hometown of Bergamo, and led us in a beautiful sweeping interpretation of the score. The gentlemen singing the roles of Edgardo, Enrico, and Raimondo are the brilliant Stefan Pop, Mattia Olivieri, and Riccardo Zanellato. We were able to bond while making this recording because not only did we just sing into microphones and put all our emotions into our voices, we were able to discuss the opera as colleagues, as if we were working on a production. This was very special to me! Knowing what’s happening onstage, what motivates your character, is of vital importance. Even if you’re in a recording studio, just singing the roles, you are still bringing the story to life through the music. And that’s why it was such a pleasure to make music with these great colleagues.

Lisette wins "Best Female Singer" in The Austrian Music Theatre Prize

Award

This year’s Austrian Music Theatre prizes have been announced! I’m very grateful to have been named this year’s winner for Female in a Lead Role for my performance of Ophélie in HAMLET at the Salzburger Festspiele last year. My gratitude is immense as I have just spent a wonderful summer in Salzburg and can’t wait to be back there again! Singing in Austria is a pleasure and a privilege that I look forward to on every occasion. Thank you so much for this incredible honor!

A special thank you to my wonderful manager and close friend, Saverio Clemente. These opportunities have been in large part due to his amazing work, his dedication to my career, and his support and friendship. Grazie, Saverio. 🙏

A Regal Triumph: Lisette Oropesa Shines in Salzburger Festspiele's "Maria Stuarda"

Review

Lisette Oropesa's portrayal of the doomed Scottish queen in "Maria Stuarda" at the Salzburger Festspiele has received widespread praise from critics. Her voice and acting brought the character to life, making this one of the standout productions of the summer festival season.

Critics especially praised Oropesa's singing. "Her high notes are radiant," says Dr. Karlheinz Roschitz from the Kronen Zeitung. Manuel Brug of Welt.de noted her "soft yet determined tone," while Reinhard Kriechbaum of DrehPunktKultur highlighted how Oropesa makes the coloratura feel integral rather than ornamental. Roland H. Dippel of Concerti.de commented on the "slightly bitter undertone" that enriches her high notes, adding emotional complexity to her portrayal.

Oropesa infused her interpretation of Maria with real emotional depth. Bernhard Neuhoff of BR Klassik praised her "wonderfully warm and full-bodied" voice, noting that her strength lies more in expression than acrobatics. Elena Deinhammer of Opera Magazine highlighted Oropesa's ability to blend "crystal-clear sound with great softness and sensitivity," maintaining elegance even in the most demanding bel canto passages.

Learn more about Lisette's success here!

Behind the Voice with Lisette Oropesa

Interview

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to sit down for an interview where we delved into the world of opera beyond just the notes on a page. I believe there's a whole person to discover behind the performer, and I was happy to share my personal approach to this demanding career. Growing up in a musical Cuban-American immigrant household, I was fortunate to have immense encouragement from my family, who valued education and happiness over financial pressure. Though I initially pursued the flute, the overwhelming enthusiasm from voice teachers at university, coupled with my innate vocal gifts inherited from my mother, steered me towards singing. My instrumental training, however, proved invaluable, making me a "smarter singer" with strong musicality.

Watch the entire video here.

International Opera Awards - Mis amores son las flores shortlisted in the Recording: Solo Recital

Award

I am so happy to announce that my album, Mis amores son las flores - Zarzuela has been shortlisted in the category of Best Solo Recital album at the 2025 International Opera awards! I am so happy to have had the chance to record this album with the San Francisco Classical Recording company! Thank you to EuroArts for working with us on the release of this album!

Presto Arts Masterclass - YouTube

Education

What an absolutely brilliant time at the Art of Voice Festival Masterclass hosted by the wonderful team at Presto Arts! We spent the day diving deep into the art and science of singing, and I was so incredibly impressed by the dedication and talent of every participant, including the focused Chinese students.

Today’s big lesson: Focus is everything. The best way to conserve energy and increase clarity is not to push, but to narrow your focus. As I told one talented singer, the goal is to make the sound more direct, more strong—the picture is more clear when it's focused, always!

Read the rest of the article here

Masterclass - St. Moritz

Education

Last day with these beauties!! Thank you for the invitation from Jan Schultsz
 and the Engadin Festival. I am so grateful to be here.

It’s been a pleasure to hear and work with six stunning singers these past few days, accompanied by the marvelous Tatiana Korsunskaya on the piano! Lots of difficult and fun repertoire, complete with challenges and opportunities for exploration. I learned so much from each of them!

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Maria Stuarda The wheels of fate turn in Salzburg

Aug. 24, 2025

Even for the singers, this performance poses the highest demands, which the magnificent ensemble masters brilliantly. Leading the way is Lisette Oropesa in the title role. The delicate American captivates with her powerful voice and her expressive acting. She truly immerses herself in the emotional world of the young princess who was born with the power and claim to three crowns and fled to her stepsister, who takes her captive to secure her throne. Pride and regal bearing, hope and fear, resignation to fate are palpable in her. Her runs and delicate coloratura passages flow effortlessly, her emotional outbursts and humiliated demeanor are powerful. Her soprano reveals many facets, a soft timbre in the silvery highs, and lyrical melodic lines.
—  Dr. Helmut Pitsch  •  Opera Online

Maria Stuarda: Salzburg Festspiele

Aug. 7, 2025

Lisette Oropesa delivers a luminous performance as Maria, her voice soaring with both regal dignity and desperate humanity that marks the pinnacle of Donizetti singing. Having followed her career and gone to as many of her performances as I could since her Don Pasquale at Glyndebourne in 2017, I can say with confidence that this ranks among her finest achievements—the emotion, power, and exquisite beauty in her phrasing reaching new heights of artistry. Particularly in her final aria, “Deh! Tu di un’umile preghiera,” she achieves that rare combination of technical mastery and emotional transparency that defines great bel canto performance. Costumed in white against the production’s stark monochrome palette, she becomes a beacon of doomed nobility, her vocal radiance illuminating every corner of the theatre. She never just sings, she lives it, she shows it to the world and it’s a true joy to be able to be there and witness her incredibly artistry.
—  Stuart Martin  •  The Stuart Review

Arena di Verona Festival 2025. G. Verdi “Rigoletto” 6 settembre 2025.

Sept. 7, 2025

Lisette Oropesa confirms herself as one of the leading sopranos of our time. Excellent technique, very long breaths, trills that are true trills. A palette of colors that allows her to outline all aspects of this seemingly simple and trivial character, which in the past was often seen as a silly little doll. Gilda is not like that, and the proof of this is that, despite her father providing her with evidence of the Duke's wicked personality and his cynicism, she still decides to sacrifice her life for the man she loves. "Caro nome" performed without the traditional embellishments to underline the more lyrical aspect that Verdi has reserved for this character, but an extremely high B-flat at the end of "Vendetta" where "there was no mercy for anyone." Adorably staged. The character is absolutely credible. I will listen to her again if all goes well in Naples in October 2026 as Alcina. In the end, she asked me, "Could you hear me?" because she did not have the right perception. I reassured her. She has an incredible vocal projection that made a difference in an acoustically challenging venue like the Arena!
—  Riccardo Ristori  •  Lirica Oggi

MANON | Opernhaus Zürich

Sept. 29, 2025

At the heart of the evening was Lisette Oropesa, whose portrayal of Manon confirms her complete artistic maturity in the role. From the first act, her command of the character’s arc was palpable. She brought a finely shaded interpretation that captured Manon’s evolution from youthful impulsiveness to tragic despair. Oropesa’s voice, always radiant, was imbued with emotional texture throughout. The famous “Adieu, notre petite table” was deeply moving, rendered with such intimacy and fragility that the audience seemed to hold its breath. In contrast, the dazzling gavotte in Act III showed her technical brilliance yet impeccably controlled. Her crystalline high notes and refined phrasing, paired with flawless French diction, placed her firmly among the definitive interpreters of the role today. She offered not just a vocally perfect Manon, but one who felt vividly, heartbreakingly real.
—  Lloyd  •  Opera Diary

Zürich, Opernhaus: MANON; 24.09.2025

Sept. 25, 2025

Lisette Oropesa IS Manon with every fiber, every facial expression, every gesture, and with a stunning vocal characterization. Her voice shines, burns, knows passion, sadness, mood swings, and possesses immense power, without any forcing. One can feel a deep sensitivity, youthfulness, fearlessness, but also wistfulness and self-blame, and above all, an understanding of and love for this character. She is less of a calculating femme fatale and more simply a young woman on the brink of adulthood, who must pay dearly for her mistakes.
—  Kaspar Sannemann  •  Oper Aktuell

I masnadieri

Bayerische Staatsoper
Amalia

Lisette reprises her much acclaimed performances of Amalia in "I masnadieri" in Munich.

July 17, 20
Bayerische Staatsoper
München, DE

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Maria Stuarda

Salzburger Festspiele
Mary Stuart

Lisette returns to the Salzburger Festspeiele as Maria Stuarda in her first staged performances there. This will be a brand new production by Ulrich Rasche with a broadcast on August 1st.

August 01, 07, 11, 16, 19, 23, 30
Großes Festspielhaus
Salzburg, AT

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Manon

Opernhaus Zürich
Manon Lescaut

Manon desires a life of luxury. Des Grieux, a student, tries to escape his father's influence; with Manon, he hopes for a freer life. The uncompromising nature of their desires proves to be the young couple's downfall. "Manon" overnight made Jules Massenet one of France's leading opera composers of the Belle Époque. Lisette Oropesa is one of the outstanding lyric coloratura sopranos of her generation. The international career of French tenor Benjamin Bernheim began as a member of the International Opera Studio in Zurich.

September 24, 27  and  October 03, 07, 10
Opernhaus Zürich
Zürich, CH

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Maria Stuarda from Salzburg to be broadcast on Mezzo.tv on August 1st

Announcement

The premiere Maria Stuarda performance from the Salzburger Festspiele will be broadcast live on Mezzo.tv on August 1st. Learn more here.

Radio France - Lisette Oropesa, reine du bel canto

Interview

Thank you so much to Radio France for featuring me on their program, Stars du Classique. 

"Lisette Oropesa triomphe sur les plus grandes scènes grâce à son timbre tout en rondeur et des suraigus lumineux : la soprano est aujourd'hui l’interprète idéale du bel canto, et elle s'impose aussi dans Verdi ou dans le répertoire français."

Maria Stuarda from Madrid was broadcast on Arte.tv on May 5th 2025

Announcement

Arte.tv will be broadcasting Maria Stuarda from the December 20th. 2024 performance at the Teatro Real. This broadcast will be availalbe for a limited time, so be sure to watch!

Finding balance on the trail with Lisette Oropesa

Interview

Last year, Lisette spoke with Nolan Kehler of Winnepeg's Classic 107 about her time in Banff teaching the students at the Banff Centre. 

Oropesa is an artist who needs to live in the moment more than most people. Constantly dashing from one city to the next with hardly a moment of rest, her life is disciplined out of a necessity to always be in peak performance readiness.  

“Singers are probably the most controlling people on earth,” Oropesa admits, while also noting that the nature of operatic performance means that singers must be okay with being out of control as well. “They say acting is reacting. Singing is also reacting. You can’t control the allergens in your environment. You can’t control the humidity, the elevation,” she adds, gesturing at the air around her.  

VERSALLES / El hechizo barroco de Alcina con una inolvidable Oropesa

May 7, 2025

The Cuban-American soprano Lisette Oropesa, as the supreme sorceress, delivered a breath-taking performance. Her "Ah! mio cor" was a moment of absolute grace: voice of silk and steel, floating pianissimos like veils, sparkling coloratura, and an expressiveness that shook the soul. Her embodiment of Alcina oscillated between tragic fury and heartbreaking vulnerability, especially in "Ombre pallide", where her hallucinated dialogue with the violins sent shivers through the audience. Her final aria, "Mi restano le lagrime", capable of moving stones to tears, was the most touching moment of the evening and earned her one last ovation.
—  Emmanuel Andrieu  •  Scherzo Magazine

Sterile Staging, Ferocious Voices: La Opera’s Rigoletto Bleeds Despite Itself

June 2, 2025

Lisette Oropesa‘s Gilda might shimmer, but there’s density beneath the sheen. She’s not some glittering victim. She’s a girl in freefall. Her big aria “Caro nome” was as delicate as it was driven. Her second act lament broke open like a wound. There’s a Callas-like depth to her lower register that gives Gilda weight and force, even as she makes devastatingly bad decisions. When she shares the stage with Kelsey, the production’s chill lifts. Their scenes together feel like a separate opera, one where human stakes still matter.
—  Michael M. Landman-karny  •  Stage and Cinema

LA Opera’s magnificent “Rigoletto”

June 20, 2025

Soprano Lisette Oropesa (alternating with Kathryn Lewek) sings Gilda with angelic clarity, capturing the character’s naive devotion and ultimate tragic strength.  Her performance evolved from innocence to maturity in a manner that felt authentic and moving. The chemistry between Oropesa and Kelsey added a compelling emotional layer to the production, making Gilda’s fate all the more tragic. Her famous aria “Caro nome” was angelic and emotionally resonant, with a purity in tone that was haunting.  Her performance sparkled with innocence, making her sacrifice during the lightning and thunderstorm-lashed finale all the more devastating.
—  Pauline Adamek  •  Arts Beat LA

Alcina

Opéra Royal du Château de Versailles
Alcina

Lisette brings her Alcina to the Opéra Royal du Château de Versailles in a concert version.

April 29
Opéra Royal du Château de Versailles
Versailles, FR

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Gala in the park

Festpielhaus Baden Baden
Soprano

After their successful tour in Asia, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Lisette Oropesa team up once again in Baden Baden to do a one-night-only concert featuring Mozart, Massenet, Verdi, Gounod, Puccini, and Chapí arias. 

June 29
Festspielhaus Baden Baden
Baden-Baden, GE

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I masnadieri

Bayerische Staatsoper
Amalia

Lisette reprises her much acclaimed performances of Amalia in "I masnadieri" in Munich.

July 17, 20
Bayerische Staatsoper
München, DE

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Mis amores son las flores

Announcement

After three months of being lost in the mail, our copies of "Mis amores son las flores" have arrived! I have signed them all and they are available for shipment on our Bandcamp page. 

Get your copy here!

Rossini's Adina from the Rossini Opera Festival to be released on Blu-ray

Announcement

Lisette 2018 performance of Adina will be available on DVD and Blu-ray starting June 6th 2025.

Pick your copy up at these retailers: 
Presto Music
Proper Music
Import CDs 

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Interviews

Interview

This quarter, I've given a couple of interviews that have been translated into Japanese and French about my upcoming performances in Japan and Paris.  

Spice (Japanese)
Le Figaro (French)

Belcanto-Glanz in höchsten Tönen

Jan. 12, 2025

After the intermission, Oropesa appears not only in a flowing black gown as an expression of Elvira's mental derangement but also performs the role largely from memory. She convincingly portrays the grand madness scene in the second act. Her soprano voice, in its fragile heights, seems almost ethereal. Oropesa truly stages her entrance, leaning on the music stands, all of which she knocks down to add more expression to her performance.
—  Thomas Molke  •  Online Musik Magazin

Napoli - Teatro di San Carlo: Lisette Oropesa

Jan. 10, 2025

After holding back enthusiastic applause throughout the evening, at the end, the audience erupted into never-ending ovations and acclamations, leading to a series of encores: from the Rossinian Dance we mentioned, to an aria from Ruperto Chapí's Zarzuela Las Hijas del Zebedeo, and concluding with "I te vurria vasa", a moving tribute to Naples characterized by meticulous execution and intense emotional expression in the lyrics, also delivered with excellent diction. A beautiful ending to an evening that ranks among the best of this San Carlo season.
—  Bruno Tredicine  •  Opera Click

Stunning recital by Lisette Oropesa in Hamburg

Jan. 31, 2025

Oropesa’s presentation was immensely detailed and finely chiselled. The placing of the voice in relation to different parts of her throat and indeed her entire face shifted in line and in harmony with the music. Her command of voice with all its numerous shades and nuances is quite considerable, and she was thus able to shape every moment of it at will, leaving nothing to chance. This control was at such a high level of excellence that it never came across as an intellectual effort, as mere technique, but was so much part of her holistic nature that the sounds she produced came across as effortless and spontaneous, not to mention her precise pronunciation. No wonder I overheard someone in the audience saying they could understand every single word.
—  Daniel Meyer-Dinkgräfe  •  Seen and Heard International

Gala anniversaire. 150 ans du Palais Garnier, 24 janvier 2025

Jan. 26, 2025

Lisette Oropesa, a sovereign Mathilde, displays a unique sense of phrasing, perfect elocution, glorious legato, in short, an impeccable mastery of the Rossini style.
—  Camillo Faverzani  •  Premiere Loge Opera

Lisette Oropesa, grande Elvira dans la reprise des « Puritains » à l’Opéra de Paris

Feb. 7, 2025

Her return in Act II with the aria "O rendetemi la speme" confirms her extraordinary embodiment of the role and the sensitivity with which she delivers these magnificent arias, relying on her velvety middle range, providing sumptuous high piani filés. She then boldly performs "Vien, diletto, è in ciel la luna!" in connection with the conductor who plays with rhythms to make the aria something other than simply a virtuosic passage. Her final interventions finally crown the journey of this heroine whom she has brought safely home despite the obstacles, and has ultimately transcended, by combining virtuosity and sensitivity, and paying tribute to the challenging, yet beautiful, bel canto style of Bellini.
—  Paul Fourier  •  Cult.news

Opéra National de Paris 2025 Review: I Puritani

Feb. 27, 2025

Lisette Oropesa: La Diva!The cast was led by Lisette Oropesa, who made her debut in this role in a staged production during this run. Her performance was nothing short of extraordinary, excelling both musically and dramatically. Her bright, silvery soprano navigated the daunting coloratura passages Bellini composed for his heroine with remarkable ease. She delivered flawless, precise trills, thrilling coloratura, and stunning high notes that sparkled with brilliance. In the upper register, her voice had a fluttering quality that added an emotional intensity to every phrase, as though she could convey the palpitations of a racing heart. In the more lyrical sections, her seamless legato and delicate pianissimi were deeply moving. A resounding success! The evening was a resounding triumph, culminating in a standing ovation for Lisette Oropesa.
—  Laura Servidei  •  OperaWire

Recital

Teatro di San Carlo
Soprano

Lisette returns to the Teatro di San Carlo to perform a recital full of Spanish and Italian music with Alessandro Practicò at the piano. 

January 09
Teatro di San Carlo
Napoli, IT

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Recital

Staatsoper Hamburg
Soprano

Lisette heads to the Staatsoper Hamburg to perform in a rectial with Alessandro Practicò.

January 18
Staatsoper Hamburg
Hamburg, GE

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Gala anniversaire

Opéra National de Paris
Soprano

Lisette joins Juan Diego Florez, Ludovic Tézier and Lea Desandre to celebrate 150 years of the Opéra Garnier in Paris. 

January 24
Opéra Garnier
Paris, FR

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I Puritani

Opéra National de Paris
Elvira

Lisette performs at the Opéra National de Paris in a Laurent Pelly production of I Puritani, conducted by Corrado Rovaris. 

February 06, 09, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27  and  March 02, 05
Opéra Bastille
Paris, FR

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Concert

Suntory Hall
Soprano

Lisette returns to Japan to perform two different concerts filled with repertoire of all different styles. With Mozart, Bellini, Verdi, Gounod, Rossini and Meyerbeer.

April 10, 13
Suntory Hall
Tokyo, Minato-ku

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I Puritani - Release

Announcement

I am so happy that I puritani has been released! We worked so hard on this project that we recorded in Dresden last winter! Enjoy this beautiful opera and CD! You can get your copy here!

Plaeta Magazine - Cover Story and Interview

Interview

I had the great opportunity to speak with Alejandro Martínez of Platea Magazine about my upcoming European debut of Manon at the Les Arts Valencia. It was a real pleasure and I am so honored to be on this month's cover.

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Interviews

Interview

This quarter, I've given a few interviews to various news outlets and magazines, mostly about my debut of Maria Stuarda, but also my recital in Geneva. 

Tribune de Genève (French)
La Razon (Spanish)
Expansion.com (Spanish)
El Español (Spanish)

Critical Roundup: Maria Stuarda at Teatro Real

Press Release

Lisette Oropesa's debut as Maria Stuarda in Donizetti's bel canto masterpiece at Teatro Real, Madrid, has sparked an array of reactions from critics. Directed by David McVicar, this production has been praised for its dramatic depth and stunning visual elements. Below is a selection of highlights from the reviews:

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Mozart's Requiem Reverently Performed at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées

Oct. 19, 2024 - TCE - Paris, FR

Finally, Lisette Oropesa delivers with a solid legato, impeccable pronunciation, and uniformity across registers, presenting long, expressive phrases imbued with palpable emotion. Notably, her entrance and concluding part resonated with the audience, who shuddered alongside her at the intensity of the moment and the gravity of such an immortal musical text.

—  Philippe Scagni  •  Olyrix

Review: Recital by Lisette Oropesa and Ken Noda at Carnegie Hall

Nov. 3, 2024 - Carnegie Hall, NYC

The conclusion of the first half with “Merci, jeunes amies” from *Les vêpres siciliennes* by Verdi was perhaps one of the most accomplished moments of the evening’s first half. The aria demands excellence both vocally and interpretively, and many aficionados hold the versions by legendary singers of the past as benchmarks almost unreachable for today's artists. However, Oropesa demonstrated that she is one of the best singers of our time. She skillfully conveyed the emotional ambiguity of Hélène’s character and flawlessly delivered her famous high notes, trills, and embellishments. The result completely captivated the New York audience.

—  Carlos J. López Rayward  •  Opera World

Lisette Oropesa: From Geneva to Cádiz and Cuba

Nov. 5, 2024 - Geneva Recital

A substantial program overall, which the star soprano devours with an appetite that seems more than ever to come naturally through singing. The performer imbues every word with its full meaning and every emotion with its weight, whether evoking love, sorrow, dreams, or regret. From Andalusia, the primary theme of the recital, the artist conveys the warmth and soul—dancing and intoxicating—with a voice as expansive as the gardens of the Alcazar, and a timbre as warm and vibrant as a street in old Cádiz. There is also a radiant sun in her daring yet controlled high notes: triumphant here, almost whispered there, but always impeccably resonant. The audience revels in it, applauding after each melody this artist who, on occasion, does not hesitate to sketch a few swaying dance steps.

—  Pierre Géraudie  •  Olyrix

Lisette Oropesa, Vocal Virtuosity

Nov. 7, 2024 - Bilbao Recital

We greatly enjoyed the melismatic bolero by Delibes in which she showcased all kinds of scales, trills, and sustained bird-like embellishments, along with immaculate intonation. In the second half, as a bel canto artist of refined technique, the youthful soprano captured attention with the aria from Donizetti's *L'Elisir D'Amore* and especially with the challenging canzonetta "La Primavera" by Mercadante. Without a doubt, Lisette Oropesa moved with great ease in the lighter pieces, where her voice ventured with complete confidence into ethereal runs and mastery of the high register.

—  Nino Dentici  •  El Correo

New Production of 'Maria Stuarda' at the Teatro Real, with Lisette Oropesa, Aigul Akhmetshina, and Isma

Dec. 15, 2024

In the face of this vocal torrent, Lisette Oropesa, making her debut in the role, ultimately became a luxury supporting performer. The qualities that have brought her fame also shone through in her *Maria Stuarda*: exquisite control of dynamics, flawless legato that she displayed in the "Preghiera," her comfortable high notes, and a final aria filled with sensitivity and charm. Her performance captivates, and her singing moves deeply.

—  Juan José Freijo  •  Platea Magazine

Maria Stuarda, Thank You Lisette!

Dec. 15, 2024

Oropesa excels in her opening page “Oh nube! che lieve per l'aria t'aggiri” and knows how to bring emotion to “Di un cor che more,” already within what Donizetti called “the aria of torment” at the end of the opera, finishing grandly with the cabaletta “Ah!, se un giorno de queste ritorte.” Security in the high register—a descending note does not detract—clarity in the emission, and emotional drive, singing yes, but also acting. I return to the beginning, in that final scene I felt an emotion I hadn't experienced in a long time, even bringing tears to my eyes. For a moment, closing my eyes, I could hear the intentions and weapons of Caballé, and when I opened them again, I could even see her on stage. Believe me, this is a great merit of Oropesa, who, by the way, now resides in Madrid with a flat in La Latina.

—  Gonzalo Aonso  •  La Razón

MARIA STUARDA in Madrid: After Montserrat Caballé and Edita Gruberova... Lisette Oropesa!

Dec. 22, 2024

Finally, Lisette Oropesa triumphs in the title role. The American soprano’s timbre carries a surprising freshness, usually attributed to lighter sopranos, though the singer is not one of them: her ease of vocal projection, along with her well-grounded, beautiful low notes, makes her entirely legitimate for this role, allowing for a commanding rendition of "Nella pace del mesto riposo" and a confrontation with Elisabetta full of authority. But it is undoubtedly in the long final scene that she moves the most, notably with a prayer ("Deh! Tu di un’umile preghiera il suono") of great beauty, magnified by long high notes sung piano and pianissimo. The success Oropesa achieved with the audience showed that she walked proudly in the footsteps of Montserrat Caballé and Edita Gruberova, to name just two of her illustrious predecessors who performed on this very stage at the Teatro Real, in 1978 and 2003, respectively.

—  Stéphane Lelièvre  •  Premiere Loge Opera

Mozart Requiem

Théâtre des Champs Elysées
Soprano

Lisette sings the soprano role of the Mozart Requiem at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées

October 17
Théâtre des Champs Elysées
Paris, France

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Recital

Carnegie Hall
Soprano

Lisette sings her first solo piano recital at Carnegie Hall in Weill Hall. 

October 23
Carnegie Hall, Weill Hall
New York, NY, USA

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Recital

Grand Théâtre de Genève
Soprano

Lisette heads to Geneva to perform a special, French inspired recital with Alessandro Praticò at the Piano

November 03
Grand Théâtre de Genève
Genève, CH

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Recital

ABAO Opera Bilbao
Soprano

Lisette and Alessandro both head to Bilbao to perform in another recital for the Spanish audience in Bilbao!

November 06
Sociedad Filarmónica de Bilbao
Bilbao, Spain

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Maria Stuarda

Teatro Real
Maria Stuarda

Lisette performs her first ever Maria Stuarda at the Teatro Real in Madrid with Aigul Akhmetshina as Elisabetta and Ismael Jordi as Roberto. 

December 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29
Teatro Real
Madrid, ES

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International Opera Awards Female Singer of the Year

Announcement

Watch video acceptance speech here
 

I am so grateful to the International Opera Awards for awarding me Female Singer of the Year this year. It really means a lot to me. Thank you!

Watch the ceremony here!

Interviews
 

Ultima Hora - Cap Rocat Festival (Spanish)
El Diario - Cap Rocat Festival (Spanish)
Shangay - Manon (Spanish)
Platea Magazine - Manon (Spanish)

Christian Van Horn Podcast

Interview

Lisette had the opportunity to speak on Christian Van Horn's podcast while she was in Salzburg. 

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Speaking Soundly Podcast

Interview

Lisette spoke with Met Opera Principal Trumpet, David Krauss on his Speaking Soundly podcast ahead of her recital debut at Carnegie Hall. 

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Lisette Oropesa brilla con luz propia en la clausura del Festival Cap Rocat

Aug. 6, 2024

It was the prelude before accompanying, together, the protagonist, one of the most sought-after sopranos in the world, who demonstrated the reason for her busy schedule. We’re talking about Lisette Oropesa, who dazzled everyone with a varied repertoire in which masterpieces by greats like Donizetti, Verdi, Bellini, and Rossini flowed through her voice, shaped by a sound that combines the softness of velvet and the pleasant freshness of a summer breeze.

—  P. Pellicer  •  Ultima Hora

Shakespeare als große Oper: Umjubelter „Hamlet“ in Salzburg

Aug. 17, 2024

Just like, and especially, Lisette Oropesa. When she portrays Ophélie, the character doesn’t remain merely a glass-fragile femme fragile: Instead, the coloratura soprano fills her sometimes simple, then richly ornamented cantilenas with the fullness and warmth of a lover who is disappointed in an incomprehensible way and subsequently goes to her death. A hint of Cotrubas resonates in her timbre, a dash of Gheorghiu—and yet Oropesa is a diva of her own stature, capable of retracting her brilliant high notes into a delicate piano: This already provoked storms of applause after her mad scene.

—  Walter Weidringer  •  Die Presse

An all-round triumph

Aug. 18, 2024

Not surprisingly, Lisette Oropesa’s Ophélie has become one of her operatic calling cards in recent years, with numerous productions to her credit - including last year’s Paris Opera event, in which she starred opposite this evening’s Gertrude, Ève-Maud Hubeaux. The ideal combination of Oropesa’s limpid timbre, technical finesse, and a warmly-winning presence brought anticipated furore and a fully-deserved triumph for the soprano. In keeping with her Hamlet, Oropesa’s interpretation is wonderfully-balanced, moving from her opening Act 1 duet  Doute de la lumière  through Ophélie’s Act 2  lament, Sa main depuis hier n'a pas touché ma main!  to a wonderfully-shaped  Act 2 garden scene, Adieu, dit-il, ayez-foi!  - and further rising to the great drama of Act 3’s trio with Hamlet and Gertrude. The celebrated mad sccene is a natural show-stealer, and Oropesa brought to it quite consummate stage work to compliment an ideal filigran sweep in vocal range and dynamics - deservedly crowning her evening with a thundering ovation from the house.

—  Moore Parker  •  The Opera Critic

 

WIEN / Staatsoper: LA TRAVIATA mit Oropesa, Floréz & Dupuis

Sept. 7, 2024

First and foremost, the captivatingly singing and emotionally moving Lisette Oropesa in the title role. The Cuban-American soprano brings everything essential for this role: a beautiful voice, just large enough, bright and finely timbred, expressive and technically skilled enough to float gracefully and almost weightlessly through the cadences with elegant ease. She is capable of the softest pianissimo but also steadfast in powerful sequences, as in "Sempre libera." Admirable is how Oropesa can transform within the shifting emotional worlds, from blissful love in the first act to harrowing despair in "Addio del passato" and the final flicker of will to live and love in the face of death. As an actress, she convinces with honest, lovable sincerity, not with grand gestures.

—  Manfred A. Schmid  •  Online Merker

 

„La Traviata“ an der Staatsoper: Diese Violetta überragt alle

Sept. 8, 2024

Lisette Oropesa proves herself at the State Opera as one of the divas of our time. Juan Diego Flórez as Alfredo impresses with feeling.

It certainly helps to have a subtly acting performer like Lisette Oropesa, who elegantly embodies this role. She takes photos almost casually, effortlessly. This reduces the ostentatiousness of the first act without diminishing its impact, making it less intrusive than with previous performers.

Warm timbre, brilliant high notes
Overall, Oropesa is likely one of the best Violettas one can currently hear and see. The way she practically breaks under the demand from Alfredo's father to give him up, the way she fights against the advancing illness with fragility, the way her love for Alfredo refuses to be extinguished—all of this was truly powerful vocal acting. Above all, her vocal performance left nothing to be desired: with a warm timbre, precise coloratura and phrasing, and brilliant high notes, she proved herself as one of the divas of our time. Outstanding is the quality with which she brings both the radiance for the first act and the lyricism for what follows.

—  Theresa Steininger  •  Die Presse

VALENCIA / Lisette Lescaut es Manon Oropesa

Oct. 5, 2024

Like Manon, Oropesa’s artistry is volatile and versatile, as well as direct, fresh, and youthful. Without twists or half-measures. Steeped in the past yet unreservedly open to the uncertainty of the future. Manon in body and soul. The soprano fully embraced the character’s essence and its complex vocal demands. Genuine and unique. Different from Janine Micheau, from Victoria, from Cotrubas, and from so many other great Manons of history, yet close to the same Olympus. In the second act, she tackled the opera’s most famous aria, “Adieu, notre petite table,” with transparency, nostalgia, and impeccable vocal purity, in contrast to a “Je marche sur tous les chemins” (third act) rounded off with grace and 18th-century flavors in the famous gavotte “Obéissons quand leur voix appelle,” when she revisits the youthful joys of love and youth.

Manon Oropesa. Cuban, American, and above all, as French as Massenet's music.

—  Justo Romero  •  Scherzo Magazine

Manon y compañía

Oct. 18, 2024

Oropesa is in peak form. She adapted to all the emotional nuances demanded by the character (innocence, freshness, playfulness, desire, doubt, melancholy, extravagance, fear, passion, pride, resignation, decline…) with powerful vocal abilities and notable stage presence. Completely secure in every register, homogeneous, subtle and full-bodied, decisive, exquisitely nuanced, always fresh, her voice was a luxury that filled every corner of the main hall of Les Arts. At one point, I thought an encore was about to happen. These things are sometimes inexplicable; sometimes they happen, sometimes they don’t (well, occasionally there is a reason).

—  Rafael Díaz Gómez  •  Mundo Classico

La traviata

Teatro di San Carlo
Violetta Valery

Lisette returns to the Teatro di San Carlo in one of her most performed roles, Violetta in La Traviata. 

July 24, 27, 30
Teatro di San Carlo
Napoli, NA

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Concert

Cap Rocat Festival
Soprano

Lisette debuts in Mallorca at the Cap Rocat Festival with the Symphony Orchestra of the Balearic Islands. 

August 04
Hotel Cap Rocat
Illes Balears, ES

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Hamlet

Salzburger Festspiele
Ophélie

Lisette returns to the Salzburger Festspiele to perform one of her most iconic roles, Ophélie in Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet. This will be performed in Concert. 

August 16, 19
Felsenreitschule
Salzburg, AT

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La traviata

Wiener Staatsoper
Violetta Valery

Lisette returns to the Wiener Staatsoper to perform as Violetta Valery in the Simon Stone production of La traivata.

September 06, 09, 13, 15
Wiener Staatsoper
Wien, AT

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Manon

Les Arts Valencia
Manon Lescaut

Les Arts opens its subscription season with a dreamlike Manon from the Paris Opera. Set in the happy and crazy twenties of the last century by the emerging French director Vincent Huguet, it brings together two great opera stars, Lisette Oropesa and Charles Castronovo, under the baton of James Gaffigan.

October 03, 06, 09, 12, 15
Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia
Valencia, ES

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Metropolitan Opera - On the Run

Interview

Lisette is interviewed by the Metropolitan Opera during their Asian tour while running around Osaka, Japan

Roma - Teatro dell'Opera: La sonnambula

April 14, 2024

Lisette Oropesa, in her debut in the role, sings beautifully and interprets splendidly: high notes, ornamentations, trills, facial expressions, and "scenic speech." Nothing is missing. The icing on the cake is an "Ah, non credea mirarti" and "Ah non giunge uman pensiero" from the anthology. Despite a highly inconsistent direction, Oropesa still manages to be magnetic on stage and to captivate the audience's attention. It's just a pity that the staging of the great final aria was not enhanced: a different directorial approach could have led to an even more powerful cathartic effect. For her, there are open applause and resonant final ovations. In short, the love story between Lisette Oropesa and the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma continues, which began in 2016 with a magnificent Rigoletto.

—  Michelangelo Pecoraro  •  Opera Click

Alles, was man können muss

April 14, 2024

Bel canto is the pinnacle of classical singing styles, and Lisette Oropesa has been its reigning queen among sopranos for several years. The American soprano with Cuban roots masters everything a singer must be able to do here: sparkling runs, clean leaps, trills, rapid embellishments, in various articulations. Yet, none of it sounds technical or mechanical with her, because the fundamental tone of her soprano is warm, with a lyrical and soft core that, always veiled by a gentle shadow, has a high recognition value. Just as in ballet, in bel canto, the artificial must appear natural, the acrobatic must express the human—a balancing act that Oropesa masters so confidently that she is in demand for equally unusual and demanding roles even in the homeland of bel canto, in Italy.

—  Michael Stallknecht  •  Süddeutsche Zeitung

Lisette Oropesa et Benjamin Bernheim chantent l'amour lyrique au Théâtre des Champs-Élysées

April 30, 2024

We only think of these considerations in the rare moments when we are not drowned in the beauty, theatricality, and musicality of the wonderful voices that captivate the entire hall. With impressive sound amplitude across all registers, the soprano can perform acrobatic vocalises with remarkable clarity in her interpretation of "Carlo vive?" from I masnadieri. It's amusing that in the second part, for the jewel aria, Lisette Oropesa no longer has the necklace she wore for the Italian part of the program. No matter, her voice, sparkling with diamonds, creates sumptuous ones from scratch. Ultimately, it is in her last solo aria that the American singer is most stunning: a "Robert, toi que j'aime" by Meyerbeer whose dramatic lamentations strike straight to the heart, far from the virtuosic twirls of the previous performances.

—  Pierre Michel  •  Bachtrack

Oropesa e Bernheim alla Scala: quando la classe è doppia

May 1, 2024

Individually, Oropesa played her best cards in the aria from Masnadieri (an opera with which she had made her successful debut in the Piermarini hall), as well as in the Jewel Song from Faust, where she showcased all her virtuosic suppleness and her rock-solid trills. She then earned the greatest acclaim in the poignant “Robert, toi que j’aime” from Meyerbeer’s Robert le Diable, masterfully rendered with a smoothness of emission, a creativity in half-voices and pianissimos, and a spectacular cadenza that was truly superlative for its instrumental daring and precision.

—  Davide Annachini  •  DelTeatro

La Gala de Primavera del 177º aniversario del Gran Teatre del Liceu

May 3, 2024

For her part, Lisette Oropesa, not so well-known among the Liceu audience but who left a significant mark in her two previous performances with Händel and Verdi, demonstrated once again the quality and range of an instrument that projects with insulting ease, of exquisite technique, and the wide repertoire that she covers, with a very meritorious zarzuela romance "Madre de mis amores" by Monte Carmelo de Federico Moreno Torroba, an extraordinary "Je veux vivre" from Gounod's Roméo et Juliette, and a careful and fun scene from L'elisir d'amore alongside Camarena; it is to be hoped that the American soprano, whose great-grandmother was from Barcelona, can soon return to the Liceu.

—  Fernando Sans Rivière  •  Opera Actual

Lisette Oropesa shines radiantly in Mozart with the Met Orchestra at Carnegie Hall

June 13, 2024

With her lively and radiant lyric coloratura and formidable acting skills, Oropesa responded deftly to both the character and situation, sensitively conveying Lucilla’s confusion as well as her tenderness.

Displaying extraordinary expressiveness, flexibility, and richness of color, Oropesa created a refined and deeply emotional interpretation of the scena. Singing with intensity and a rich, warm tone that perfectly supported the dramatic situation, she gracefully voiced the long legato lines and effortlessly negotiated the coloratura runs and trills. 

—  Susan Stempleski  •  Bachtrack

La Sonnambula

Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
Amina

Lisette returns to the Rome Opera to debut as Amina in La Sonnambula. The new production of the show is entrusted to the French director duo Jean-Philippe Clarac and Olivier Deloeuil known as "Le Lab", who are working for the first time in Italy. 

The production will be shown on RAI5 and on Rai Radio 3

April 09, 12, 14, 17
Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
Rome, IT

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Concert tour with Benjamin Bernheim

Lisette and Ben will be giving a three concert tour in Paris, Milan and Baden-Baden. These concerts will be full of passionate French and Italian duets and arias. 

April 26
Théâtre des Champs Elysées
Paris, FR

April 29
Teatro alla Scala
Milano, MI

May 04
Festspielhaus Baden Baden
Baden-Baden, GE

Gala concert

Gran Theatre del Liceu
Soprano

A quartet of stars from the lyrical firmament to review some of the most vibrant moments in operatic literature: Ermonela Jaho, Lisette Oropesa, Javier Camarena and Carlos Álvarez.

May 02
Gran Theatre del Liceu
Barcelona, ES

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Recital tour with Ruben Fernández Aguirre

Hungarian State Opera and Musikverein Gratz 
Soprano

Lisette teams up once again with Ruben Fernández Aguirre with a program of Latin and Spanish music with two venues scheduled, the Hungarian State opera and The Musikverein in Gratz

May 12
Hungarian State Opera
Budapest, HU

May 22
Stefaniensaal
Graz, AT

Celebrating 22 Years Of Antonio Pappano

Royal Opera House
Soprano

Join us to celebrate Antonio Pappano’s 22 years as Music Director of The Royal Opera with a once-in-a-lifetime evening of opera highlights. After conducting more than 700 performances with us, Antonio Pappano has programmed a special, celebratory evening with a cast of world-famous guest artists, the Royal Opera Chorus and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.

May 16
Royal Opera House
London, UK

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Recital

Teatro alla Scala
Soprano

Lisette teams up with longtime collaborator and resident La Scala pianist Beatrice Benzi with a host of Italian and Spanish music. This recital was originally planned for the 2021 season, but was canceled due to the pandemic.

May 19
Teatro alla Scala
Milano, MI

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Masterclass

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Teacher

Lisette will be in Banff this year to offer voice lessons, interpretation, study skills and more.

June 13, 14
Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Banff, AB

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Metropolitan Opera New York and Asian Tour

The Metropolitan Opera
Soprano

Lisette embarks on a tour with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Elina Garanca and Christian Van Horn. This is the first time that the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra has toured Asia. They start the tour with a concert at Carnegie Hall, and then travel to Seoul, Osaka, Tokyo, and ending in Taipei. 

June 11
Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

June 20
Lotte Concert Hall
Seoul, KR

June 23 (Osaka), 26 (Tokyo)
Hyogo Arts and Culture Center in Osaka, JP
Suntory Hall in Tokyo, JP

June 29, 30
National Concert Hall
Taipei City, TW

Interviews

Interview

Over this past quarter, I've been fortunate to have had the chance to talk about my performances. Here is a list of those interviews.

Point de vue magazine - Belle en chantant (French)
New York Times - UNESCO (English)
France Culture - Affaires culturelles (Radio, French)
France Musique - Les Grands Entretiens (Radio, French)
Bühne Magazine (German)
SWR2 (Radio, German)
 

Night at the Museum

Jan. 20, 2024

It’s hard to imagine a more appropriate choice for the role of Cleopatra than the incandescent Lisette Oropesa. A COQUETTE par excellence, she has the vocal and dramatic prowess to embody Ptolemaic Egypt’s last queen. Her glorious lyric COLORATURA had just the right timbre, feminine and fruity. Vocally, she excelled in all her arias, but her Act II aria “V’adoro pupille” was the most sensual. Technically, her Act III aria “Da tempeste il legno infranto” was the most dazzling.

—  Ossama el Naggar  •  Concerto Net

A Night at the Garnier Museum with Julius Caesar and Cleopatra

Jan. 23, 2024

It is here entrusted to  Lisette Oropesa  who takes on the tour de force of this role with 8 tunes and the sublime final duet with César. 8 tunes and like the climax of a dance of the 7 veils in his costume in feigned semi-nudity, but with an assumed sensuality, feline and incandescent. His voice, finely woven like silk, is the same: radiant in the high notes, rich in the midrange and always sonorous, even in the lower tones.

— Henry Runey  •  Classy Keo

La Traviata à Bastille, or the “grace” of social networks

Feb. 26, 2024

But Violetta Valéry, on this Sunday afternoon, is none other than  Lisette Oropesa , triumphant with melodious power while perfectly embodying the assumed seductress. His playing and dynamic voice expand the stage and acoustic space, knowing how to pierce the wall of orchestra and hearts with his accents, without neglecting the great moments of sweetness and the clear declamation of the text.

— Juan Barrios  •  Olyrix

VIENNA / State Opera: GUILLAUME TELL – revival

March 9, 2024

The eagerly awaited role debut of Lisette Oropesa  as Mathilde leaves a strong, probably the most engaging impression of the evening  . The Habsburg princess beloved by Arnold, the only positive person in the ranks of the Austrian occupiers, only appears in the second act, the heart of the opera. Rossini's colleague Donizetti once said that the first and third acts of the opera came from the best Rossini, but the second probably came from God himself. As if to emphasize this, the soprano sings with a divine voice in heavenly heights, mastering the crazy coloratura with gentle ones , highly sensual tones and is also a real joy in terms of acting.

— Manfred A. Schmid  •  Online Merker

LISETTE OROPESA AND MARIA NAZAROVA STEAL THE SHOW FROM GUILLAUME TELL

March 18, 2024

With Lisette Oropesa, this evening's performance is excellent. Supple, flexible to the utmost extent. Well, what can I say:

The tones of the delicate soprano soar without limits or safety net into airy heights and glide lightly and effortlessly.

Lisette Oropesa's voice is agile only once. How she approaches the runs and blends the coloratura cleanly together, without suffering a single register break. Her vocal instrument flows and flows like golden honey trickling down.

Her voice always sounds warm, full-bodied, and saturated, so much so that one can hardly get enough of the rich color palette.

A force to be reckoned with in terms of acting, one truly enjoys this extraordinarily brilliant portrayal of Mathilde.

— Nicole Hacke  •  Operaverse

Giulio Cesare

Opéra National de Paris
Cleopatra

Lisette returns to the role of Cleopatra after 12 years in a famous production by Laurent Pelly at the beautiful Palais Garnier. 

January 20, 23, 25, 27, 30
February 02, 04, 08, 10, 12, 14, 16
Palais Garnier
Paris, FR

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Guillaume Tell

Wiener Staatsoper
Mathilde

Lisette makes her debut as Mathilde in the great work by Gioachino Rossini.  This production which has been absent from the Wiener Staatsoper for 20 years, returns with a formidable cast.

March 08, 13, 16, 19
Wiener Staatsoper
Wien, AT

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La Sonnambula

Teatro dell'opera di Roma
Amina

Another great return to Rome is that of the American soprano of Cuban origin Lisette Oropesa, who marked the recent history of Costanzi with the unforgettable film-opera La traviata directed by Mario Martone during the pandemic. Oropesa tackles Bellini's La sonnambula for the first time in her career.

April 09, 12, 14, 17
Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
Rome, IT

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French Bel Canto Arias wins best Recording 'Solo Recital' at the International Opera Awards

Announcement

I am over the moon with joy!  French Bel Canto was selected as the solo voice record of the year The International Opera Awards !!!  Thank you all so much for this incredible honor!  This album, a project very close to my heart, is something I’m so proud of, and couldn’t have made possible without the incredible collaboration of the Dresdner Philharmonie , amazing conductor Corrado Rovaris, and the entire team at San Francisco Classical Recording Company and PENTATONE .

Interviews

Interview

Interview - Deinós Critical Journal
 

YC: DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A CUBAN-AMERICAN? HOW WAS YOUR CHILDHOOD IN NEW ORLEANS AND WITHIN A CUBAN FAMILY? WHAT DOES CUBA MEAN TO YOU?

LO: I absolutely consider myself a Cuban-American. My household was Spanish speaking, we ate Cuban food and listened to Cuban music, and watched the Spanish channel. We had and still have a very close-knit relationship, and we all love music. It means a lot to me that my grandparents and father all left everything behind in Cuba to seek a better life for themselves and their families in the United States. I feel that I honor them in everything that I do. Cuba, even though I’ve never visited, is sort of the fantasy land that my mom remembers it to be, in my head. The beaches, the fruit, the breeze…all that sort of thing. However I know that Cuba has changed a LOT in 60 years since my family’s been gone, and so I really don’t know first-hand the present state it is in. I can only say that the importance of a homeland to an immigrant is still something that gets passed on, as America is a country built on immigration, and this is something to celebrate. By keeping my culture alive, I’m helping to add flavor to the melting pot that makes this country great.

Interview - Peter Barber

I recently had a lovely chat with Peter Barber where we had an amazing and lengthy chat bout a whole host of topics including diet, mindfulness, social media, vocal warmups, and more!

The entire interview is available on YouTube now.

Interview - My Chicago Athlete

“I have cut way back on distance as my performance schedule has ramped up,” she explained. “But it is still my favorite type of running to have in my life, and truly my sweet spot. I think the mental experience of a long run is unmatchable by anything just quick and short. But I still get out there as often as possible because being outside and in the fresh air is still amazing.”

For Lisette a demanding performance schedule also means traveling to new places and challenging herself with new running routes. I asked her for tips on traveling and staying active. “The best thing to do is to not get too set on a time or schedule. Any run is better than no run. But don’t beat yourself up if there’s too much going on. Know that once your travel days are up, you’ll get to run on fresh terrain, and that’s always exciting.”

Interview - Operaversum

I had a lovely time in Dresden speaking with Nicole Hacke of Operaversum.de! We covered a lot of topic about vocal health, crazy happenings on stage and what I think about AI.

 

Operaversum: Dear Lisette, two new role debuts are coming up on your schedule. One of them is Mathilde in Guiliam Tell and the other one is Amina in "La Sonnambula". How did you choose these two roles? Where they apparently chosen for you or are they a step further into your career?

“Lisette Oropesa: Yes, they are a bit of a step further into my career. As for "La Sonnambula", I have been wanting to sing Amina for many, many years, but never really had a chance to. It has just never come my way, no matter how much I have auditioned with the final aria „Ah! non credea mirarti“ or the first aria from La Sonnambula.....”

“La Traviata”: Verdi, the influencer and too much phlegm

Oct. 2, 2023

You have to leaf back quite a bit through the annals of the State Opera until you come across a Traviata of similar sovereignty. Usually the sopranos in this role are divided into two fields: some can muster the brilliance for the first act, the others have the lyricism and the youthful, dramatic tension for the rest. Oropesa, already known in this country as Konstanze, Gilda and Lucia Well established, impressive in all three areas, but knows how to transform all technical skills into expression. And with a timbre that repeatedly flashes similarities to Angela Gheorghiu and Ileana Cotrubas.

— Walter Weidringer  •  The Press

 

Lyric Opera’s ‘Daughter of the Regiment’ a romp rich with laughs and some of Donizetti’s best music

Nov. 5, 2023

The ultimate star of the show, though, is Oropesa, an American soprano who is making her Lyric debut. An innate physical comedian with a comfortable, compelling stage presence, she is a complete natural as Marie.

Oropesa has a supple, agile soprano voice, with a winningly honest and direct style. Seemingly unfazed by the vocal or physical demands of this role, this indefatigable singer handles its legendary coloratura with eye-opening ease and aplomb. Expect to see Oropesa back as soon as Lyric can re-sign her.

—  Kyle MacMillan  •  Chicago Sun Times

La fille du régiment

Lyric Opera of Chicago
Marie

Lisette makes her debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in one of her favorite roles, Marie in La fille du régiment. This Laurent Pelly production is beloved and together with Larry Brownlee, this will be an unmissable night at the theater!

November 04, 10, 14, 16, 19, 22, 25
Civic Opera House
Chicago, IL

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Recital

Clarksville Community Concert Association
Soprano

Lisette will bring some of her best recital arias in a vast mix of genres and styles in this half-recital with the Clarksville Community Concert Association! A rare chance to listen to Lisette in an intimate setting in the United States! Don't miss this event which will be a fun and exciting night!

November 07
George and Sharon Mabry Concert Hall, APSU
Clarksville, TN

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Concert

New Orleans Opera
Soprano

Lisette returns to her hometown of New Orleans to perform a concert of duets and operatic hits. In planning this concert, Lisette is continuing her commitment to the next generation of opera stars who are discovered through the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont National Council Auditions, which was the competition that was instrumental in jumpstarting her career and “changing her life forever.”

December 01
Mahalia Jackson Theater
New Orleans, LA

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I Puritani

Dresdner Philharmonie
Elvira

As part of a recording project, the Dresdner Philharmonie will give one live performance of this masterpiece of opera. With Larry Brownlee and Anthony Clark Evans singing the tenor and baritone parts. 

December 10
Kulturpalast
Dresden, DE

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2023 Gramophone Shortlist

Announcement

I am so excited to announce that our album of French Bel Canto Arias has been shortlisted by Gramophone in their 2023 Awards!

Read more about it on Gramophone's website!

The 2023 International Opera Awards Shortlist

Announcement

Very humbled and thrilled to be amongst the Opera Awards short list of those nominated for a Reader’s Choice Award, a Solo Album Award for French Bel Canto with Pentatone, and especially proud that our New Production of Il Turco in Italia at the Teatro Real was nominated as one of the best new productions of the year!

What splendid work all of our inspiring colleagues are doing this year. I’m honored of course to be amongst the nominees in these categories, and sincerely congratulate all of the incredible artists on these lists for their brilliant work. Thank you for all you bring to the world.

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UNESCO

 

I am so honored to have performed the USA National Anthem at the ceremony for the rejoining of the USA to UNESCO. It was a great privilege and one that I will never forget. 

Forum Opera - Interview

Interview

I had a great chat with Charles Sigel at Forum Opera about bel-canto and some of my upcoming roles that I am looking forward to. It's a long interview, but one that I think you all might enjoy!

FO: What are the roles that you would like and that no one is offering you at the moment?

Lisette Oropesa: So, I already talked about Donizetti's queens for example. I think I have to stay in the world of belcanto, but I should, I would also like to do roles like Marguerite from FAUST too, maybe Thaïs in the future. There is a serious Rossini that I would like to do. This is the Siege of Corinth. It's rare, but I would love to sing it because I think the music is fantastic. But stay with the roles that are good for me, Violetta always, still do Juliette which I adore! I think Juliette was really written for me. Manon always. Lots of French roles. I love them. It may be my favorite repertoire, but I can't say that in Italy! [laughs] In Italy I have to say that belcanto is my favorite, but really, I think it's half and half, half and half. And then Handel of course Handel of course, I'm going to sing Cleopatra in Paris.

Lucie De Lammermoor (in French) At The Aix-en-provence Festival - Sumptuous Finale - Review

July 26, 2023

Finesse, fragility, sensitivity: three adjectives that come to mind when describing Lisette Oropesa's Lucie. The Cuban-American soprano, who took on the role in French for the first time in her career, more than seduced her audience with a taut, powerful singing line, armed with an ideal vibrato and a totally mastered coloratura art that enables her to express the feelings of a woman suffering a cruel fate at the hands of a brother greedy for vengeance and power.

—  Michel Egea  •  Concert Classic

Sempre libera... e bella

July 15, 2023

The second performance of the Arena's TRAVIATA presented an excellent cast headed by American soprano Lisette Oropesa, who had already made her triumphant debut in Verdi's opera to dazzling success: there was no doubt that she would confirm this. It would be trite if not boring to describe her talents as a singer and actress; Oropesa was born to play the legendary role and "doomed" to bring the audience to a happy frenzy: and so it was last night. Violetta's perfect physique, disarming naturalness as an actress, voice with characteristic vibrato but well timed and endowed with a special luster, and impeccable technique were a great success; numerous open calls and endless expressions of admiration for the amazing American soprano.

—  Irina Sorokina  •  L'ape musicale

ÁGUILAS / Lisette Oropesa and the curse of the Princess of Bouillon

Aug. 8, 2023

Oropesa had the audience in his pocket thanks to the communicative capacity of his voice and his phrasing. The voice has a seductive timbre, with slightly dark shades in origin that acquire brightness through an impeccable technique of placement and projection, so that when it comes out, the voice has a tremor of emotion and a range of colors that make it unmistakable. With the sound perfectly covered throughout the range, transitions between registers are virtually non-existent, the sound flows with a disarming naturalness without jumping or shifting, fully audible throughout the dynamic spectrum. With such technical tools at her service, Oropesa can confidently tackle the expressive terrain of phrasing that has elevated her to the world opera podium.

—  Andrés Moreno Mengíbar  •  Scherzo Magazine

[Report] Rome Opera House 2023 Japan performance “La Traviata” first day report

Sept. 15, 2023

On the opening day of La Traviata at the Roman Opera House, Lisette Oropesa, who played the heroine, showed the Japanese audience that she is the goddess of opera and the ultimate Violetta. She has a pretty appearance and looks great in Valentino's costumes, and even in the long aria of the first act, she did not lose her composure, and she did not hesitate to use her ultra-high notes to resonate bravely. Her emotional expression is rich, but the reason it never becomes tedious is probably because there is a mysterious mystique in her voice. There are singers who play this role in a verismo style and end up with a dull voice, but Oropesa's emotional expression is musical and elegant, and the high level that she aims for in her opera. No matter how much you listen to her, she has a voice that makes you want to hear more, and some of her sounds reminded me of golden-era Maria Callas recordings (even though her physique was completely different!) ). There is a faint classical elegance to it, and above all, the tragic nature of the story is conveyed in a very true manner.

—  Hisae Odajima  •  NBS

Roméo et Juliette

Savonlinna Opera Festival
Juliette

Award-winning director Amy Lane, the Artistic Director of the Copenhagen Opera Festival, has set the events in late 19th century New York, in the dimly lit streets where the Capulets and Montagues fight over supremacy. The constant sense of danger builds fascinating tension against the voluminous music.

July 01, 05, 12
Olavinlinna Castle
Savonlinna, Fi

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Recital

Savonlinna Opera Festival
Soprano

Lisette and Ruben Fernández Aguirre bring their special blend of French and Spanish flare to the Savonlinna Opera Festival in a one-night-only recital.

July 09
Olavinlinna Castle
Savonlinna, Fi

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Lucie de Lammermoor

Festival d'Aix-en-Provence
Lucie

This French version of the opera includes significant changes from the original, such as changes in the libretto, orchestration and additional arias. These changes can affect the overall tone and atmosphere of the opera, as well as the way in which the audience experiences the story. Despite these differences, both versions of the opera are considered masterpieces and are beloved by audiences around the world.

July 24
Grand Théâtre de Provence
Aix-en-Provence, FR

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La traviata

Arena di Verona
Violetta Valery

Lisette returns to the Arena di Verona for two performances of La Traviata.

July 14, 27
Arena di Verona
Verona, IT

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Recital

Pro Música Águilas
Soprano

Lisette and Ruben reprise their recital from Savonlinna for the people of Águilas, Spain.

August 06
Auditorio y Palacio de Congresos Infanta Doña Elena
Águilas, ES

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Recital / Masterclass

Guild Hall
Soprano

Witness internationally renowned soprano Lisette Oropesa as she coaches the 2023 Guild Hall & Bel Canto Boot Camp Resident Artists. This program is part of Oropesa’s week in-residence, during which time she will lead private coaching sessions with each Resident Artist before presenting her solo recital alongside Bel Canto Boot Camp co-founders, Rachelle Jonck & Derrick Goff on Saturday, August 12.

August 10, 12
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Hoie Hall
East Hampton, US

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La traviata

Teatro dell'Opera di Roma / TOKYO
Violetta Valery

The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma returns to Japan for the first time since 2018. Lisette returns to Japan to perform one of her most iconic roles. 

September 13, 16, 18
Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Tokyo, JP

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2023 Franco Abbiati Award

Announcement

I am honored to announce that I have been named the winner of the prestigious Franco Abbiati award, in the category of Best Female Singer, here in Italy.

This great honor was bestowed upon me by the Associazione Nazionale Critici Musicali, and I am a most grateful recipient. Thank you so very much! 

Interviews

 

I've been very fortunate to have been asked for many interviews this month. Here is a list of them!
 

• Il Giornale - Italian
• Elle Magazine - Italian
• 20 Minutos - Spain
• Gente Despierta - Spain (Radio)

Theodora wins the BBC Music Magazine award in the Choral category

Announcement

I am so grateful that the BBC Music Magazine gave our recording of Theodora a win in their Choral category! It was an incredible project and tour. Congrats to everyone who helped put this project together!

Lisette Oropesa, grandissima Lucia à la Scala de Milan

April 28, 2023

Homogeneous, the vocal cast remains the major element of this new scaliger production, dominated by the bewitching Lisette Oropesa, with a vocality of unfailing ease and endurance. We are of course seduced by the roundness of the timbre, by the delicacy, the legato and the grace of an impeccably decorated song capable of infinite nuances and colors, from the terror of "REGNAVA NEL SILENCIO" to the youthful and passionate dream of “QUANDO RAPITA IN ESTASI” superbly accompanied by the languorous clarinet; a vocal performance that will culminate in a hypnotic scene of madness “IL DOLCE SONO” accompanied by the crystalline and supernatural sounds of the glass armonica.

—  Patrice Imbaud  •  ResMusica

Madrid - Teatro Real: Il turco in Italia

June 13, 2023

Lisette Oropesa appears in clothes that are doubly unusual for her as it is easier to listen to her in the serious repertoire and Rossini does not appear to be one of her most frequent composers, by choice of hers (but in Italy she was seen in the Adina in Pesaro). And it's a pity, because as a brilliant actress she is very easygoing and she immerses herself in a completely convincing way in the direction of the director: she understands that she is having fun and she manages to communicate it to the public. Her timbre is luminous, her agility secure, her verve priceless.

—  Daniele Galleni  •  Opera Click

The Met Chorus shines radiantly in music of loss at Carnegie Hall

June 16, 2023

Oropesa’s “Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit.” ... she sang with a touch of rubato, her lines opening up and gliding above the orchestra. There was a feeling of joy in her singing.

—  George Grella  •  New York Classical Review

Soprano Lisette Oropesa and tenor Amitai Pati shine as the lovers of Savonlinna's Romeo and Juliet

July 2, 2023

The biggest star of the production is the soprano Lisette Oropesa, whose interpretation of the young Juliette is not only amazing vocal art, but also fresh stage work, which depicts a young person in love first brightly, then in darker tones when things in love start to go seriously wrong.

—  Samuli Tiikkaja HS  •  Helsingin Sanomat

Opera Review | Lisette Oropesa and Amatai Pati shine as the star couple of the opera festival's new

July 3, 2023

Lisette Oropesa is a world star, and on Saturday night we saw and heard what that means. Her supple, beautiful voice reaches very high without effort, even the most difficult patterns serve expression and story. Everything is easy and natural, beautiful, and even the quiet voices carry.

Oropesa is a fairy-like, delicate and sweet Julia, in a word, enchanting. Even the hit aria from the beginning, Je vex vivre, plays with a sparkling sweetness. As the story became more dramatic, so did the voice, the young girl's exuberance growing into a grown woman's anguish.

—  Riitta-Leena Lempinen-Vesa  •  Itä-Savo

Lucia di Lammermoor

Teatro alla Scala
Lucia

The new production of Lucia di Lammermoor, which was scheduled to inaugurate the 2020-2021 season, brings the opera back to the stage after its historical edition in 1967 with Claudio Abbado and Renata Scotto. Lisette returns to La Scala to give life to this historic return of Lucia to the theater. 

April 13, 16, 20, 23, 26, 29  and  May 02, 05
Teatro alla Scala
Milano, MI

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Il Turco in Italia

Teatro Real
Fiorilla

Lisette returns to the Teatro Real as Fiorilla in Il Turco in Italia, a role she has not performed in 12 years. This new production will be realized by the famed director, Laurent Pelly. Musical direction by Giacomo Sagripanti. 

May 31  and  June 04, 06, 09, 12
Teatro Real
Madrid, ES

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Interviews

 

I've been very fortunate to have been asked for many interviews this month. Here is a list of them!
 

• La Repubblica - Italian
• Süddeutsche Zeitung - German
• Amadeus Magazine - Italian
• CMBF Radio Musical Nacional - Radio interview - Spanish
• Laura Theodore - Podcast - English
• MusicPaper.it - Italian
• Il Giornale - Italian
• Elle Magazine Italia - Italian

Cover Stories

Magazine Covers

I've been very fortunate to have been on the cover of a couple of opera magazines this quarter! I am so honored!
 

• Ongaku No Tomo
• Cadences Magazine
• Oper! Magazine

Oper! Magazine Awards - Best Female Singer

Announcement

Thank you so much to the Oper! Magazine for the recognition as the "Best Female Singer" of the year. It is an honor to be awarded this prestigious award, and I am truly grateful. I couldn't have achieved this without the support of my team, family, and friends. I will continue to work hard and strive for excellence.

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Alcina wins "Best New Opera Production" at the Olivier Awards!

Announcement

ALCINA wins the Olivier Award for Best New Opera Production!!!! Congratulations to our fabulous team at the Royal Opera House for a work of love, magic, and joy.

Watch the Announcement on YouTube »

Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres

Announcement

LISETTE OROPESA IS CHEVALIER DES ARTS ET DES LETTRES

THE CEREMONY WAS HELD YESTERDAY IN PARIS, FOLLOWING THE YOUTH PREVIEW OF THOMAS’ HAMLET

Lisette Oropesa has been awarded the title of “Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” by the French minister of Culture. The Order is granted to «PEOPLE WHO HAVE DISTINGUISHED THEMSELVES BY THEIR CREATIONS IN THE ARTISTIC OR LITERARY FIELD OR BY THE CONTRIBUTION THEY HAVE MADE TO THE INFLUENCE OF THE ARTS AND LETTERS IN FRANCE AND IN THE WORLD». 

The prestigious recognition was awarded yesterday, 8 March, to the American soprano of Cuban origins by Jean Philippe Thiellay, President of the Centre National de la Musique, during a brief ceremony held at the Opéra National de Paris, which followed the preview for young people under the age of 28 of HAMLET, by Ambroise Thomas, with Oropesa as its female lead interpreter.

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Abel and Cain, children of King Lear

Feb. 6, 2023

There remains the amazing Lisette Oropesa who in a few years has conquered the first places in the roles of lyric soprano of agility. The voice is wide, she has a good foundation, endowed with an iron technique, with a control of all the moments in all the register, knowing how to spin the notes, to measure the volume, to dose the effects with a scenic attitude always adapted, never overacting, surprisingly natural.

—  Guy Cherqui  •  Wanderer

Mozart fills halls and the giant stage

Feb. 5, 2023

Lisette Oropesa provided fuller bel canto brilliance in Mozart's Requiem

—  Florian Oberhummer  •  Salzburger Nachrichten

THOMAS, Hamlet – Paris (OnP)

March 12, 2023

At her side, Lisette Oropesa portrays a delicate Ophelia with a voice larger than those usually heard in this role, which allows her to fill the large space of the Bastille without any problem. The medium is full-bodied, the treble solid and well projected, the coloratura irreproachable and the diction perfectly intelligible. Her scene of madness, complete with repeats, earned her a well-deserved ovation.

—  Christian Peter  •  Forum Opera

At the Opéra Bastille, Ludovic Tézier makes Hamlet a dark and inhabited clown

March 15, 2023

But Lisette Oropesa has a pure soprano, with a bronzed medium, solar high notes, a flawless virtuosity and a perfectly intelligible diction. Her scene of madness, in undress, at the foot of a bathtub in which she lets herself sink, is striking. Just like her silent return at the end, a frail and poetic silhouette of a young girl on her knees scattering her own ashes from a funeral urn.

—  Marie-Aude Roux  •  Le Monde

I Masnadieri

Bayerische Staatsoper
Amalia

Lisette returns to perform in one of her most acclaimed roles, Amalia in I Masnadieri. This time, at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. This production by Johannes Erath, profoundly explores the characters and stages this opera as a chamber play of overflowing dimensions.

January 21, 24, 28
Bayerische Staatsoper
München, DE

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Mozart Requiem

Stiftung Mozarteum Salzburg
Soprano

Lisette returns to Salzburg in a performance in the soprano part of Mozart's Requiem. This performance features Rolando Villazón, Marianne Crebassa, Tareq Nazmi in the solo parts with Thomas Guggeis conducting. 

February 04
Großes Festspielhaus
Salzburg, AT

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Hamlet

Opéra National de Paris
Ophélie

In a new production by the Opéra National de Paris, Lisette sings the role of Ophélie with Ludovic Tézier as her Hamlet.

March 11, 14, 17, 21, 24, 27, 30
Opéra Bastille
Paris, FR

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Presto Classical Interview

Interview

Lisette is interviewed by Katherine Cooper of Presto Classical about her French Bel Canto album. 

❝ How did you hit on the concept for this programme? Did the experience of singing a particular role send you in this direction?
 

It was actually something that we dreamed up in a restaurant in Paris! My husband and I were talking about what I might do for my next album, and I remember saying that if it was going to be a recital of opera arias I’d naturally gravitate towards bel canto…but pretty much every woman of my voice-type has done an Italian bel canto disc, so we thought it would be interesting to focus on French-language operas by Italian composers. ❞

Rigoletto DVD Release

Announcement

I am pleased to announce our Rigoletto from the Royal Opera House will be released on Blu-ray on November 18th. This copy will be in DTS 5.1 surround sound audio in 1080i. This was a very exciting project and I am so happy to see it available for purchase.

Get your copy here!

Classic Voice Cover

Feature

I am very excited to announce that I am on the cover of Classic Voice magazine for November 2022! I had a great time talking with Luca Baccolini about my French Bel-canto album and other topics. You can find the interview on page 40. 

Rossini e Donizetti en français. Ovvero?
“Si tratta di un disco di musica italiana ma in lingua fran- cese. Il mio primo disco su Mozart non era stata un’idea mia, questo disco invece lo è. Non volevo fare però il solito belcanto di tradizione: preferivo trovare un taglio specifico e più interessante. Ho cercato musiche di Belli- ni ma non ho trovato niente in francese, nonostante abbia passato molto tempo della sua vita in Francia. Così ho virato su Rossini e Donizetti”.

Big-hearted, quirky, fun: Richard Jones' Alcina for The Royal Opera

Nov. 9, 2022

When an opera has a plot as convoluted and comprehensively daft as Handel’s Alcina, one’s enjoyment depends principally on one thing: how well can the singers sell me their text? Can they take me out of the general state of battiness and transport me to a place where I truly believe the love, the rage or the fear? In the case of Lisette Oropesa, the answer is a resounding “yes”: if I were an Eskimo and Oropesa was selling fridges, I’d be at the front of the queue!

Leaving aside Oropesa’s technical excellence, it’s the emotional investment that got me every time. Her opening aria “Di', cor mio, quanto t'amai” lifted me far away to a happy land of romance. “Ombre pallide”, the Act 2 closer, had me melting with sympathy – despite this being an evil sorceress complaining to the dark spirits about the loss of her powers.

Oropesa sets the bar so high that you have to feel a level of sympathy for anyone sharing a stage with her

—  David Karlin  •  Bachtrack

 

 

RIGOLETTO ~ A Matinee at The Met

Dec. 12, 2022

And her vocalism was ravishing. Strong emotional currents run thru everything Lisette sings; she can find just the right colour for every note and word, and it all seems perfectly spontaneous. A magical, palpable  hush settled over the House during Lisette's "Caro nome": an exquisite portrait of a young girl on the brink, the innocence of the words underscored by a subtle sense of longing. In the ensuing scenes, phrase after phrase of captivating tone and nuance - from her defiance in the vendetta duet to the heart-wrenching poignancy of her farewell to her father - showed again what a thoughtful and unique artist this soprano is. 

—  Oberon  •  Oberon's Grove

Alcina

Royal Opera House
Alcina

Wild fantasies and dark desires come to life in Richard Jones’s intoxicating new staging of Handel’s fantastical opera. The magnificent Lisette Oropesa returns to Covent Garden in the title role, joining a stunning international cast.

November 08, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26
Royal Opera House
London, UK

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Rigoletto

Metropolitan Opera
Gilda

After a lauded premiere on New Year’s Eve 2021, Bartlett Sher’s Art Deco–inspired production of Verdi’s ever-popular masterpiece returns for its first revival. Lisette returns to the Metropolitan Opera in her first performance in the United States since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.

December 08, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 29
Metropolitan Opera
New York, NY

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Rossini & Donizetti - French Bel Canto Arias

Announcement

I can't thank everyone enough for the kind and incredible reviews of our new album with the Dresdner Philharmonie and Corrado Rovaris conducting. This album was a culmination of many years of planning and I am so happy that we were able to put something together that is really special. I am overwhelmed with the responses to the album! Read some of the reviews below:

With her clear and bright timbre and distinctive but well controlled vibrato, she sings with taste, color and marked musicality. The singing line is very accurate in the legate and the fluid coloratura, precise and not aspirated, the trills close to almost becoming one with the vibrato. Oropesa controls his instrument well and sings effortlessly. The central register then acquired dark hues that allow it to master a good extension and a good color palette. ~ Connessi all'Opera

On her new aria CD "French bel canto Arias" Lisette Oropesa has taken on operas in French by the composers Gioacchino Rossini and Gaetano Donizetti. A brilliant idea, because the arias of Pamyra from "Le siège de Corinthe", Mathilde from "Guillaume Tell" (which she also plans to sing on stage) or the Comtesse from "Le Comte Ory" are not only rarities, but ideally suited to the voice type and maturity of the singer, who seems to have reached the zenith of her potential. ~ Online Merker

Theodora Album Release

Announcement

The recording from our Theodora last year has been released! You can find the album here! I am very grateful for all of the wonderful feedback from the album and I hope you can get your hands on your own copy soon! It's also available streaming everywhere.

Interviews

L'ape Musicale

I had a wonderful time speaking with Luigi Raso of L'ape Musicale about my debut in Napoli at the Teatro San Carlo in I Puritani. We spoke a lot about bel-canto, technique, upcoming roles, and my vocal models. So 

Rai News

I spoke with Fabio Cappelli of the RAI News about my upcoming debut as Elvira in I Puritani here in Napoli. This interview was filmed and there are some clips from the concert performance as well. 

BBC In Tune

I recently spoke with Sean Rafferty of BBC3's In Tune program about the release of my French Bel Canto CD as well as Theodora. We played some clips as well. Fast forward to 1h14 in the program to listen!

Grandioser Start ins Salzburger Festspielfinale

Aug. 26, 2022

For the American soprano Lisette Oropesa, her radiant voice and her embodiment of Lucia, superlatives hardly express what she has achieved vocally and mimetically with rarely heard virtuosity.

—  Brigitte Janoschka  •  Passauer Neue Presse

Qui la voce sua soave

Sept. 9, 2022

Lisette Oropesa in her absolute debut in Elvira belliniana fully repays the wait to listen to her - let's add, finally! - at the San Carlo Theater. Since the duet between Elvira and Giorgio "Sai come arde in petto mio" ; miss Oropesa stands out for her precision, technical expertise, beautiful color, perfect vocal projection and intensity; dramaticisim

—  Luigi Raso  •  L'ape musicale

Bellini's last monument to bel canto: I puritani in concert in Naples

Sept. 12, 2022

“Qui la voce sua soave” was delivered with delicacy and an emotional charge of dramatic sense. In “Son vergin vezzosa”, Oropesa appeared in a stunning vocal form, with a sparkling sound and a precise staccato, with a charming tone across her whole range. She seemed at ease and confirmed herself as one of the best sopranos currently on the circuit.

—  Lorenzo Fiorito  •  Bachtrack

Lucia di Lammermoor Salzburger Festspiele Lucia

Lisette makes her debut at the Salzburger Festspiele in Lucia di Lammermoor, which is presented for the first time at the Festspiele! She is joined by Benjamin Berenheim and Ludovic Tézier with Daniele Rustoni conducting. 

August 25
Großes Festspielhaus
Salzburg, Austria

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I Puritani

Company
Elvira

Lisette makes her debut as Elvira in I Puritani at the historic Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Italy. This concert performance will take place on 4 dates. 

September 07, 10, 13, 16
Teatro di San Carlo
Napoli, Italy

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Concert in Tokyo

Japan Performing Arts Foundation
Soprano

Lisette makes her debut in Asia with the Japan Performing Arts Foundation in Tokyo! She will be giving two concerts full of bel-canto music with Luca Salsi. 

September 23, 25
Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
Tokyo, JP

More Information »

La traviata recording a critical success

Announcement

BBC Music Magazine - July 2022
Highly acclaimed for her recent performances in La traviata at major opera houses in the US, Britain, Italy and Spain, the Cuban-American soprano Lisette Oropesa has now recorded the work. And what a dazzling interpretation it turns out to be! A lighter-voiced Violetta than many, leaning more towards the lyric than the dramatic, she sings with a consistent, shimmering beauty, effortless legato and an endearing sense of character.  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gramophone Magazine - September 2022
Oropesa represents a break from the Violettas of decades past with her clean vocalism and way of inhabiting the role from within, minus a lot of external emotional signalling. The tragic final scene is conveyed with many feats of shading, achieved as much through vocal technique as emotional inspiration, giving her characterisation as much dignity as desperation.

Read more reviews here »

Interviews
 

Neue Zürcher Zeitung

"This is all in preparation for roles that are often extreme sports themselves. For Oropesa, bel canto is "a specific approach to singing and interpreting" that first and foremost requires disciplined practice. But also "a musical taste", for example in the culture of rubato, the many small delays. If it succeeds, then necessity turns into freedom, similar to ballet, the initially artificial becomes an expression of the human. The voice begins to soar, maintaining a haven in the music even in madness."
 

Being and Doing Podcast

Lisette chatted with Aleksandra Vancevska on her podcast, Being and Doing. She had a great, wide-ranging chat on creativity, obesity, healthy lifestyle, the voice, and more. So please check it out when you have time, I think a lot of people will find this conversation interesting and a little different than most.

Liceu, 175 years very well behaved

April 5, 2022

In the midst of all this, Lisette Oropesa offered us a luxurious belcantista sorbet. Her scene of Lucia's madness is one of those that one keeps for the memory: coloratura executed to perfection, interpreted in an exquisite way, without too much salt or too much pepper - very important, that! - and finished with an Eb When it was over, the theater collapsed.

— Ferran Vila i Riera  •  The Time of the Arts

Lisette Oropesa seems unsurpassable in a strongly sung revival of Lucia di Lammermoor in Vienna

April 25, 2022

Lisette Oropesa’s technique is astonishing and she was in absolute command of her beautiful silvery voice and the title role’s demanding coloratura. All her high E flats were hit dead centre and with impressive ease and the mechanics of singing was never on show and Oropesa brought a real sense of character to her dramatically realistic and triumphant portrayal of Lucia. There was a perfect arc from Lucia’s girlish glee and making of a snow angel in Act I to a nuanced, gripping, blood-spattered concluding ‘Mad Scene’ when Oropesa elicited tremendous sympathy for her plight. In short, Oropesa’s Lucia will not easily be surpassed.

—  Jim Pritchard  •  Seen and Heard International

Two singers in a state of grace

May 30, 2022

Lisette Oropesa is astounding with ease and mastery in Lucia, leaving absolutely nothing to show through the difficulty of the role. Her peerless technique, her perfectly assured vocals, her luminous highs, her crystalline timbre and her evanescent halftones make her an incomparable Lucia today. She makes the public delirious with each of her interventions

— Claudius Poloni  •  Concerto Net

Lisette Oropesa inspires as Violetta at the Munich Opera Festival in Verdi's "La Traviata".

June 29, 2022

Lisette Oropesa, born in New Orleans in 1983, is an absolutely wonderful singer, as you can see at the Munich Opera Festival. There she sings Violetta in Verdi's "La Traviata" in Günter Krämer's production, which is now almost 30 years old. One of the bizarre things about opera is that dying on stage is often the most enchanting moment, and the way Oropesa sings and plays Violetta's dying here is extraordinarily moving. Because she is extraordinarily precise, never does too much, never too little, gives her voice that crucial fragility that makes a truly authentic impression.

Ah, that voice. In the first act she glistens and shines. She is light as a feather, but Oropesa has, firstly, a brilliant technique and, secondly, a wonderful little vibrato that carries her voice over everything, always letting it shine out, while always having a warm, incredibly likeable basic sound. Oropesa is here, at the festival in the first act, highly elegant, dainty, enchanting, charming center of the hustle and bustle that has become somewhat worn out over the years of the production.

— Egbert Tholl  •  Süddeutsche Zeitung

"SWEET NIGHT! HOW MANY STARS! ”: TURANDOT, AIDA AND TRAVIATA IN ARENA

Aug. 10, 2022

Who reveals a formidable artistic and interpretative growth is Lisette Oropesa in the role of the protagonist. When we first heard the soprano in this role we had foreseen a further development and we have proof of it: her Violetta is now complete, from the virtuosity of the first act to the lyricism of the second, up to the dramatic song of the III. The interpreter has also grown from an actor's point of view, also managing the stage development of this iconic character very well.

- Francesco Lodola  •  Ieri Oggi Domaini Opera

Wet and lucky arena

Aug. 14, 2022

At the height was the trio of soloists hired for this special evening. Lisette Oropesa appeared in a fluttering pastel blue dress, perfect for highlighting her beauty and femininity and above all her always elegant attitude, and she flaunted the voice we already know and will never tire of hearing: a crystalline soprano and very clean, but still soft. Fresh from the great success in La Traviata, she proved to be a refined and versatile musician capable of passing naturally from one style to another, from Italian opera of the mid-nineteenth century to the German one of ninety years later, from writing completely different and at times impervious.

- Irina Sorokina  •  L'ape Musicale

Lucia di Lammermoor

Wiener Staatsoper
Lucia

Lisette stars in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Wiener Staatsoper

April 16, 19, 24, 29
Wiener Staatsoper
Wien, AT

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Lucia di Lammermoor

Opernhaus Zürich
Lucia

Lisette debuts in the Opernhaus Zürich in Lucia di Lammermoor

May 22, 26, 29  and  June 04, 12
Opernhaus Zürich
Zürich, CH

More Information »

La traviata

Bayerische Staatsoper
Violetta Valery

Lisette brings her iconic Violetta Valery to the Bayerische Staatsoper

June 28  and  July 01
Bayerische Staatsoper
München, DE

More Information »

La traviata is to be released in May!

Announcement

RELEASE MAY 2022  (April 2022 exclusively on pentatonemusic.com) This album will be released as 2 SACDs and in digital formats for streaming and high-resolution downloads.

DIGITAL WORLDWIDE RELEASE DATE: 27 MAY 2022

Audio Resolution for digital files:  DSD64, 96/24 PCM surround, 96/24 PCM Stereo and 44.1k/16 PCM Stereo

More Information »

Interviews

 

Lisette gave a few interviews to the Spanish press about her concerts in the Spanish language and lieder recital in Valencia. 

El Español (Spanish)
RTVE (Spanish)
Levante Magazine (Spanish)

SXSW Panelist

Feature

Lisette was a virtual panelist at the SXSW conference this year, joined by Austin Opera's Olivia Newcomb, Timothy Meyers, and Annie Burridge. They had a very interesting conversation based on the topic of performing during the time of Covid and what kinds of struggles and opportunities were presented.

You can find the entire conference on facebook here. 

Teatro Real Grandes Voces Concert Press

Announcement

Lisette's performed in Madrid in an all-French bel-canto concert, where many of the pieces performed were for her upcoming CD. Here are the articles that were written about her appearance in Madrid. 
 

Lisette Oropesa, la antidiva que aprendió a decir no (Hoy.es)
Lisette Oropesa ofrece un recital en el Teatro Real con arias francesas de Rossini y Donizetti (Scherzo)
Lisette Oropesa anticipa "muchos más síes" al Teatro Real tras su concierto (EFE)
Lisette Oropesa, el brillo del belcanto en Las voces del Real (Toda la musica)
Lisette Oropesa, die Brillanz des Belcanto in Voces del Real (Brio Classica) 
Lisette Oropesa vuelve al Real en clave francesa (Opera Actual) 
Lisette Oropesa: «Si cantas sin emoción, ¿a quién vas a llegar?» (ABC.es) 
Lisette Oropesa vuelve tras su histórico bis al Teatro Real (Beckmesser) 
Lisette Oropesa ofrecerá un programa ‘belcantista’ en las ‘Voces del Real’ (OperaWorld) 

Female trio triumphs at La Scala: Oropesa, Crebassa and Scappucci shine in I Capuleti e i Montecchi

Jan. 24, 2022

It is hard to imagine two singers more suited to the roles of Giulietta and Romeo than Lisette Oropesa and Marianne Crebassa. Oropesa’s soprano was silvery, with splendid, phosphorescent high and super-high notes, while Crebassa’s mezzo had a spectacular warm and bronzed timbre, with remarkable uniformity in all registers, and beautiful, round high notes. They showed great commitment to the roles and good chemistry among them. Oropesa’s Giulietta was convincingly torn between her love for Romeo and loyalty to her father, with a lyrical delivery, full of pathos. Her “No, non poss’io partire” in the second act was a miracle of filati and variations, with spotless high notes. 

—  Laura Servidei  •  Bachtrack

MILANO, TEATRO ALLA SCALA: “I CAPULETI E I MONTECCHI”

Feb. 5, 2022

The singing company is illuminated by Lisette Oropesa's Juliet. The American soprano hovers over Bellini's melodies with ineffable lightness, caressing them with a radiant mother-of-pearl tone that seems to illuminate everything around him. Her masterful breath control allows her to create mezzevoci of silky delicacy while her vocal body remains compact and homogeneous throughout the range, with a medium-low quality combined with a radiant and very easy high register. On the expressive level of her, her Juliet is of a spontaneity that she cannot fail to move, a character rich in nuances, not limited to a liliale sadness.

—  Giordano Cavagnino  •  GB Opera Magazine

Arrollador debut valenciano de Oropesa

March 7, 2022

The soprano was full of means from the first of the pieces, LA STELLA by Mercadante: the voice spread easily through the room and its attractive timbre filled every corner of the theater. In the pieces by Schubert and Schumann she showed the enormous interest that this repertoire arouses in her, since she performed them without score. She shows, then, that she has worked a lot on this repertoire and, although she is fundamentally an operatic singer, she defends herself in this field without problems thanks to her innate musicality.

—  César RUS  •  Opera Actual

WIEN / Staatsoper: Solistenkonzert LISETTE OROPESA

March 10, 2022

With her slender, flexible soprano voice, Oropesa manages to sensitively fathom the moods and images evoked in the songs she has chosen.

—  Manfred A. Schmid  •  Online Merker

Staatsoper: Die "Entführung" als Gesamtkunstwerk

March 14, 2022

Virtuosic, as Lisette Oropesa sings in the bravura aria Martern of All Kinds, competing with the voices of the orchestra

—  Der Standard  •  Der Standard

WIEN/ Staatsoper: RIGOLETTO – wieder umbesetzt

March 27, 2022

Oropesa's soprano didn't bestow just cool virtuosity on Gilda, instead she wore her heart on her sleeve. Her voice, in the softly bedded middle register, hinted at a gentle melancholy reminiscent of operatic times long gone. The singer played the character without exaggeration, infusing it with heartwarming naivety and youthfulness

—  Dominik Troger  •  Online Merker

Lisette Oropesa triunfa en su esperado regreso al Teatro Real

March 31, 2022

From his opera Les Martyrs premiered in Paris in 1840, probably one of his least known or performed, Oropesa performed a dark aria "O ma mère, ma mère...Qu'ici ta main glacée bénisse ton enfant", of a belcantismo to the limit , as well as suitable for displaying talents for high registers and extraordinary agility that require not only technique or efficiency, but a kind of gift. Yes, hard work.

—  Alicia Huerta  •  Republica

Un aniversario perfecto

April 4, 2022

Staging part III until the end of the mad scene, we were able to enjoy the delicacy of Lisette Oropesa, who presented us with the complete psychology and vocality of the famous mad scene. A scene in crescendo that Oropesa knew how to cope with a mixture of madness and sweetness that dazzled the audience. After the famous aria, the audience went wild with applause and other cheers to praise the great job she had just done on stage. She, visibly shocked by the respectable's reaction, had to bow down, something that the public applauded even more, leading Oropesa to fall on her knees in sincere gratitude for the reaction she was experiencing. Brava!

—  Norman Marsà  •  En Platea

I Capuleti e i Montecchi

Teatro alla Scala
Giulietta

The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet and their forbidden love has inspired countless versions, from opera to cinema. Among the most evocative is that by Vincenzo Bellini, one of the most infrequently performed bel canto composers. I Capuleti e i Montecchi returns to La Scala in a new production conducted by Speranza Scappucci and marking the debut of Adrian Noble, artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company for thirteen years. The cast features some of the most outstanding contemporary Bellini voices.

January 18, 21, 23, 30 and February 02
Teatro alla Scala
Milano, MI

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Performance

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Soprano

Riccardo Muti conducts 4 performances of Beethoven's 9th Symphony in Chicago. 

February 24, 25, 26, 27
Chicago Symphony Center
Chicago, IL

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Recital

Company
Soprano

Lisette Oropesa and Ruben Fernández Aguirre continue their collaboration with a recital in Valencia.

March 05
Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia
Valencia, ES

More Information »

Recital

Wiener Staatsoper
Soprano

Lisette and Ruben Fernández Aguirre switch up their program of Spanish music to give a concert with a variety of musical styles with more emphasis on German lied and French music. Composers such as Fauré, Strauss, Schumann and Schubert will be represented. 

March 09
Wiener Staatsoper
Wien, AT

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Die Entführung aus dem Serail

Wiener Staatsoper
Konstanze

Lisette returns to the Wiener Staatsoper to reprise her role as Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail. 

March 12, 15, 19, 22
Wiener Staatsoper
Wien, AT

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Voces del Real

Teatro Real
Soprano

Lisette returns to the Teatro Real to give an exclusive look and a concert performance of many tracks that will be on her upcoming French bel canto album, together with Maestro Corrado Rovaris, this event will prove to be a major highlight.

March 30
Teatro Real
Madrid, ES

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Opera Charm Magazine - Cover story

Interview

I am so grateful to Bianca L. Nica for taking with me the latest issue of Opera Charm Magazine and putting together this beautiful cover story!

Read More Here »

Interviews

During the last few months, here is a round-up of interviews that Lisette has done in many newspapers and journals.

The Daily Telegraph (English)

Corriere della Sera (Italian)
Donna Moderna Magazine (Italian)

Platea Magazine (Spanish)
Opera Actual (Spanish)
Vanity Fair España (Spanish)
ABC de Sevilla (Spanish)

Parma, Verdi Festival 2021 - Recital by Lisette Oropesa

Oct. 9, 2021

Agentle diva, Oropesa, who seems to be pervaded by a light, elegant and aristocratic grace without being distant, incisive as an interpreter without ever being affected and, above all, without sacrificing spontaneity. The timbre is really beautiful in color and roundness, the voice is full-bodied in the centers and gradually softer and more mellow in the passage up to bright highs, which really fill the room. Moreover, the singing is always excellently projected, the technique is superb (the trills are wonderful), the phrasing is elegant and cared for, the nuances are remarkable. 

—  Fabio Larovere  •  Conessi all'Opera

La Traviata REVIEW: Lisette Oropesa breathes new life into Verdi's most popular opera

Oct. 29, 2021

I cannot remember when I last saw the entire audience at the Royal Opera House rise to their feet to applaud a singer, but rarely can a full-house standing ovation have been better merited than the one given to Cuban-American soprano Lisette Oropesa on the opening night of Verdi’s La Traviata on 27 October.

This singer has everything: a beautiful voice, flexible enough to convey great extremes of emotion, superb acting ability, and the ability to dominate the stage and captivate the audience totally. Even more remarkably, this was the 17th revival of Richard Eyre’s glorious 1994 production of Verdi’s most popular opera, yet thanks to Oropesa’s stunning performance, it looked fresher than ever.

—  William Hartston  •  Daily Express

Milano - Teatro alla Scala: Theodora

Nov. 24, 2021

Lisette Oropesa is a well-rounded protagonist: hers is a well-sung Theodora, ecstatic, virginal, at the same time fearful and resolute, as ready to follow the dictates of her religion as she is willing to save the innocent Didymus from unjust condemnation. The execution of the prison scene, "Oh thou bright sun ... With darkness deep as is my woe", thanks to the close dialogue with the conductor and the orchestra, and the final duet with Didimo "Streams of pleasure ... Thither let our hearts aspire ".

—  Martino Pinali  •  Opera Click

A starry cast for Handel's Theodora in Paris

Nov. 24, 2021

In the title role, Lisette Oropesa offered a straightforward sincerity and innocence. Oropesa’s voice is a perfect fit for the character, pure and unforced but with enough fullness to bloom in Handel’s long legato lines. As always, her vocal technique was a marvel, with perfectly integrated registers and fluent command of Handelian ornamentation. Her Act 2 prison scene was the highlight of the evening, marrying endless lines of pearly sound with disarming sincerity. As her lover Didymus, the young French countertenor Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian sang with a beautiful, rich tone and excellent coloratura, particularly in his opening aria. His plummy sound, though, wasn’t ideally matched with Oropesa’s silvery purity in the final duet, and his English suffered in comparison to his Anglophone cast-mates.

—  Kevin W Ng  •  Bachtrack

 

Lisette Oropesa arrolla en el Teatro de la Zarzuela

Dec. 23, 2021

She once again demonstrated the great versatility of her voice, capable of tackling new genres and interpreting them brilliantly. Or one would have to say, overwhelming. Her vocal qualities are evident. There is nothing in the score, or outside of it, that she can resist. She maintains exceptional high notes and extreme high notes, with a homogeneous center and very consistent low register. And one of her greatest qualities, taking into account her lightness, is a more than appreciable volume of voice. She uses legato and middle voice to perfection. She maintains her good diction impeccable and manages the trust with brilliance and generosity.

—  Brío Clásica

 

Lisette Oropesa, like a storm

Dec. 16, 2021

Perhaps the great harmony and collaboration that exists between these two theaters led to the event, which will always remain in our memory as an extraordinary event of vocal beauty, expressiveness and melodic enthusiasm. Her voice, used to be light, now already has a considerable lyrical touch, has been tanned in the best stages of the world with special ease for coloratura and facing roles of enormous importance and difficulty. But here she came defending a program all in Spanish, by dint of songs and zarzuela romances from both sides of the Atlantic, taking her Cuban origins and her Spanish passion to the limit in an unprecedented recital.

—  Juan José Roldán  •  El Correo

Standing ovation per Lisette Oropesa chiude il 2021 della Fondazione Ravello

Dec. 28, 2021

In the post concert, radiant with the final standing ovation given by the Ravello audience, she confided that she was impatient to make his debut at La Scala and happy to have given a taste of what it will be with the interpretation of one of the most complex arias of I Capuleti ei Montecchi and that is Here I am in happy dress. "Oh! quante volte, oh quante!" from Act I of Bellini's opera.

—  Postiano News

Recital

Nachtigall Artists
Soprano

Lisette and pianist Ruben Fernández Aguirre appear in Prague to reprise their critically acclaimed recital from Bilbao in January, with some minor changes in the set list for the Prague audience. 

October 05
Municipal House - Smetana Hall
Prague, CZ

More Information »

Recital Teatro Regio di Parma Soprano

Lisette joins famed musicologist Franceso Izzo in a varied program of interesting repertoire for the Festival Verdi in Parma Italy. Composers represented include Mercadante, Verdi, Schubert, Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini, Chopin, and more!

October 07
Teatro Regio di Parma
Parma, Italy

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Masterclass Royal Opera House

Prior to Lisette's return to the ROH, she will be giving a public masterclass for the students of the Jette Parker Young Artists program.

October 14
Royal Opera House
London, UK

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La traviata Royal Opera House Violetta Valéry

Coming off of Lisette's major success as Gilda in Rigoletto, Lisette returns to the Royal Opera House in another Verdi role, this time as Violetta Valéry in La traviata. 

October 27, 30 and November 02, 06, 09
Royal Opera House
London, UK

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Theodora Tour

Theater an der Wien, Teatro alla Scala, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Philharmonie Essen
Theodora

Lisette performs the title role in Handel's oratorio masterpiece, Theodora. She is joined by an all-star cast, Joyce DiDonato, Michael Spyres, John Chest, and Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian. With the Il Pomo d'Oro orchestra, conducted by Maxim Emelyanychev.

November 18, Theater an der Wien, Vienna, Austria
November 20, Teatro alla Scala, Milan, Italy
November 22. Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris, France
November 24, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Luxembourg
November 26, Philharmonie Essen, Essen, Germany

Recital

Teatro de la Zarzuela, Teatro de la Maestranza
Soprano

Lisette and Ruben Fernández Aguirre join together again in a brand new program consisting of entirely Zarzuela repertoire just for the Spanish audience! These two back-to-back recitals will be performed in Madrid and Seville. 

December 13, Teatro de la Zarzuela, Madrid, Spain
December 15, Teatro de la Maestranza, Seville, Spain

Interviews

Here are a few interviews that were given during the past few months in regards to Lisette's performances in Italy, UK, and Czechia. 

Publications
Sicilian Post (Italian)
Opera+ (Czech)

Podcasts
Morning Call, Radio RT Hong Kong (English)
In Tune, BBC Radio 3 (English)

Royal Opera House 2021-22 Review: Rigoletto

Sept. 16, 2021

Lisette Oropesa remains one of the leading lyric coloraturas working today. There is richness and oaky color in her lower register – redolent of Callas – which gives the character a power and gravitas that twittering glittering approaches rule out. Her “Caro nome” received a thunderous reception, and most of the passagework and high notes shone – particularly that trill

—  Benjamin Poore  •  OperaWire

Martina Franca, Festival of the Valle d'Itria 2021 - Recital by Lisette Oropesa

Aug. 4, 2021

Oropesa exhibited a beautiful incisiveness in the recitative, then performing the aria with perfect musicality and a sweet and vibrant sound, before the acrobatic cabaletta where the precision of the trills was supported by exceptional breath control and was always accompanied by an expressive reason. Very remarkable then in the articulation of the sentence, clear and devoid of any artifice, in the intense patheticity of "Adieu, notre petite table" by Manon of Massenet.

—  Fabio Larovere  •  Conessi all'Opera

 

Con Lisette a casa Verdi

Oct. 11, 2021

The voice, with its lyrical timbre, is homogeneous throughout, soft, round, rich in harmonics in the centers, it rises easily without the need to have the boldness of the light colored voices and maintains firmness and body even in the severe region. Supported by a masterly legate, the instrumental precision with which she rattles off the accents and, among these the most difficult, the trill is striking. Precision that gives firmness to the singing line, always controlled even in moments of greatest expressiveness.

—  Paolo Malaspina  •  Wanderer

 

Napa Valley Festival Opening Night

Napa Valley Festival
Soprano

Lisette performs to a sold-out crowd at the Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena, California. A recital with Curtis Pajer at the piano, Lisette will perform famous melodies by Rossini, Verdi, Mozart, Fauré, Puccini, Massenet, Bizet and Donizetti. 

July 16
Charles Krug Winery
St. Helena, CA

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Concerto del Belcanto

Festival della Valle d'Itria
Soprano

Her first time appearing in southern Italy, Lisette will perform a selection of Belcanto pieces as well as Zarzuela music with Corrado Rovaris conducting the Orchestra of the Petruzzelli Theater.  

August 02
Palazzo Ducale
Martina Franca, TA

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I Puritani - Highlights

Gstaad Festival
Elvira

Lisette performs her first I Puritani in a "highlights" version in Switzerland. This 2-hour version of the concert ensures that covid related guidelines can be adhered to. 

August 28
Gstaad Festival
Gstaad, CH

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Rigoletto

Royal Opera House
Gilda

Lisette opens the season at the Royal Opera House in a brand new version of Rigoletto directed by Oliver Mears.

September 13, 16, 18, 21, 24, 27, 29
Royal Opera House
London, UK

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Ombra Compagna a Critical Success

Announcement

Lisette's first-ever album with an orchestra, Ombra Compagna, continues to garner wide accolades and critical reception by some of the most important critics in the industry. This exciting new release by San Francisco Classical Recording Company and Pentatone packs 80 minutes of some of Mozart's most difficult and expressive works. In the hands of Antonello Manacorda and the Il Pomo d'Oro orchestra, arises a finely crafted compendium with a complete 5.1 surround sound disc on a Super Audio CD. 

Don't just take out word for it, read what the critics are saying. 

Oper! Magazin CD of the Month
Sunday Times Recording of the Week
German Record Critics Nominated Best Vocal Album of the Year
Gramophone UK Essential Classical Album of the Week
 

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Spain Recital Tour

Announcement

Coming off of a major success in recital with Ruben Fernández Aguirre in Bilbao, Ruben and Lisette return to the recital stage in three other cities in Spain. Their program includes various bel canto pieces as well as Zarzuela and Cuban music. 

Teatro de la Zarzuela - Madrid, ES - Monday, December 13, 2021
Teatro de la Maestranza - Sevilla, ES - Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia - Valencia, ES - Saturday, March 5, 2022

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Announcing the full tour of Handel's Theodora

Announcement

Coming off of the release of widely acclaimed release Ombra Compagna, Lisette returns to perform with the Il Pomo D'Oro orchestra as the title of Theodora in Handel's Theodora. Joined by her colleagues, Joyce DiDonato, Michael Spyres, John Chest, and Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian, this is a five-stop tour of Europe to perform this piece under the baton of Maxim Emelyanychev.

The five-country tour kicks off in Vienna, then to Milan at the famed Teatro alla Scala, Paris, Luxembourg, and the last performance will be in Essen, Germany. 

November 18th, 2021 - Theater an der Wien, Vienna, Austria
November 20th, 2021 - Teatro alla Scala, Milan, Italy
November 22nd, 2021 - Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris, France
November 24th, 2021 - Philharmonie Luxembourg, Luxembourg
November 26th, 2021 - Alfried Krupp Saal, Essen, Germany

Interview - The Opera Queen

Interview

Thank you so much to Catherine Kustanczy for interviewing me about my CD, Ombra Compagna, and other great topics!

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More than a million applause for the “Traviata” of Martone

April 12, 2021

Lisette Oropesa, Cuban from United States of origin, is the incarnation of Violetta. Magnificent voice, totally related to character, she is free to move, to dance. Her Violetta is desperate, carnival, giant. The lover to which dedicates that "love me Alfredo", which moves the listener to tears.

- Fabiana Dallavalle  •  Messaggero Veneto

Il turbine and il vuoto

April 11, 2021

Listening to such wisdom in outlining the character of Germont is a rarity that does not, however, overshadow the admiration for Lisette Oropesa's Violetta. She sings well, she never forces the emission, which sounds natural, ductile, capable of expressing sincere participation and a personal heartbeat even in the pressure suggested by Gatti. Indeed, the very fact that there is no room for effects and habits, that everything dries up, highlights the initial fragility, that nervous vibration which then becomes more and more intense, aware, determined and painful even in acting, frank and effective. The frenzy of her excesses is followed by a sincere transport without artifice, while the make-up, the lights and the photography clearly highlight the expressions on her face, one with the music.

- Roberta Pedrotti  •  L'ape musicale

Lisette Oropesa: “Ombra Compagna”

May 14, 2021

On Lisette Oropesa’s new album, “Ombra Compagna,” the thirty-seven-year-old soprano demonstrates that she has the natural elasticity, warm timbre, and altitudinous notes to match this repertoire. Take the high E in “Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio!”: Oropesa floats up to it with the weightlessness of a dandelion seed climbing a breeze, her voice spinning freely the entire time, as the conductor Antonello Manacorda reduces the players of Il Pomo d’Oro to a whisper. Surely one of the finest technicians of her generation, Oropesa makes these pieces sound heartfelt instead of merely hard to sing.

- Oussama Zahr  •  The New Yorker