Hailed by The New York Times as “a beautiful woman who commands the stage” and “a major soprano,” Ailyn Pérez is in demand at the world’s leading opera houses and cultural capitals. As Opera News observes, “The phrase ‘an embarrassment of riches’ might have been invented to describe the combination of talents that belong to Ailyn Pérez … who truly seems to have it all.” Internationally celebrated for her signature artistry, as the winner of the 2012 Richard Tucker Award she became the first Hispanic recipient in the award’s history.
Notable engagements of the current season include Ailyn’s greatly anticipated title role debut as Puccini’s Madama Butterly at Teatro di San Carlo, which she reprises later this season at Houston Grand Opera and Teatro Real de Madrid. At the Metropolitan Opera, she makes her thrilling role debut as Florencia Grimaldi in a new production of Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas and stars as Micaëla in Carmen. Additionally, she sings her first performances with Washington Concert Opera as Magda in La Rondine and stars as the title role of Tosca at Hamburg State Opera.
Career highlights include Violetta (La traviata) at Opernhaus Zürich, the Hamburgische Staatsoper, Staatsoper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper, San Francisco Opera, Teatro alla Scala, and the Royal Opera House – Covent Garden, where she was hailed as “an ideal Violetta” (Observer, UK). Pérez then went on to appear at Covent Garden in the same season, as the title role in Massenet’s Manon, and for her role debut as Liù (Turandot). Other highlights include Thaïs, Mimì and Musetta (La bohème), and Juliette (Roméo et Juliette) at The Metropolitan Opera; Adina (L’elisir d’amore) for the Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Wiener Staatsoper, and Washington National Opera; Contessa Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro) for Houston Grand Opera (having made her house debut there as Desdemona in Otello); Violetta and title role of Manon on a tour of Japan with the Royal Opera House; Tatyana Bakst in the world premiere of Jake Heggie’s Great Scott (featured on an acclaimed Erato recording release) and Manon for The Dallas Opera; house debuts at the Bolshoi Theatre as Mimì (La bohème) and at Glyndebourne as Alice Ford; Contessa Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro) and Marguerite (Faust) for Hamburgische Staatsoper; Marguerite (Faust) in Santa Fe and Amelia Grimaldi in Simon Boccanegra at Teatro alla Scala and Staatsoper Berlin, and also opposite Leo Nucci at Opernhaus Zürich.
In concert, Ms. Pérez has performed Verdi’s Requiem with the Orchestre Métropolitain in Montréal conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Mozart’s Requiem with Antonio Pappano and the Accademia Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Rome, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Essen Philharmoniker. In recent seasons, Ailyn has made guest appearances at gala concerts for The Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Opera House. Ailyn has also appeared in recital for London’s Rosenblatt Recitals at Wigmore Hall, Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, and with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale. Her debut album, “Poème d’un jour” (a program of French and Italian songs on the Opus Arte label) was released to rave reviews, with the UK’s Independent newspaper awarding it five stars, while International Record Review confessed, “Every so often, a singer comes along who completely bowls you over.”
During her triumphant 2022/23 season, Ailyn made her highly anticipated role debut as Elisabetta di Valois in Verdi’s Don Carlo at Teatro di San Carlo. She also sang her signature role of Mimì in Puccini’s La Bohème at three different venues: the Royal Opera House, Staatsoper Berlin, and Opéra national de Paris. Ms. Pérez returned to the Metropolitan Opera for her role debut as Blanche in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites and reprised the role of Alice Ford in Verdi’s Falstaff after her acclaimed turn in the production’s 2019 run. She concluded the season with her greatly anticipated title role debut as Rusalka at Santa Fe Opera, where critics hailed her performance as “a force of nature” (Santa Fe Mexican).
A highlight of the 2019/20 season included the release of her new digital album, Mi Corazón, with Chinese guitarist Xuefei Yang, available to stream exclusively on Apple Music and iTunes. The album is a heartfelt celebration of Ailyn’s vibrant and music-filled heritage, featuring much-loved Spanish and Portuguese songs, as well as songs by Manuel de Falla, Manuel Ponce, and Heitor Villa-Lobos.
Ailyn Pérez is a graduate of Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts and Indiana University. She serves as an Artistic Advisor and on the faculty for the Vincero Academy and is an Opera for Peace Ambassador. Her many accolades include the Metropolitan Opera’s Beverly Sills Artist Award (2016), George London Foundation’s Leonie Rysanek Award (2006), Shoshana Foundation Career Grant (2007), 2nd place in the 2006 Operalia Competition, and honors from the Loren L. Zachary Foundation, Opera Index, and the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation.