Ailyn Pérez

Ailyn Perez
Born	1979 (age 45–46) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Education	Indiana University Bloomington (BM) Academy of Vocal Arts (GrDip)
Occupation	opera singer (soprano)
Years active	2006–present
Website	ailynperez.com

Ailyn Pérez as Elvira in Ernani at Teatro alla Scala, 2018

Ailyn Pérez (born August 15, 1979)^[1][2] is an American operatic soprano known for her interpretation of Violetta,^[3] Mimì^[4] and Thaïs.^[5] She is a 2019 Opera News Awards Honoree,^[6] and the winner of the 2012 Richard Tucker Award.^[1] In 2016, she received the $50,000 Beverly Sills Award^[7] and the 2017 Sphinx Medal of Excellence from the Sphinx Organization.^[8]

Career

Pérez, daughter of Mexican immigrants, was born in Chicago and grew up in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, where she graduated from Elk Grove High School. She attended the Indiana University School of Music and the Philadelphia Academy of Vocal Arts, graduating in 2006.^[9]

In Autumn 2006, she toured with Andrea Bocelli as the guest soprano.^[10]

In 2008, Pérez made her Salzburg Festival debut as Juliette in Roméo et Juliette alongside Rolando Villazón.

Pérez is known as an interpreter of Violetta in La traviata, which she has performed at Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, Hamburg State Opera, Vienna Staatsoper and Royal Opera House. She has sung as Amelia alongside Plácido Domingo in Simon Boccanegra at the Deutsche Staatsoper and made her debut at La Scala in the same production. In 2010 she appeared as Mimì in La bohème at Cincinnati Opera and also sang the role at New York's Metropolitan Opera in 2016.^[11] Her repertory includes roles like the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, Juliette in Roméo et Juliette, and Micaëla in Carmen.^[2][12][9]

Highlights in the 2018/19 season included Elvira in Ernani at Teatro alla Scala,^[13] Mimì in La bohème at the Metropolitan Opera, Alice in Falstaff at the Metropolitan Opera,^[14] Donna Anna in Don Giovanni at the Houston Grand Opera,^[15] and Violetta in La traviata at the Bayerische Staatsoper.^[16]

In 2023, she sang in Spanish the title role of Florencia in the Metropolitan Opera's premiere of Florencia en el Amazonas.

Awards

She placed second at Operalia in 2006, and at the Loren L. Zachary Competition^[17] in 2005. In 2006, she received the Wolf Trap Opera Award, and was given an encouragement award from Opera Index. In 2007 she was the winner of the Shoshana Foundation Career Grant.^[18] She was honored twice by the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation, once as a second place winner in 2004, and again with the Distinguished Achievement Award In 2016.^[19] In 2012, she won the Placido Domingo Award,^[20] followed by the Martina Arroyo Foundation Award in 2017.

Discography

• Poème d'un jour. Iain Burnside Rosenblatt Recital. CD, texts and translations, live. OpusArte 2013
• Love Duets (2014) with Stephen Costello
• Great Scott by Jake Heggie and librettist Terrence McNally. (2018)

References

1. Giovetti, Olivia (April 12, 2012). "Operavore Exclusive: Meet 2012 Richard Tucker Award Winner Ailyn Pérez". WQXR. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
2. "Ailyn Pérez" (in German). Retrieved April 12, 2013.
3. BWW News Desk. "Ailyn Perez Sings Violetta from Hamburg to San Francisco in 2013-14". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
4. "Ailyn Perez Sings Glorious Mimi At The Met". www.classicstoday.com. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
5. "Ailyn Pérez an outstanding Thaïs". bachtrack.com. Retrieved November 18, 2018.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
6. "Ailyn Pérez and Rosalind Elias Among 2019 Opera News Awards Honorees | Playbill". Playbill. November 5, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
7. "Soprano Ailyn Pérez Wins Beverly Sills Award" by Amanda Angel. WQXR-FM, April 7, 2016
8. "Bio Ailyn Pérez - Sphinx Organization". Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
9. "Opera's Next Wave". Opera News. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
10. "Yahoo - login". Retrieved January 31, 2017.
11. "Review: 'La Bohème,' in All Its Excessive Glory". The New York Times. October 1, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
12. Fowler, Damian (May 18, 2012). "Love is in the Aria". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast Digita. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
13. Teatro alla Scala. Ernani Archived 2019-10-20 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
14. "Metropolitan Opera | Falstaff". www.metopera.org. Archived from the original on January 13, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
15. "Don Giovanni : Houston Grand Opera". www.houstongrandopera.org. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
16. Staatsoper, Bayerische. "La traviata". Bayerische Staatsoper (in German). Archived from the original on January 13, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
17. "The Loren L. Zachary Society for the Performing Arts". www.zacharysociety.org. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
18. "Richard F. Gold Career Grant Recipients". Shoshana Foundation. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
19. "Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation 42nd Anniversary Gala Concert". Jazz at Lincoln Center. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
20. BWW News Desk. "Ailyn Pérez Wins 15th Annual Plácido Domingo Award". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved November 19, 2018.

External links

• Official website
• Ailyn Pérez Operabase