About the Artist

     Award-winning Cuban American mezzo-soprano Zaray Rodriguez has been hailed for her “dusky timbre” and performances “so impassioned one could believe it” (Classical South Florida Review) and for her “steadfast vocal production [that] entrance[s]” (Boston Musical Intelligencer). Her 2020-2022 season highlights included featured soloist in Boston Lyric Opera’s Docuseries B., premiering the roles of Lucinda in Evan Mack’s Lucinda y las Flores de Noche Buena in Glenn Falls Symphony Orchestra, and premiering a solo new work by Boston based composer Omar Najmi’s set to Boston Youth Poet’s work titled “ My name is Alondra”; this work was premiered professionally recorded in Boston, MA. Lastly she is a recipient of the New Hampshire State Council of the Arts Grant where she will curate and spearhead a chamber recital based on the human experience of the American and the American Immigrant through their point of view of love, loss, and joy experienced in one’s journey. Inspiration from this was taken from her love of country and her experience as a first generation Cuban American.

In the 2019-2020 season Ms. Rodriguez made her debut at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as a Gerdine Young Artist covering the lead role of Carmen and debuts with Boston Lyric Opera as Kate Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly, covering Suzuki.* In the 2018-2019 season, Ms. Rodriguez made her role debut as Dinah in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti at Aspen Music Festival, and as Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro and Dima’s Mother and Lupe Marin in Robert Xavier Rodríguez’s Frida with Florida Grand Opera. In the summer of 2019 she showed her exemplary talent in the vocally demanding role as Asakir in Mohammed Fairouz’s Sumeida’s Song as a Studio Artist with Opera Maine, and was a featured recitalist at Portland Museum of Art Artist series.

Highlights of Ms. Rodriguez’ 2017-2018 season included the title role of Carmen in a concert production with Parkway Concert Orchestra; mezzo-soprano soloist in Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with Cape Cod Concert Orchestra; Geneviève in Pelléas et Mélisandre, Florence Pike in Britten’s Albert Herring, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, and Aunt Hannah Watkins in Tobias Picker’s Emmeline with Boston Opera Institute; and L’Enfant and the Cat in L’enfant et les Sortilèges at Aspen Music Festival, where the Aspen Times celebrated her “humorous” performance. Other highlights include Philip Glass’ Hydrogen Jukebox with Boston Opera Institute; Federico Garcia Lorca in Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar, La Zia principessa in Suor Angelica, and Zita in Gianni Schicchi with Frost Opera Theater; Marie in Most Happy Fella, Ms. Paroo in The Music Man, and in Evan Mack’s opera Roscoe with Seagle Music Colony; and Professor Nitrogen Scarlet in the world premiere of Carson Kievman’s Intelligent Systems with SoBe Institute in Miami Beach, Florida.

An accomplished concert performer as well, Ms. Rodriguez has performed as mezzo-soprano soloist in Sibelius’ Belshazzar’s Feast with Boston University Symphony; in the Carlos de Andrade concert series at the Henry Mancini Institute; Handel’s Messiah with Masterworks Chorus of the Palm Beaches; and Bach’s Magnificat, BWV 243 at Palm Beach Atlantic University. She was a soloist in the recording of Shawn Crouch’s Visions and Ecstasies, a Mass (Naxos Records); as the Clerk in Michael Dellaira’s The Death of Webern, (Albany Records); and on the Grammy-nominated recording of Brahms’ Ein Deutches Requiem with the Professional Choral Institute of Seraphic Fire.

Ms. Rodriguez is a previous district winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in Georgia (2018) and Connecticut (2017). In 2017, she was a recipient of the Career Bridges Grant. She has also been a previous winner of the National Society of Arts and Letters Dorothy Lincoln-Smith National Competition (2016, 2017), and Connecticut Alliance of Music Heida Hermanns International Vocal Competition (2016).

Ms. Rodriguez is a graduate of the Opera Institute of Boston University. She holds a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Miami, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Palm Beach Atlantic University. Ms. Rodriguez currently lives in the Boston Metro Area.

* These performances are due to be rescheduled/canceled due to Covid 19

For information about Zaray as an educator please click here