
About.
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 highly anticipated title role debut as Tosca at San Francisco Opera, under the baton of Eun Sun Kim. She returns to Lyric Opera of Chicago to star as Adina in a new production of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore by Daniel Slater, and she sings Alice Ford in a new staging of Verdi’s Falstaff by Sven-Eric Bechtolf at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Ailyn reprises the role of Tosca at Teatro Petruzzelli, led by Giampaolo Bisanti, and she sings the title role of Massenet’s Manon in Vincent Huguet’s production for Opéra national de Paris.In the spring, she returns to The Metropolitan Opera to make her debut as Tatiana in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, and she will return to the Staatsoper Hamburg as the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro. She makes her highly anticipated house debut at Teatro Real de Madrid as her signature role of Mimì in La bohème and will reprise the role at the Bayerische Staatsoper. In concert, Ms. Pérez will star as the soprano soloist in Verdi’s Requiem at The Metropolitan Opera which receives a broadcast via PBS’ Great Performances, and also with the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana.
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 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.”
Download Press PackHer voice has a distinctive timbre, with plaintive richness blended into its youthful bloom ... Ms. Pérez, a beautiful woman who commands the stage, has the makings of a major soprano.
Anthony Tommasini
The New York Times
Ailyn Pérez confirms her outstanding artistic qualities. Her beautiful and generous voice, her commanding technique as well as the broadest possible spectrum of feelings allow her to make a captivating drama of every piece.
Remy Franck
Pizzicato

During her triumphant 2020/21 season, Ailyn made her highly anticipated role debut as Magda in Puccini’s La Rondine at Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, which she also sang in a concert at Teatro di San Carlo. Ms. Pérez starred in a new production of Verdi’s Falstaff by Mateja Koležnik at the Bayerische Staatsoper. She returned to Teatro di San Carlo as Violetta for a semi-staged production of La Traviata, later reprising the role at the Bayerische Staatsoper and the Arena di Verona. In concert, she was featured as the soprano soloist in Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de Noël with the Bayerisches Staatsorchester, conducted by Antonello Manacorda, and she sang a selection of arias under the baton of Lorenzo Viotti with the Gulbenkian Orchestra. Ailyn joined forces with her fantastic colleagues, soprano Nadine Sierra and mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, for a “Three Divas” concert, transmitted live from the Royal Opera of Versailles in France, part of the Met Stars Live in Concert series, which received international broadcasts via the Met’s Live in HD series and PBS’ Great Performances.
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 George London Foundation’s Leonie Rysanek Award, 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.
Biography current as of October 2021 – please replace all previous versions.
Perez’s lyric soprano is pure and honeyed in tone, and she deploys it with elegance and tenderness … Perez is also a natural actress ...
Mike Silverman
Associated Press