Lisette Oropesa

Lisette Oropesa (born September 29, 1983) is an American operatic soprano of Cuban ancestry.

Her repertoire includes works from Gluck, Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Wagner, Verdi, Bizet, Massenet and Puccini.

With her lyric coloratura soprano voice, she has performed roles in her native Spanish and English, as well as German, French and Italian.

She is particularly noted in the roles of Susanna, Gilda, Konstanze, Lucia and Manon.

Oropesa is a vegan, and runner/marathoner who has been featured in Runner's World Magazine.

Oropesa was a grand finals winner of the National Council Grand Finals at the Metropolitan Opera in 2005 and joined the Met's Lindemann Young Artists Development Program, graduating in 2008.

She made her Met debut in a small role in Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's production of Idomeneo, conducted by James Levine in September 2006, and then sang First Lay-Sister in their new production of Suor Angelica.

As substitute, she sang her first leading role at the Metropolitan Opera, appearing as Susanna in five performances of Sir Jonathan Miller's production of The Marriage of Figaro opposite Erwin Schrott's Figaro in October 2007.

In the 2007–08 season, Oropesa was seen in the Met's Hansel and Gretel as the Dew Fairy and, in the 2008–09 season, in the role of Lisette in La rondine.

She also sang the role of the Rhinemaiden, Woglinde, in the Met's 2009 Der Ring des Nibelungen, and additionally sang the off-stage role of the Woodbird in Siegfried.

In September 2010, she reprised her Rhinemaiden in the Met's season-opening production of Das Rheingold, for which won a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording in 2012.

In May 2011, she sang the part of the god Amor in Mark Morris's production of Orfeo ed Euridice.

In December 2011, she created the role of Miranda in the Met's baroque pastiche, The Enchanted Island, singing opposite Plácido Domingo, and conducted by William Christie.

The end of the 2012–13 season culminated with her singing as Gilda in Rigoletto and as the Waldvogel in Siegfried where she was well received in both productions: "Her pure, smooth soprano and alert presence were both endearing" "...including the bright yellow Forest Bird, beautifully sung from offstage by Lisette Oropesa".

In April and May 2012, Oropesa appeared with the Pittsburgh Opera as Konstanze in a production of Die Entführung aus dem Serail set on the Orient Express in the Pasha's private train car.

In October 2012, she again performed the role of Lucia with the Arizona Opera.

In November, she performed the role of Cleopatra in Michigan Opera Theatre's Giulio Cesare.

The end of 2013 saw an opening of a new production of Falstaff at the Met, conducted by Levine.

According to The New York Times, "[with the role of Nannetta], the winning soprano Lisette Oropesa, sings with effortless grace and lyrical bloom".

In 2013, she sang the role of Pamina in The Magic Flute at the Florida Grand Opera and reviews were universally positive: "Oropesa was beyond fantastic in her portrayal of Pamina."

"Her aria 'Ach, ich fühl's', sung as she believes Tamino no longer loves her, was genuinely moving ..."

In the summer, Oropesa sang The Marriage of Figaro at the Santa Fe Opera: "Nothing in the evening surpassed her rendition of "Deh vieni, non tardar" in act 4, in which she spun strands of magic in the evening air" noted critic James Keller.

Later in 2013, she sang the role of Amalia at the Washington Concert Opera for Verdi's I Masnadieri in which she "achieved total triumph as Amalia, the trill-filled part created for Jenny Lind."

In 2014, she co-contributed to Running, Eating, Thinking: A Vegan Anthology by Martin Rowe, where she talked about her weight loss journey and how she now follows a plant-based diet.

In 2014, she starred alongside Jonas Kaufmann and Sophie Koch in the new production of Werther directed by Richard Eyre.

The New York Times noted that "The bright-voiced, impressive soprano Lisette Oropesa is a sunny, winning Sophie."

In 2015, she was a contributor to Master Singers: Advice from the Stage which includes interviews with opera singers about "analysis and awareness of their technique, art, interpretation and stagecraft".

Oropesa was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Her parents emigrated from Cuba.

She originally studied to be a flautist before her mother, a music teacher and former operatic soprano, suggested she audition for the voice faculty at the Louisiana State University School of Music.

She joined the voice program under the guidance of Robert Grayson who was the chair of the Voice/Opera at the LSU School of Music.

At the beginning of 2016, Oropesa gave her first NYC solo recital with the Park Avenue Armory.

According to Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times, she "gave a rewarding performance" and "brought uncommon freshness to this music".

Oropesa returned to the Met in late 2017 as Gretel in Hansel and Gretel in which "she was fully committed to arguably the most demanding of roles in this particular opera".

In 2019, she debuted in the title role of Manon, which was hailed by The New York Times: "Lisette Oropesa's performance in Massenet's opera at the Met is alone worth the price of admission."

In 2020, she returned to the Met for her second title role of the season, Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata.

Her performance was praised in The New York Times: "...combining exquisite singing, youthful allure, affecting vulnerability and, by the end, bleak intensity, Ms. Oropesa emerged on Wednesday as a major Violetta".

On March 1, she hosted the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and gave a donation of $25,000, ensuring each contestant received $20,000 and raising the prize money for the first time in over 20 years.

She was subsequently named National Advisor to the MONC for her contributions.

Oropesa has appeared with the Welsh National Opera as Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail; with the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Il turco in Italia; at the Tanglewood Music Festival as Konstanze; at the Ravinia Festival as Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, conducted by James Conlon; for Opera New Jersey as Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor; at Arizona Opera as Gilda in Rigoletto; and at the New Orleans Opera as Gilda and as Leïla in Les pêcheurs de perles.