Giulio Cesare

Opéra National de Paris Cleopatra

Lisette returns to the role of Cleopatra after 12 years in a famous production by Laurent Pelly at the beautiful Palais Garnier. 

January 20, 23, 25, 27, 30 February 02, 04, 08, 10, 12, 14, 16 Palais Garnier Paris, FR

Guillaume Tell

Wiener Staatsoper Mathilde

Lisette makes her debut as Mathilde in the great work by Gioachino Rossini.  This production which has been absent from the Wiener Staatsoper for 20 years, returns with a formidable cast.

March 08, 13, 16, 19 Wiener Staatsoper Wien, AT

La Sonnambula

Teatro dell'opera di Roma Amina

Another great return to Rome is that of the American soprano of Cuban origin Lisette Oropesa, who marked the recent history of Costanzi with the unforgettable film-opera La traviata directed by Mario Martone during the pandemic. Oropesa tackles Bellini's La sonnambula for the first time in her career. April 09, 12, 14, 17 Teatro dell'Opera di Roma Rome, IT

French Bel Canto Arias wins best Recording 'Solo Recital' at the International Opera Awards

Announcement

I am over the moon with joy!  French Bel Canto was selected as the solo voice record of the year The International Opera Awards !!!  Thank you all so much for this incredible honor!  This album, a project very close to my heart, is something I’m so proud of, and couldn’t have made possible without the incredible collaboration of the Dresdner Philharmonie , amazing conductor Corrado Rovaris, and the entire team at San Francisco Classical Recording Company and PENTATONE .

Interviews

Interview

Interview - Deinós Critical Journal  

YC: DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A CUBAN-AMERICAN? HOW WAS YOUR CHILDHOOD IN NEW ORLEANS AND WITHIN A CUBAN FAMILY? WHAT DOES CUBA MEAN TO YOU?

LO: I absolutely consider myself a Cuban-American. My household was Spanish speaking, we ate Cuban food and listened to Cuban music, and watched the Spanish channel. We had and still have a very close-knit relationship, and we all love music. It means a lot to me that my grandparents and father all left everything behind in Cuba to seek a better life for themselves and their families in the United States. I feel that I honor them in everything that I do. Cuba, even though I’ve never visited, is sort of the fantasy land that my mom remembers it to be, in my head. The beaches, the fruit, the breeze…all that sort of thing. However I know that Cuba has changed a LOT in 60 years since my family’s been gone, and so I really don’t know first-hand the present state it is in. I can only say that the importance of a homeland to an immigrant is still something that gets passed on, as America is a country built on immigration, and this is something to celebrate. By keeping my culture alive, I’m helping to add flavor to the melting pot that makes this country great.

Interview - Peter Barber

I recently had a lovely chat with Peter Barber where we had an amazing and lengthy chat bout a whole host of topics including diet, mindfulness, social media, vocal warmups, and more!

The entire interview is available on YouTube now.

“I have cut way back on distance as my performance schedule has ramped up,” she explained. “But it is still my favorite type of running to have in my life, and truly my sweet spot. I think the mental experience of a long run is unmatchable by anything just quick and short. But I still get out there as often as possible because being outside and in the fresh air is still amazing.”

For Lisette a demanding performance schedule also means traveling to new places and challenging herself with new running routes. I asked her for tips on traveling and staying active. “The best thing to do is to not get too set on a time or schedule. Any run is better than no run. But don’t beat yourself up if there’s too much going on. Know that once your travel days are up, you’ll get to run on fresh terrain, and that’s always exciting.”

I had a lovely time in Dresden speaking with Nicole Hacke of Operaversum.de! We covered a lot of topic about vocal health, crazy happenings on stage and what I think about AI.

Operaversum: Dear Lisette, two new role debuts are coming up on your schedule. One of them is Mathilde in Guiliam Tell and the other one is Amina in "La Sonnambula". How did you choose these two roles? Where they apparently chosen for you or are they a step further into your career?

“Lisette Oropesa: Yes, they are a bit of a step further into my career. As for "La Sonnambula", I have been wanting to sing Amina for many, many years, but never really had a chance to. It has just never come my way, no matter how much I have auditioned with the final aria „Ah! non credea mirarti“ or the first aria from La Sonnambula.....”

The ultimate star of the show, though, is Oropesa, an American soprano who is making her Lyric debut. An innate physical comedian with a comfortable, compelling stage presence, she is a complete natural as Marie.

Oropesa has a supple, agile soprano voice, with a winningly honest and direct style. Seemingly unfazed by the vocal or physical demands of this role, this indefatigable singer handles its legendary coloratura with eye-opening ease and aplomb. Expect to see Oropesa back as soon as Lyric can re-sign her.

—  Kyle MacMillan  •  Chicago Sun Times