Mexican mezzo-soprano Paulina Villarreal is establishing a career as a prominent recitalist, cabaret, operatic, and musical theater singer around the United States and Mexico. She was recently named one of the Top Prize winners at the prestigious international Lotte Lenya Competition in New York, and at the Comic Opera Guild Competition in Michigan. Ms. Villarreal, a graduate of the Cincinnati College- Conservatory of Music, has been a soloist and invited artist in important companies and orchestras around the United States like Opera Saratoga, Cincinnati opera, Opera Fusion: New Works, the prestigious Tanglewood Music Center, the Boston Pops (Boston, MA) Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Appalachian Symphony Orchestra and the Decatur Millikin Symphony Orchestra. In the entrepreneurship world, Ms. Villarreal is the founder and artistic director of the annual concert series "Cantos para Hermanar al Mundo", devoted to the promotion of classical vocal genres hosted in Northern Mexico. Recent performance credits include a residency with Opera Saratoga, performing the role of Vera Boronel in Menotti's The Consul, Margot in Lehar s The Merry Widow, and as a resident singer in the program Saratoga Sings. Other operatic/oratorio engagements include the role of Calavera (Death) in Rodriguez's Frida, Driter Knabe in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (Cincinnati Opera), a staged version of J.S Bach's St. Matthew Passion with the CCM Philharmonia, Alicia in Kaminsky's new opera Some Light Emerges and Marianna in Rossini's Ill Signor Bruschino. Concert performances include a tour of William Bolcom's Complete Cabaret Songs (Die Neue Galerie, NYC; National Women Museum of Arts, Washington DC, Cohen Studio Theater, Cincinnati) and Ricky Ian Gordon's Cabaret show: Bright-Eyed Joy. Career highlights include Simply Sondheim: Stephen Sondheim's 85th Birthday Celebration with the Boston POPS and Broadway veterans Jason Danieley and Kate Baldwin, Sondheim vs Webber with the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Macy's ArtWave Sampler with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, multiple performances with Music for all Seasons, the Wagner Society of Cincinnati and Stranger Here Myself: A One Woman Kurt Weill Cabaret with Kenneth Griffiths at the Piano.
OPERA ENGAGEMENTS #THE SECRETARY The Consul, Menotti Opera Saratoga 2018 VERA BORONEL The Consul, Menotti Opera Saratoga 2018 GRISETTE The Merry Widow, Lehar Opera Saratoga 2018 DRITER KNABE Die Zauberflöte, W.A Mozart Cincinnati Opera 2017 CALAVERA Frida, Rodriguez Cincinnati Opera 2017 ALICIA Some Light emerges, Kaminsky Opera Fusion: NW 2016 MARIANNA Il signor Bruschino, Rossini CCM Opera Theater 2016 OWL The Cunning Little Vixen, Janaček CCM Opera Theater 2016 ^APOIDEA Apoidea, Delgado NANOWorks Opera 2015 BRADAMANTE Alcina, Handel CCM Opera Theater 2015 SANDMAN Hansel und Gretel, Humperdinck CCM Opera Theater 2015 ZINNIA L Étoile, Chabrier CCM Opera Theater 2014 THE SORCERESS Dido and Aeneas, Purcell ASU Opera Theater 2013 HANSEL Hansel und Gretel, Humperdinck ASU Opera Theater 2013 ZERLINA Don Giovanni, Mozart ASOP, N.C. 2012 LA BADESSA Suor Angelica, Puccini ASU Opera Theater 2012 CONCERT/ORCHESTRAL ENGAGEMENTS MEZZO SOLOIST Cantos Mundo Gala Concert, Mexico Teatro Isauro Mtz 2018 MEZZO SOLOIST Labor Day Pops Millikin-Dec Symp. 2018 MEZZO SOLOIST St. Matthew Passion, J.S. Bach CCM Philarmonia 2017 MEZZO SOLOIST Cabaret Songs, Ricky Ian Gordon CCM Opera 2016 MEZZO SOLOIST Complete Cabaret Songs, W. Bolcom CCM Opera 2016 MEZZO SOLOIST Simply Sondheim, S. Sondheim Boston POPS 2015 ^ALTO SOLOIST Where you go, D. Lang Tanglewood 2015 ^MEZZO SOLOIST In the arms of Sleep, Y. Weyner Tanglewood 2015 CONCERT SOLOIST New voices Concert Wagner Society 2015 CONCERT SOLOIST Macy s ArtsWave Sampler Cincinnati Symphony 2015 MEZZO SOLOIST Les noces, Stravinsky CCM Dance/Ballet 2015 *Denotes Upcoming Performance ^ Denotes World premiere #Denotes Cover
EDUCATION/TRAINING PROGRAMS Opera Saratoga Apprentice Artist 2018 Cincinnati Opera Young Artist 2017 Cincinnati Opera Chorus Member 2016 Tanglewood Music Center Mezzo-soprano Fellow 2015 University of Cincinnati (CCM) Master of Music 2015 Appalachian State University Bachelor of Music 2013 Artescenica A.C (Mexico) Young Artist 2011-2013 COMPETITIONS/AWARDS Lotte Lenya Competition Third Place 2017 Comic Opera Guild Competition Third Place 2017 Three Arts Competition (Women in Arts) Second Place 2016 Concerto Aria Competition, ASU First Place 2013 Teachers Coaches Directors Conductors Master Classes Amy Johnson Kenneth Griffiths Robin Guarino Keith Lockhart Speight Jenkins Thomas Baresel Lydia Brown Andy Einhorn Mark Gibson Nicholas Phan Julia Pedigo Marie-France Lefebvre Sarna Lapine Robert Trevino Margo Garett Donna Loewy Kenneth Shaw Louis Langree Sanford Sylvan Terry Lusk Vincent de George Jorge Parodi Emma Griffin
REVIEWS Lotte Lenya Competition/Broadway World "Villarreal captivated the judges and audience with a fiery zarzuela number, "Carceleras" from Las hijas del Zebedeo. She followed this with two Weill numbers, "One Life to Live" from Lady in the Dark, and "Der Abschiedsbrief"; and ended with "Maybe I Like it This Way" from The Wild Party. The judges praised her "courageous risk-taking," and "charisma to burn." (Broadway World, via The Kurt Weill Foundation) Simply Sondheim with the Boston Pops "A Satisfying, Occasionally Sublime night of Sondheim" (with Paulina Villarreal and Tanglewood Fellows) (The Boston Globe) "Paulina Villarreal is mesmerizing in "The Miller's Son" from Sondheim's A Little Night Music. Ready for Prime Time!" (The Berkshire Eagle) Best of Cincinnati "Paulina Villareal sounded perfectly at home impressively singing everything from Kurt Weill cabaret pieces to Cuban salon songs to a contemporary work in which she acted as both singer and percussionist" (All about the Arts, Music Notes)