Ana María Martínez

Grammy Award® winner Ana María Martínez is considered to be one of the foremost sopranos of her time, with an international career that spans the world’s most important opera houses and concert halls.  A winner of the 15th Annual Opera News Awards, her repertoire encompasses opera’s most intriguing and diverse leading ladies, and she engages her audiences season after season with signature roles, spellbinding debuts, and a myriad of captivating recordings.  In addition to a full calendar of performances, Ms. Martínez continues to explore all aspects of her career, both on and off stage, highlighted by such diverse opportunities as voicing the role of opera singer Alessandra in season three of Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle, to proudly representing her birthplace of Puerto Rico as an honoree and performer in the 62nd Annual Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City, and all the while maintaining her commitment as a leader in the industry and as an advocate and educator to the next generation of musicians.

In 2019 Ms. Martínez joined Houston Grand Opera as their first-ever Artistic Advisor where she works with the artistic team on casting and production decisions, adjudicates the annual Concert of Arias competition, mentors and coaches HGO Studio artists, and engages with the larger Houston community on behalf of the Opera.  Equally exciting, following a two year appointment as Artist-in-Residence at The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, in July 2021 she became a professor in their Department of Voice.

Performance highlights of the 2021-2022 season include the title role in Florencia en el Amazonas with Lyric Opera of Chicago and a role debut as Despina in Cosi fan Tutte with Washington National Opera.  On stage during 2020-2021 season, in the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms. Martínez was thrilled to join San Diego Opera as Mimi in their production of La Bohème, in the world’s first-ever drive-in opera production!  Virtual performances during the season included a “Living Room Recital” with Los Angeles Opera performed in Ana María’s home and available digitally.  She curated two Spanish themed virtual programs, the first with Lyric Opera of Chicago,  Ryan Opera Center alumni and pianist Craig Terry, entitled “Pasión Latina” featured a dynamic selection of music from Puerto Rico, Mexico, Cuba, Guatemala, Argentina, and Spain.   The second program, created by Ana María for Houston Grand Opera, entitled “Suite Española,” featured music of Spain, including Zarzuela, and stared Ana María alongside HGO Studio artists.  Additional performances during the season included her role debut as Tosca with Opera Philadelphia, which she performed again later in the season with Cincinnati Opera, as well as Nedda in Pagliacci with Palm Beach Opera.