Biography
“Chief among them was tenor Hugo Vera in the title role: He's a real find….he revealed a truly impressive instrument — big, beautiful, ringing and Italianate.”
~ St. Louis Post-Dispatch
A native Texan, the young tenor Hugo Vera is described as possessing a “truly heroic voice” that is both “beautiful and brilliant.” Increasingly in demand and a recent addition to The Metropolitan Opera artist roster, Mr. Vera has performed 34 roles and 20 choral orchestral works with distinguished companies in the US as part of his musical and artistic development of the full lyric and spinto tenor repertoire. In addition to The Metropolitan Opera, Mr. Vera has sung with Spoleto, USA, Kansas City Symphony, New York City Opera, Illinois Symphony and Chorus, Fort St. Symphony and Chorus, Opera Memphis, Aspen Music Festival, Brevard Music Center, Sarasota Opera, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Glimmerglass Opera, Opera North, Aspen Opera Theatre, The Minnesota Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Nashville Opera, Shreveport Opera, Tanglewood Music Festival and The Metropolitan Opera where he return for a fourth season in 2012-2013. Mr. Vera began the New Year singing Manrico (Il Trovatore) with the Minnesota Concert Opera. In February of 2013, Mr. Very made his Carnegie Hall solo debut performing Gregory Singer’s Funeral Processional, which was conducted by the composer. Upcoming includes Alfredo (La Traviata) with Center City Opera, a return to the Piccolo Spoleto Festival to perform the role of Azael in Debussy’s L’enfant Prodigue with the Charleston Chamber Opera and solo recitals in Texas and Pennsylvania.
Mr. Vera has performed important principal roles in his fach including Manrico (Il Trovatore), Cavaradossi (Tosca), Radames, (Aida), Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann),Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Faust (Faust), Pietro Nuttini (The Glass Blowers), Luiz (The Gondoliers), Alfredo (La Traviata), Raffaele (Stiffelio) and Manuel the down and out boxer in Marcus Hummon;s opera Surrender Road. He has expanded his core repertoire with cover assignments of significant roles comprising Stiffelio, Duke of Mantua (Rigoletto), Jacopo Foscari (I due Foscari), and Sam (Susannah).
The 2011-2012 Season saw Mr. Vera in a return to The Metropolitan Opera for various assignments including Abdallo (Nabucco), he returned to Spoleto USA, made a company debut with the distinguished Pittsburgh Opera singing Cavaradossi (Tosca), made a company and role debut with Center City Opera Theater in Philadelphia singing Neruda (Il Postino), and returned to Neue Eutin Festspiele in Germany for a role debut singing Ishmael (Nabucco).
The 2010 -2011 Season included noteworthy roles and company debuts with performances of Radames (Aïda) for Opera Memphis and Trin (La Fanciulla del West) for The Metropolitan Opera. Assignments in the 2009-2010 Season for Mr. Vera comprised a cover of Kedril in Janáček’s From the House of the Dead for The Metropolitan Opera, a reprise of Rodolfo (La bohème) for Shreveport Opera, a role debut as Werther for Winter Opera of St. Louis, several concerts, and a role and company debut singing Haydn’s Philemon (Philemon and Baucis) for the celebrated festival, Spoleto USA In addition to the role of Voce Tenore in Il Piccolo Marat, projects in the 2008-2009 Season included several role debuts. Mr. Vera sang Rodolfo (La Bohème) in a debut with Sioux City Symphony, Des Grieux (Manon Lescaut) for Shreveport Opera, Samson (Samson et Dalila) for New Opera of Saint Louis, and he reprised Don José (Carmen) for Opera North. .
As a concert artist, Mr. Vera has successfully performed works ranging from the cantatas of J.S. Bach to the works of Britten, Tippett and Vaughn Williams. Of the oratorio/concert repertoire Mr. Vera has sung Verdi’s Requiem, Vaughn William Mass in G minor, Schubert’s Mass in G, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Handel’s Messiah, and various works of Beethoven including the Choral Fantasy, the Mass in C, Missa Solemnis, and the great Symphony No. 9. He has had the pleasure of performing both Bach’s Magnificat, as well as, the celebrated Mass in B minor.
Recognized as a significantly talented young singer, Mr. Vera enjoyed the privilege of training with several noteworthy young artist programs including the Brevard Music Center, the Tanglewood Music Festival, Aspen Music Center, Chautauqua Opera, The Lyric Opera of Kansas City, The Minnesota Opera, and Glimmerglass Opera . He received a Bachelor of Music from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and earned a Master of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts – both with Honors – from the University of Kansas.
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TRAINING
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The Minnesota Opera, Resident Artist
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Lyric Opera Of Kansas City,
Young Artist
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Tanglewood Music Festival, Vocal Fellow
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Glimmerglass Opera, Young American Artist
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Aspen Opera Theater Center, Young Artist
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Brevard Music Center, Young Artist
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Kiel Germany
- Music Study Program
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EDUCATION
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Doctorate in Musical Arts (Honors)
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University of Kansas
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Master of Music (Honors)
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University of Kansas
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Bachelor of Arts
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University of Utah
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CONDUCTORS
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Ward Holmquist, Seiji Ozawa, Julius Rudel, David Effron, James Conlon, Simon Carrington, Stewart Robertson, George Manahan, John Paul Johnson
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STAGE DIRECTORS
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Tim Ocel, Jonathan Fields, Rhoda Levine, Christopher Alden, Leon Major, Jay Lesenger, Rick Sordelet, Garnett Bruce
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TEACHERS/COACHES
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John Stephens, Freda Herseth, Lorna Haywood, Robert Breault, Mark Fennell, Martin Katz, John Greer, Joyce Castle,
Pierre Vallet, Ken Merrill, Kayo Iwama, Allison Voth
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MASTERCLASSES
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Evelyn Lear, Ashley Putnam, Shirley Verrett, George Shirley, Joyce DiDonato, Richard Bado, Martin Katz,
Stanford Olsen, Mark Delavan
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