Maria Brea, Soprano

Maria Brea, soprano, stands among the most compelling voices of her generation—a Venezuelan-American artist whose radiant tone, commanding stage presence, and effortless musicality have established her as one of Venezuela’s most celebrated operatic exports. Praised by OperaWire as a “very classy,” “versatile,” and “luxurious” soprano, Brea’s artistry embodies both refinement and fire, shaping her for an international career of growing distinction.

A graduate of The Juilliard School, Ms. Brea has appeared on many of the world’s most prestigious stages, including Carnegie Hall, Symphony Hall, The Metropolitan Opera, Teatro Liceu, David Geffen Hall, David Koch Theater, and Palais Garnier. Her debut album, Alba Beyond Borders (Lexicon Classics), an evocative exploration of Latin American and Jewish art song with pianist Dror Baitel, marks a major artistic milestone. The recording has launched an acclaimed U.S. concert tour spanning more than ten cities, earning praise for its originality and emotional depth.

Equally at home in the great operatic repertoire and contemporary works, Ms. Brea’s signature portrayals include Violetta in La Traviata, Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice, Ana María in Zorro, Micaëla in Carmen, Mimì in La Bohème, Marguerite in Faust, Nedda in Pagliacci, Gilda in Rigoletto, Liù in Turandot, Agrippina, Donna Anna, and Elena in El Barbero de Sevilla—a performance that earned her the Best Musical Actress Award from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors.

She has been featured with renowned companies including Arizona Opera, Austin Opera, American Lyric Theater, Opera San José, Opera Maine, Opera Idaho, West Bay Opera, Opera Tampa, Wolf Trap Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Opera Cultura, New Camerata Opera, Opera in Williamsburg, Village Opera, Hogfish Festival of Portland Maine, Resonance Works, and Opera Essentia, among others.

As an avid oratorio and concert soloist, Ms. Brea has performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection” with the Boston Philharmonic and Ann Arbor Symphony, Verdi’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Tucson Symphony, Haydn’s The Creation, Handel’s Messiah, Orff’s Carmina Burana at Carnegie Hall, and Reinaldo Moya’s Pájaros Garabatos with the Jasper Quartet at the Schubert Club. She has also appeared with the Phoenix Symphony, Zephyr Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, MidAtlantic Philharmonic, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra, Brooklyn Symphony, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, New England Repertory Orchestra, Oratorio Society of New York, Orlando Sings Symphony and Choir, Richmond Symphony, l’Orchestre Prométhée, and the United Nations Symphony.

A laureate of several prestigious competitions, Ms. Brea represented Venezuela at Operalia, was a finalist in both the Paris Opera Competition and BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, and earned the Best Zarzuela Singer Award at the Tenor Viñas Competition in Barcelona. She is also a first prize winner of the Giulio Gari and New York Lyric Opera competitions, and a prize winner of the Gerda Lissner and Opera Cultura competitions.

If you are interested in supporting or sponsoring an Artist-in-Residence, please reach out to our Major Gifts Officer Julia Denny at denny@operasj.org