Rafael Davila

A native of Puerto Rico, the tenor boasts an extensive repertory of more than 50 roles, including heroes of Donizetti, Verdi, and Puccini operas, as well as numerous Spanish, Venezuelan, and Cuban zarzuelas. Highlights of the current season include Davila’s return to Washington National Opera (Don José/Carmen), Pinkerton/Madama Butterfly at the Opera de Puerto Rico, and his return to Valencia as Radames/Aida. Last season marked Davila’s debut at the Macerata Festival as Canio and Turiddu/Pagliacci/Cavalleria rusticana, and his return to Naples’ Teatro San Carlo as Turiddu (debut in 2005 in the title role/Verdi’s Gustavo III, the original version of Un ballo in maschera). He has also recently portrayed Des Grieux/Manon Lescaut (Valencia), Dick Johnson/La fanciulla del West and Don José/Carmen (The Minnesota Opera), Cavaradossi/Tosca (Leipzig Opera), and Alvaro/La forza del destino (Washington National Opera, Florida Grand Opera, and in concert in Puerto Rico opposite Deborah Voigt). Davila’s recordings of Ariel Ramírez’s Misa Criolla and Rafael Hernández’s Cofresí were both nominated for Grammy Awards. The tenor trained at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music before graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a master’s degree in opera performance.

Lyric Opera debut: General Alfredo/ Bel Canto (2015|16)

Last updated: December 7, 2015