Ricardo José Rivera

Lauded by the New York Times for “the evening’s richest instrument — powerful yet capable of softness,” Ricardo José Rivera made a breakout last-minute role debut as Riccardo Forth in I puritani at the Metropolitan Opera for its Live in HD performance that was broadcast worldwide following his company debut earlier this season as Dominik in Arabella. His other engagements in the 2025–26 season include returns to Sarasota Opera as Conte di Luna in Il trovatore, Teatro Nuovo as the title role of Don Giovanni, and Opera San José as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte in addition to joining the Utah Symphony for Orff’s Carmina Burana. Next season he sings his first performances of Germont in La traviata at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, the title role of Simon Boccanegra at the Polish National Opera, and Ford in Falstaff at the New National Theatre Tokyo in addition to returning to the Metropolitan Opera for Schaunard in La bohème and Sonora in La fanciulla del West—and seasons beyond see further returns to the Metropolitan Opera in leading roles and further role and company debuts with Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Dallas Opera, Opéra national de Lorraine, Santa Fe Opera, and Opéra national du Rhin.

He was a 2025 finalist for the Rising Star Award at the International Opera Awards and a recipient of a William Matheus Sullivan Foundation Audition Award. Last season he made three important Verdi role debuts: the title role of Macbeth in the rarely performed 1847 score in a return to Teatro Nuovo, Stankar in Stiffelio as he returned to Sarasota Opera, and Conte di Luna in Il trovatore with Opera Colorado—in addition to returning to Miller in Luisa Miller with Washington Concert Opera. He also joined Pittsburgh Opera for Silvio in Pagliacci, Florida Grand Opera as Belcore in L'elisir d'amore, and the Colorado Springs Philharmonic as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly in addition to returning to Opera San José as Papageno in Die Zauberflöte. Also last season, he was awarded the Richard Tucker Career Grant from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation.

A sought-after interpreter of bel canto repertoire, he made his debuts with Teatro Nuovo as Severo in Poliuto, Washington Concert Opera as Nottingham in Roberto Devereux, Carlo V in Ernani and Miller in Luisa Miller with Sarasota Opera, and Silvano in Un ballo in maschera with Riccardo Muti conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He also returned to Teatro Nuovo for Norcesto in the modern premiere of Carolina Uccelli’s bel canto opera, Anna di Resburgo. His other recent performances include Silvio in Pagliacci with Opera San Antonio, Escamillo in Carmen with Opera de Puerto Rico, Schaunard in La bohème and Alfio in Cavalleria rusticana with CulturArte de Puerto Rico, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Riolobo in Florencia en el Amazonas with Opera San José in addition to joining Houston Grand Opera for its production of Dialogues des Carmélites. With the Aspen Music Festival, he has sung Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Claudio in Béatrice et Bénédict, and Angel #7 in the American premiere of Bedford’s Seven Angels.

With the Lyric Opera of Chicago while a member of the company’s prestigious Ryan Opera Center, he has sung Sharpless and Yamadori in Madama Butterfly, Schaunard in La bohème, and Baron Douphol in La traviata—his scheduled performances of Silvio in Pagliacci were cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic. He also covered Marcello in La bohème and the title role of Don Giovanni for the company.

On the concert stage Mr. Rivera has sung Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and Collaborative Arts Festival of Chicago, Orff’s Carmina Burana with the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic, and Don Quijote in de Falla’s El retablo de Maese Pedro at the Casals Festival. He has also been featured in concert with the Mobile Symphony and the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra.

Ricardo José Rivera is a recipient of the Richard F. Gold Career Grant awarded by the Shoshana Foundation. He is a former first prize winner of the Saengerbund Competition and a Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition third prize winner in the Gulf Coast Region. He has been a Renée Fleming Artist of the Aspen Music Festival and is an alumnus of the Britten Pears Young Artist Program. He holds a Master of Music degree from Rice University and earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music.