Ailyn Pérez

Ailyn Pérez, a soprano distinguished by her rich vocal tone, has taken leading roles on prominent opera stages worldwide, among them Violetta at La Scala and Mimi at the Met. After completing her music education in 2006, she secured second place in Plácido Domingo’s Operalia competition that year, marking the start of her thriving stage career. Her initial solo recording, the 2013 EP Poème d’un Jour, preceded her debut on the Billboard classical albums chart via the 2014 release Love Duets, a collaboration with her husband, opera tenor Stephen Costello. In 2020 she achieved crossover success with the guitar-accompanied EP Mi Corazón.

Chicago native Pérez grew up in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, pursuing vocal studies at the Indiana University School of Music and Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts. Prior to her 2006 graduation and runner-up finish in Operalia, she earned accolades from groups such as the Loren L. Zachary Foundation. Over subsequent years she earned parts with leading opera companies in Europe and North America, gaining particular recognition for her Violetta in various La Traviata productions at venues including Opernhaus Zürich, Bayerische Staatsoper, and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. The Richard Tucker Award came to her in 2012.

Opus Arte put out her solo debut EP, Poème d’un Jour, in 2013. Partnering with her husband Stephen Costello once more, she delivered her inaugural album Love Duets, which drew on opera and musical theater selections. Issued by Warner Classics around the middle of 2014, it climbed to number 21 on the Billboard Classical Albums chart. Soon after, Dallas Opera featured her with Joyce DiDonato and Frederica von Stade in the Jake Heggie-Terrence McNally opera Great Scott. Erato/Warner Classics issued a live recording of that production in 2018. She entered the classical crossover chart in 2020 at number 12 thanks to the EP Mi Corazón.