Cynthia López-Pérez

Cynthia López-Pérez is a Xicana soprano originally born in Compton, California and raised in Newark, Ohio. Her introduction to opera started at The Ohio State University, where she made her role debut as Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro with The Ohio State University Lyric and Opera Theater. 

Ms. López-Pérez attended Boston Conservatory with a Yolanda Cerreta Pangaro Scholarship, where she received her degree in Opera Performance (MM 2019) under the tutelage of Dr. Rebecca Folsom. While at Boston Conservatory she performed as Despina in Così fan tutte and Blanche in Dialogues des Carmélites. She was also selected to perform in master classes featuring Frederica Von Stade, Crystal Manich, and Ann Baltz. While at Boston Conservatory, she completed Young Artist Programs including OperaWorks and Martina Arroyo Prelude to Performance, where she performed in an opera pastiche and covered the role of Nannetta in Falstaff. 

Following her graduation, Ms. López-Pérez has had the pleasure of consistently working with local companies such as MassOpera, NEMPAC Opera Project, Promenade Opera Project, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Odyssey Opera, and OperaHub. Her roles include Maria in West Side Story, Mimì in La bohème, and Leonore in Fidelio. She was recently a semi-finalist for MassOpera’s Voice Competition. As part of a collaboration with OperaHub and MassOpera, Cynthia premiered the role of Natalia in the new opera Caravana de Mujeres, composed by Nicolas Lell Benavides with libretto by Laura Barati. 

Due to the success of Caravana de Mujeres, Ms. López-Pérez looks forward to performing the role at OPERA America’s New Works Forum in 2023. Cynthia has a passion for promoting works by LatinX composers telling LatinX stories, and she has had the pleasure of combining her work as a professional in the arts with her passion for advocacy through concert work, lectures, panel discussions, community outreach, and philanthropy. In 2020 she co-founded and became Executive Director of Latina Women in Opera (LWIO). 

Latina Women in Opera is an organization dedicated to promoting and supporting femme-identifying Latina, and non-binary and gender non-conforming LatinX. LWIO has become a strong presence in the opera sphere by providing job opportunities, resources, activism, and education to the community. Through her work with LWIO, Ms. López-Pérez has enjoyed momentum in her career and has become a consultant and lecturer on Latinidad, specifically in arts spaces. She has served as a lecturer or panelist with organizations including The Dallas Opera, Black Women in Opera, OPERA America, Boston Conservatory, The Classical Musicians Network, and Boston Singers’ Resource. Cynthia firmly believes that at the heart of leadership work is community, collaboration, and connection, and she strives to uphold this philosophy in every facet of her career.