Coaching
Cuban-American mezzo-soprano, Olga Perez Flora, has been lauded by Opera News for her “smoky tones” and “firm, pleasant voice and lively poise.” She has performed with opera companies and symphonies across the country and internationally and is best known for her sultry Carmen, which she has performed numerous times, including her debut with Amarillo Opera. Dr. Flora will be featured in Michael Ching’s Completing the Picture (November 2020 release) which was recorded and filmed remotely during the pandemic, for Opera Company Middlebury.
Opera roles include performances with Opera Company Middlebury/A Streetcar Named Desire (Eunice), Opera Columbus/Madama Butterfly (Suzuki), Erie Chamber Orchestra/Die Zauberflöte (Third Lady), Arizona Opera/La Cenerentola (Tisbe), Opera in the Heights/Don Giovanni (Zerlina), Opera Company Middlebury/Eugene Onegin (Olga), Northeast Symphony/La Traviata (Flora), Amhurst Orchestra/Carmen (Carmen), New Jersey Opera Theater/Gianni Schicci (Zita), Lyric Opera Theater/Ariadne auf Naxos (Der Komponist) Opera Festival di Roma/Le Nozze di Figaro (Marcellina) and more.
Internationally known as a recitalist, Dr. Flora has performed several recitals with companies across the United States, Cuba, and in Italy. She has most recently created a Cuban Song Recital named Canciones de mi Isla: Songs from my Island, featuring Cuban composers, poets and collaborators that has been enthusiastically received by audiences. Last Spring, Dr. Flora travelled to Havana, Cuba to perform in two concerts with Cuban composers José María Vitier and Leo Brouwer in her first visit to her families’ homeland.
Dr. Flora holds the Doctorate in Musical Arts from The Ohio State University, the Master in Music in opera theater from Arizona State University and the Bachelor in Music in vocal performance from Northern Arizona University. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of New Mexico, Artistic Co-Director at the Idyllwild Summer Arts Festival Choral Intensive, and the Artistic Director of the Gobbi Villa summer young artist program in Rome, Italy. Her professional affiliations include being an active member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA).
Teaching Experience
University of New Mexico Assistant Professor of Voice and UNM Opera, stage director, 2020-present
University of Nevada, Reno Assistant Professor of Voice 2016-2020
Muskingum University Assistant Professor of Music and Voice Area Coordinator,
2012 - 2015
The Ohio State University Graduate Teaching Assistant 2012 - 2013
Point Park University Voice Faculty 2009 - 2012
Summer Program Teaching Experience
Tito Gobbi summer program, Artistic Director 2016-present Rome, Italy
Idyllwild Arts Festival Choir, Voice Faculty/Opera Director, 2005 - present
Up North Vocal Institute, Summer Young Artist Program, Opera Scenes Director and Exercise & Fitness Instructor, 2011 - 2015
Taos Opera Institute, Director/Movement Faculty, 2009-2010
Adjunct Voice Faculty, California State University LA, 2006 - 2007
Musical Director/Voice Faculty, NAU Music Camp, 1997-1999
Supplemental Experience
Opera Education, Pittsburgh Opera Outreach Educational Program, 2009 - 2012
Private Studio Voice Instructor, Phoenix, AZ and Columbus, OH, 2000 - present
- 25-30 students
- 2-3 recitals per year
- bi-monthly masterclasses
Voice Faculty NAU Preparatory, Flagstaff, AZ, 1999 - 2000
-Voice Instructor
Lectures
Dramatic Coaching Preparation, UNVI Boyne City, MI, 2012
Nutrition & Fitness for Singers, UNVI Boyne City, MI, 2011-2012
The Business of Singing, Idyllwild Arts, Idyllwild, CA, 2011-2012
Performance Practice, Muskingum University, New Concord, OH, 2012
Education
Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) Vocal Performance, The Ohio State University, 2013
Master of Music (MM) Opera Theater, Arizona State University, 2008
Bachelor of Music (BM) Vocal Performance & Music Education, Northern Arizona University, 1998
Young Artist Programs
Young Artist, Marion Roose Pullin AZ Opera Studio, Phoenix, AZ, 2007-2008
Resident Artist, Amarillo Opera, Amarillo, TX, 2007
Festival Artist, Opera New Jersey, Princeton, NJ, 2006
Artist, Opera Festival di Roma, Rome, Italy, 2005