Biography
Kesha M Pate
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).
Repertoire
Opera
Carmen, Carmen
Mercedes, Carmen
Suzuki, Madama Butterfly
Zita, Gianni Schicchi
Principessa, Suor Angelica
Charlotte, Werther
Zita, Buoso’s Ghost
Olga, Eugene Onegin
Larina, Eugene Onegin
Hansel, Hansel and Gretel
Third Lady, Magic Flute
Second Lady, Magic Flute
Zerlina, Don Giovanni
Dorabella, Cosi fan tutte
Cherubino, Le Nozze di Figaro
Marcellina, Le Nozze di Figaro
Mistress Quickly, Falstaff
Meg Page, Falstaff
Lucretia, The Rape of Lucretia
Der Komponist, Ariadne auf Naxos
Orlovsky, Die Fledermaus
Pitti-sing, The Mikado
Peep-bo, The Mikado
Old Lady, Sweeney Todd
Mauyra, Riders to the Sea
Tisbe, La Cenerentola
Flora, La Traviata
Annina, La Traviata
Luisa, FernandaLuisa Fernanda
Jo, Little Women
Meg, Little Women
Marme, Little Women
Concert
The Ninth Symphony, Beethoven
Missa Solemnes, Beethoven
Mass in C, Beethoven
Christmas Oratorio, Saint Saens
Ruckert Lieder, Mahler
Les Nuits d’etes, Berlioz
Cinco canciones negras, Montsalvatge
Gloria, Vivaldi
Mass in C Major, Mozart
Magnificat, Bach
El amor brujo, DeFalla
El Retablo de maese Pedro, DeFalla
Messiah, Handel
Israel in Egypt, Handel
Requiem, Verdi
Requiem, Durafle
Requiem, Mozart
Solemn Vespers, Mozart
Lord Nelson Mass, Hayden
Cantata BWV 147, Bach
Christmas Oratorio, Bach
Mass in B minor, Bach
Il Tramonto, Respighi
Stabat Mater, Rossini
Acclaim
Striking A Chord
For the first time since merging with CAPA in 2011, Opera Columbus will be filling the stage of a production with local talent.
- Columbus Monthly, February 2014
Suzuki, Madam Butterfly, Opera Columbus
"Olga Perez Flora made Suzuki very much a leading role. Her solo opportunities in Act III showed a voice that will one day sing Amneris and Carmen."
– Arts and Culture: Christopher Purdy, November 2013
Soloist, La Belle Époque Cabaret: An Evening in the Bohemian Style, Carnegie Museum of Art
"Tenor Joseph Gaines, mezzo-soprano Olga Perez Flora, and pianist Benjamin Binder (artistic director of the Pittsburgh Song Collaborative and assistant professor of music at Duquesne University) brilliantly brought to life songs from late-19th-century Parisian cabarets by writers and composers..."
- Carnegie Museum of Art Blog, August 2012
Pitti-sing, The Mikado, Arizona Opera
"Pitti-sing (Olga Perez)…displayed [a] firm, pleasant voice and lively poise onstage."
– Opera News, February 2009
"memorable vocal and comic turns from Olga Perez as Pitti-Sing..."
– Arizona Daily Star, November 16, 2008
The Beautiful Brown Diva
"Forget any notions you've ever had of a fat lady singing opera onstage. Mezzo-soprano Olga Perez looks more like she belongs in the cast of American Idol."
- Phoenix New Times, September 2008
Annina, La Traviata, Arizona Opera
"Olga Perez's fine performance..."
– Opera News Online, April 4, 2008
Zerlina, Don Giovanni, Opera in the Heights
"Olga Perez invests Zerlina with a bright soprano and fetching manner, correct for an operatic ingenue."
– Houston Chronicle, March 24, 2007
Zita, Gianni Schicci/Buoso’s Ghost, Opera in the Heights
"The relatives are all impressive, in particular, Olga Perez as Zita"
– Princeton Packet, July 7, 2006
Mercedes, Carmen, Arizona Opera
"Olga Perez sang with smoky tones and proved to be a dependable companion for Carmen."
– International News/Opera Japonica, October 2005
Listen
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
Contact
email: olgaperezmezzo@gmail.com
Please use the form below to contact Ms. Perez Flora.
Please note:
Ms. Perez Flora will not respond to solicitations
