Beginnings Oropesa was a grand finals winner of the
National Council Grand Finals at the
Metropolitan Opera in 2005 and joined the Met's Lindemann Young Artists Development Program, graduating in 2008. She made her Met debut in a small role in
Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's production of
Idomeneo, conducted by
James Levine in September 2006, and then sang First Lay-Sister in their new production of
Suor Angelica. As substitute, she sang her first leading role at the Metropolitan Opera, appearing as Susanna in five performances of Sir
Jonathan Miller's production of
The Marriage of Figaro opposite
Erwin Schrott's Figaro in October 2007.
Work at the Met In the 2007–08 season, Oropesa was seen in the Met's
Hansel and Gretel as the Dew Fairy and, in the 2008–09 season, in the role of Lisette in
La rondine. She also sang the role of the Rhinemaiden, Woglinde, in the Met's 2009
Der Ring des Nibelungen, and additionally sang the off-stage role of the Woodbird in
Siegfried. In September 2010, she reprised her Rhinemaiden in the Met's season-opening production of
Das Rheingold, for which won a
Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording in 2012. In May 2011, she sang the part of the god Amor in
Mark Morris's production of
Orfeo ed Euridice. In December 2011, she created the role of Miranda in the Met's
baroque pastiche,
The Enchanted Island, singing opposite
Plácido Domingo, and conducted by
William Christie. The end of the 2012–13 season culminated with her singing as Gilda in
Rigoletto and as the Waldvogel in
Siegfried where she was well received in both productions: "Her pure, smooth soprano and alert presence were both endearing" "...including the bright yellow Forest Bird, beautifully sung from offstage by Lisette Oropesa". The end of 2013 saw an opening of a new production of
Falstaff at the Met, conducted by Levine. According to
The New York Times, "[with the role of Nannetta], the winning soprano Lisette Oropesa, sings with effortless grace and lyrical bloom". In 2014, she starred alongside
Jonas Kaufmann and
Sophie Koch in the new production of
Werther directed by
Richard Eyre.
The New York Times noted that "The bright-voiced, impressive soprano Lisette Oropesa is a sunny, winning Sophie." At the beginning of 2016, Oropesa gave her first NYC solo recital with the
Park Avenue Armory. According to
Anthony Tommasini of
The New York Times, she "gave a rewarding performance" and "brought uncommon freshness to this music". Oropesa returned to the Met in late 2017 as Gretel in
Hansel and Gretel in which "she was fully committed to arguably the most demanding of roles in this particular opera". In 2019, she debuted in the title role of
Manon, which was hailed by
The New York Times: "Lisette Oropesa's performance in Massenet's opera at the Met is alone worth the price of admission." In 2020, she returned to the Met for her second title role of the season,
Giuseppe Verdi's
La traviata. Her performance was praised in
The New York Times: "...combining exquisite singing, youthful allure, affecting vulnerability and, by the end, bleak intensity, Ms. Oropesa emerged on Wednesday as a major Violetta". On March 1, she hosted the
Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and gave a donation of $25,000, ensuring each contestant received $20,000 and raising the prize money for the first time in over 20 years. She was subsequently named National Advisor to the MONC for her contributions. And the end of 2025, Lisette opened a new production of
I puritani at the Met, the first new production in 50 years. She was praised by the
New York Times as "she so clearly articulated each pitch down the scale, it was like listening to someone run their fingers across the keys of a piano."
Performances elsewhere Oropesa has appeared with the
Welsh National Opera as Konstanze in
Die Entführung aus dem Serail; with the
Deutsche Oper am Rhein in
Il turco in Italia; at the Tanglewood Music Festival as Konstanze; at the Ravinia Festival as Susanna in
The Marriage of Figaro, conducted by
James Conlon; for Opera New Jersey as Lucia in
Lucia di Lammermoor; at
Arizona Opera as Gilda in
Rigoletto; and at the
New Orleans Opera as Gilda and as Leïla in
Les pêcheurs de perles. In April and May 2012, Oropesa appeared with the
Pittsburgh Opera as Konstanze in a production of
Die Entführung aus dem Serail set on the
Orient Express in the Pasha's private train car. In October 2012, she again performed the role of Lucia with the Arizona Opera. In November, she performed the role of Cleopatra in
Michigan Opera Theatre's
Giulio Cesare. In 2013, she sang the role of Pamina in
The Magic Flute at the
Florida Grand Opera and reviews were universally positive: "Oropesa was beyond fantastic in her portrayal of Pamina." "Her aria 'Ach, ich fühl's', sung as she believes Tamino no longer loves her, was genuinely moving ..." In the summer, Oropesa sang
The Marriage of Figaro at the
Santa Fe Opera: "Nothing in the evening surpassed her rendition of "Deh vieni, non tardar" in act 4, in which she spun strands of magic in the evening air" noted critic James Keller. Later in 2013, she sang the role of Amalia at the Washington Concert Opera for Verdi's
I Masnadieri in which she "achieved total triumph as Amalia, the trill-filled part created for
Jenny Lind." She was also called in as a last minute replacement for Nannetta in
San Francisco Opera's
Falstaff. After her performances at the Met in early 2014, Oropesa's summer schedule included many concerts. These included Haydn's
The Creation in New York and in Cleveland; the
St Matthew Passion in Chicago;
Die Entführung aus dem Serail in Bellingham, Washington; and a reprise of her 2010 performance in
The Marriage of Figaro at
Ravinia Festival. Other opera engagements included Nannetta at the
Dutch National Opera; Gilda at
Grand Théâtre de Genève; and Konstanze at the
Bavarian State Opera. Her last performance of 2014 was her debut at the
Los Angeles Opera as Rosalba in
Daniel Catán's
Florencia en el Amazonas. In 2015, she started the year at the
Paris Opera as Konstanze. According to one review, she sang "Marten aller Arten" with "incisive accents and passionate acting". Her next performance was at the
Concertgebouw where she received a standing ovation for her rendition of "Caro Nome" in a recorded radio performance of
Rigoletto. She returned home to New Orleans to again sing Susanna. According to
The New Orleans Advocate, she "offered a fine display of vocal versatility, from the lilting coloratura of a young woman in love to the confusion and anger of the object of the lascivious intentions of her overlord, Count Almaviva". She then went on debut in
La fille du régiment at the
Pittsburgh Opera. "Oropesa's Marie lacked neither virtuosity nor personality. With solid high notes, accurate coloratura and an endless supply of golden-age trills (I stopped counting after five), this endearing artist ran a vocal marathon that might have paralleled the physical feat she was preparing to run in Pittsburgh Marathon the next morning". Her next engagement was with the
San Francisco Opera in
The Marriage of Figaro. A review wrote, "Oropesa is a charming Susanna. Her voice has a gorgeous delicate quality to it but still has volume. Her "Deh vieni, non tardar" was unstrained and she managed to do a perfect martial arts flip of Figaro when she loses her temper with him later in the act". She went onto another extremely successful debut in
La traviata at the
Philadelphia Opera "Oropesa manifested secure technical chops—trills, staccati, pinpoint dynamics and—most impressively—a long, sustained line that allowed her to hold the audience breathless in both "Dite alla giovine" and the party scene ensembles". In November, she was brought in for nearly back to back performances of
Rigoletto and
Die Entführung aus dem Serail with the
Bavarian State Opera due to cancellations. She then finished the year with a performance of
Rigoletto with the
Teatro Real in Madrid in which she was a "Triumph". In 2016, Oropesa performed many concert works, starting in Rome at the
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia with Fauré's
Requiem, she then went to Baltimore to sing with
Eric Owens in the
Ein deutsches Requiem. Next, she performed Mahler's
Symphony No. 8 with
Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the
Philadelphia Orchestra. Her next concert was in Cincinnati with James Conlon in his last season with the
Cincinnati May Festival. She was then found in Munich performing for the
UniCredit Festspielnacht. Her next operatic role was a brand new production of
Les Indes galantes with the
Bavarian State Opera to which she performed to acclaim. "Makellos die Solisten: Herausragend agieren – in edlen Kantilenen und rasanten Koloraturen – Lisette Oropesa". She then returned stateside to Washington, D.C., where she reprised her role as Susanna for the
Washington National Opera in
The Marriage of Figaro. With a quick stop to Dallas to sing with the
Dallas Symphony Orchestra in
Ein deutsches Requiem, she was back in Washington, D.C., to perform as Marie in
La fille du régiment again with the
Washington National Opera. This time, her stage partner was Supreme Court Justice,
Ruth Bader Ginsburg. According to
Arnold Saltzman, Oropesa "sang flawless runs and coloratura, acted in the humorous tradition of Carol Burnett, moved like a prima ballerina, and used vocal coloring for best emotional effect. Her pianissimo, crescendo and decrescendo were breathtaking." Oropesa finished off the year, returning to Rome to debut at the
Teatro dell'Opera di Roma to perform in
Rigoletto. In 2017, she started her year at the
Lausanne Opera, performing her first Ophélie in
Hamlet. Jacques Schmitt from
ResMusica wrote, "She does not have the stratospheric highs that Natalie Dessay had (who will ever have them?). She does not have her theatrical madness either. And yet, with "her" Ophélie, she offers a voice and theatrical character that is overwhelming with love, despair, ingenuity and authenticity as it is rare to see and hear." She then went to Washington, D.C., to perform in recital, which was highly praised. "The evening opened with "Ragion nell'alma siede," an aria from Haydn's opera
Il mondo della luna. It was a gutsy move, and Oropesa easily filled the smaller venue with sound. The accuracy during runs was striking, as were the highest notes, all produced with facility. Her tone turned especially limpid on the little cadenza." This performance was recorded on video and was released to YouTube, culminating into the creation of her first album titled Within/Without. Next, she was in Munich for a performance of
Die Entführung aus dem Serail with the
Bavarian State Opera, making it her fourth year in a row of performing this role there. She then went on to perform a new production of Rigoletto at the
Dutch National Opera directed by
Damiano Michieletto, in this well-reviewed production, she was noted as being "Slender and graceful, soprano Lisette Oropesa was simply world-class as Gilda, with flawless emission and generous top notes, crystalline up to high E. The long trill at the end of "Caro nome" would have traced a perfect zigzag on a pitch visualiser. Even more stunning than her bravura was the melting glow at the centre of her voice, her morbidezza (softness)." Shortly after, she stepped in for two performances of Rigoletto at the
Paris Opera, filling in for an ailing singer. She was reported to have received a standing ovation for her interpretation. She spent the summer debuting the role of Norina in
Don Pasquale at
Glyndebourne where she received accolades in the role. She was next heard in Paris for a concert of Falstaff with the
Orchestre de Paris where she announced it would be the last performance of Nannetta she will sing. She then went on to debut at the
Royal Opera House in the title role of
Lucia di Lammermoor. She was given universally rave reviews for her interpretation. "Lucia is her first Royal Opera role, and the Cuban-American soprano is sensationally good." In 2018, Oropesa returned to the Bavarian State Opera to perform her signature role as Konstanze in
Die Entführung aus dem Serail for the fourth year in a row. Next, she gave a recital for the Tucson Desert Song Festival where she performed a brand new recital set and released her first music video "Adieux de l'hôtesse arabe", a
Georges Bizet composition based on a poem by
Victor Hugo. From this recital, Oropesa digitally released her second album entitled, "Aux filles du désert". Next, she performed in a new production of
Orfeo ed Euridice by
John Neumeier and the
Joffrey Ballet at the
Los Angeles Opera. Oropesa "moved across the stage like a phantom presence" according to
LA Weekly. She once again returned to the
Los Angeles Opera to perform her signature role as Gilda in
Rigoletto, "Her "Caro nome" was a veritable how-to manual on holding an audience enraptured". Oropesa then went to the
Teatro Real in Madrid to perform in
Lucia di Lammermoor where she received "enormous" standing ovations for her interpretation of the role. During the summer, she debuted at the
Rossini Opera Festival in Rossini's
Adina which was also a role debut for her. She was "Considered by many to be this year's revelation of the ROF.". The day before her second performance of Adina, she sang her first ever solo concert with orchestra with the Philharmonic Gioachino Rossini. Her concert was hailed as "One of the most memorable concerts in the 39 year history of the Rossini Opera Festival." In September, Oropesa replaced
Diana Damrau, who withdrew due to illness, as Marguerite de Valois at the
Paris Opera in the company's new production of
Les Huguenots where she "comprehensively conquered the hearts of the Paris audience." The day after her final performance of
Les Huguenots, she premiered another new role of Adina in ''
L'elisir d'amore'' with a "Timbre ardent, projection homogène sur toute la tessiture, vocalises agiles, aigus scintillants." She then opened the season at the
Teatro dell'Opera di Roma in a new production of
Rigoletto. For her performance she was hailed as being "perfetta la Gilda". In 2019, Oropesa returned to her hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana to give a concert with
Paul Groves called "A Starry Night with Lisette Oropesa" which was recorded for broadcast on
Louisiana Public Broadcasting. She then went to Barcelona to perform in
Rodelinda. She was lauded for her performances with "sylistic mastery", "technique without weaknesses", and "spectacular coloratura." She went on singing in a concert version of
Robert le Diable at
La Monnaie in Brussels. She then returned to the United States to perform in
Don Pasquale with the
Pittsburgh Opera to great acclaim, having a voice "So sublimely expressive that they stand out like a Michelangelo fresco in a black and white film." In June, Oropesa made her debut at the
Teatro alla Scala in a new production of
I masnadieri with an "Excellent debut for someone who has long been a guarantee throughout the world" In November, Oropesa returned to the
Washington Concert Opera to perform
Hamlet where she "melded dramatic sensitivity with a clean, pearly soprano." In 2020, Oropesa was set to debut the role of Rosina in
The Barber of Seville at the Paris Opera; however, six of her performances were cancelled due to the ongoing
2019–20 French pension reform strike. Once she was able to perform, she was rewarded in the press for a "brilliant voice, the treble easy, the vocalizations are perfectly executed and the line of song decorated with subtlety. An accomplished actress..." After the impasse caused by the COVID-19, she returned to the
Teatro Real in Madrid to perform the role of Violetta Valéry in
La traviata. On July 28, she was the first woman at this theatre to perform a solo encore by performing the traditionally cut second verse of the aria "Addio del passato". On August 10, Oropesa announced the signing of a five-year contract with the San Francisco Classical Recording Company along with a
Mozart concert aria album with
Il Pomo d'Oro. On August 14, she returned to the
Arena di Verona to perform in a socially distanced Rossini Concert where she was "a triumph of belcanto as an elegance of the line, in a coloratura of supreme abstraction and captivating precision". Oropesa returned to the
Royal Opera House to perform in a benefit livestream concert that marked the reopening of the ROH for the first time in nearly seven months. In October, she made her debut at the
Vienna State Opera in
Die Entführung aus dem Serail in a production by
Hans Neuenfels. She was regarded as a "World class Konstanze" by the
Kurier. At the
Teatro alla Scala she was slated to open the season on December 7 in
Lucia di Lammermoor, but the performances were canceled due to
lockdowns in Italy. She was invited to perform for the opening of
La Scala on December 7 in "A riveder le stelle" where she performed "Regnava nel silenzio" from
Lucia di Lammermoor in the original key wearing a
Giorgio Armani Privé gown. Her last performances of 2020 were at the
Liceu in Barcelona in La traviata. Her 2021 year started with a performance with the
Bilbao Opera in a recital that was an "unmitigated success". In April, she starred in a movie production of
La traviata by the
Teatro dell'Opera di Roma which was viewed by over a million people when it was aired on primetime
Rai 3 in Italy. She also performed at the
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in a bel canto concert performance with
Sir Antonio Pappano. On May 7, Oropesa released her first album with orchestra on the Pentatone label, titled,
Ombra Compagna,
Gramophone wrote, "Oropesa's vocal finesse and dramatic insight make this a debut recital of rare pedigree." On September 13, she opened the season at the
Royal Opera House in London with a new production of
Rigoletto, which won rave reviews,
The Guardian writing "Oropesa makes a matchless Gilda, singing with an extraordinary beauty of tone and understated depth of feeling: this really is one of the truly great performances." In October, Oropesa revived the
Richard Eyre production of
La traviata at the
Royal Opera House. Her performance was "Without a doubt she is one of the finest, most complete Violettas to grace this staging in its almost 30 year history." In November, she went on a five-city, five-country tour of
Theodora with
Joyce DiDonato and the
Il Pomo d'Oro orchestra. At the Teatro alla Scala, she had "overwhelming expressiveness" in the part. In December, she returned to Spain to perform two
zarzuela recitals, for which, according to
Codalario, "reaped one of the greatest successes we have witnessed at the Teatro de la Zarzuela". At the start of 2022, Oropesa debuted her first
Bellini role,
I Capuleti e i Montecchi, at the
Teatro alla Scala. She was universally praised with a "miracle of filati and variations, with spotless high notes." She then went on to give two lieder recitals, one in Valencia, Spain and the other in Vienna, Austria. The press saying "And generous and great is also her interpretive level, since the soprano is the owner of an instrument, and of knowledge, typical of the best." She then reprised her role as Konstanze at the
Vienna State Opera and also jumped in at the last minute as Gilda there with the Viennese press saying "Her voice, in the softly bedded middle register, hinted at a gentle melancholy reminiscent of operatic times long gone." Lisette then had an anticipated return to the
Teatro Real to perform an all French language concert with many of the pieces being from an upcoming album. The critics said "Lisette Oropesa is a very notable artist, who has an abundant and rich lyrical soprano voice that she handles with mastery and skill." She then went on to sing the Lucia mad scene at the
Gran Teatre del Liceu's 175th Anniversary Gala where she was greeted with an over three minute ovation for her interpretation. She then returned to the
Vienna State Opera to sing as Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor where her "technique is astonishing and she was in absolute command." On May 27, her new "La traviata" album was released by
Pentatone. At the same time, she was debuting at the
Zürich Opera House in Lucia in an "electrifying interpretation". In August, Oropesa returned to the Arena di Verona to perform as
La traviata and sing a concert of
Carmina Burana where she was in "full control of her instrument". In late August, she debuted at the
Salzburg Festival in Lucia di Lammermoor, where it was the first time that Lucia was ever performed there. Later in September, she made a double debut, one for
I puritani and one at the
Teatro di San Carlo with a "compendium of vocal technique, an essay on bel canto aesthetics". On September 30, she released her 5th album,
Rossini & Donizetti: French Bel Canto Arias According to
Gramophone, "her sense of line often flawless, text, character and emotions exactingly conveyed". On October 30 she released her 6th album, Handel's
Theodora. In November, she returned to the Royal Opera House to debut in
Richard Jones' Alcina. She "sang with a high-class, diamantine soprano that never loses its quality". In 2023, Oropesa sang her first performances of the year at the Bayerische Staatsoper in
I masnadieri. Mundo Classical wrote, "Listening to her, one has the impression of being in front of one of the great Italian lyric sopranos of the last century." In February she was awarded "Best Female Opera Singer" by the German magazine '''', the only international opera prize in Germany. On March 8, 2023, Oropesa was awarded the prestigious merit of
Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French minister of Culture. The distinction was given to her by the president of , . Afterwards, she took on the role of Ophélie in
Hamlet at the Opéra national de Paris, which had not been performed there since 1938. Her performance was regarded as "pure soprano, with a bronzed midrange, solar highs, flawless virtuosity and perfectly intelligible diction". On April 2, her performance of Alcina from the Royal Opera House won the
Olivier Award for "Best New Opera Production." On April 19, she was awarded the
Franco Abbiati Music Critics Award for her performances in Italy in the year 2022. On April 13, Oropesa returned to the Teatro alla Scala to perform in a new production of
Lucia di Lammermoor, a production which was supposed to open the season in 2020 but was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. Her performance was lauded by critics and "gave a poignant, overwhelming interpretation of Lucia". In June she performed
Il turco in Italia at the Teatro Real where she missed her opening night performance due to a flu. When she returned, critics were impressed with her "warm velvety sound" In July, she debuted
Roméo et Juliette with the
Savonlinna Opera Festival to critical acclaim with a "supple, beautiful voice". In mid July, she interpreted the rarely performed French version of
Lucie di Lammermoor with "impressive technical mastery", On July 25, Oropesa interpreted
the Star-Spangled Banner during
Jill Biden's visit to Paris to celebrate the return of the United States to
UNESCO. In October, she returned to the Vienna State Opera to perform in
La traviata where she had "flawlessly flowing pianissimo". In November, she made her debut at the
Lyric Opera of Chicago in
La fille du régiment. The
Chicago Sun Times said she was a "complete natural as Marie". On November 9, her album
French Bel Canto Arias won best Recording Solo Recital at the
International Opera Awards. In 2024, she returned to Paris to sing Cleopatra in
Giulio Cesare at the
Palais Garnier where she "triumphs over the evening." She then went to Vienna to debut Mathilde in
Guillaume Tell at the Vienna State Opera where she had "coloratura-skilled luminosity and majestic charisma." In Rome, she debuted
La sonnambula to great acclaim where her trill was called "the eighth wonder of the world." She won the best "Female Singer of the Year" at the
International Opera Awards. In October she opened the season in Valencia with Massenet's Manon where she was the "ideal interpreter" She later released her 7th album, "Mis amores son las flores" on the
EuroArts label which focuses on Spanish and Cuban
Zarzuela. In December she debuted as Maria Stuarda at the Teatro Real in Madrid.
ABC.es called her "vocally indisputable". The beginning of 2025 saw Lisette star in her first staged production of
I Puritani at the Opera National de Paris was "dominated by the impeccable accuracy
". She also performed at the 150th anniversary of the
Palais Garnier. In the summer of 2025, she sang the title role in a high gloss production of
Maria Stuarda by Gaetano Donizetti at the
Salzburg Festival. The conductor was
Antonello Manacorda, the director was
Ulrich Rasche. Her rival queen, Elisabetta, was impersonated by
Kate Lindsey. Audience and press were delighted. ==Personal life==