The first Venezuelan opera was
El maestro Rufo Zapatero an
opera buffa composed in 1848 by
José María Osorio.
Virginia by
José Ángel Montero (sometimes incorrectly called the first Venezuelan opera) debuted in 1877, under the auspices of
Antonio Guzmán Blanco. Another major early Venezuelan opera composer was
Reynaldo Hahn, who was greatly influenced by his teacher
Jules Massenet. He greatly expanded the genre of French operetta, of which
Ciboulette was his most famous work; he also composed operas as
Le Merchand de Venise. Before the foregoing had occurred, José María Osorio had composed early
zarzuelas. The first Venezuelan zarzuela to debut, however, was
José Ángel Montero's
Los alemanes en Italia, in the 1860s. Montero also debuted the zarzuelas
El Cumpleaños de Leonor,
El Charlatán Mudo,
La Modista, and many others. Another major zarzuela composer was
Pedro Elías Gutiérrez, who used Venezuelan rhythms. His most important work was perhaps
Alma Llanera, with lyrics by
Rafael Bolívar Coronado. In the 20th century,
Caracas had a rich cultural tradition. Teatro Maderero, Teatro Caracas, and the more modern
Teatro Nacional and
Teatro Municipal competed for the public's attention. The Teatro Maderero and Teatro Caracas, after the construction of the latter two, played a secondary role and were nearly always used for popular musical acts, such as reviews and fandango. The Teatro Nacional was the theater for the country's finest zarzuela, while the Municipal typically staged Italian, German and French works, which were more serious. Today Venezuelan operas are typically held in the
Teatro Teresa Carreño. Contemporary Venezuelan opera composers include
María Luisa Escobar, whose works include
Kanaime,
Orquídeas Azules, and
Princesa Girasol. Other important composers are
Hector Pellegatti (author of the
verismo opera
El Negro Miguel with lyrics by
Pedro Blanco Vilariño),
Alexis Rago (author of
El Páramo,
Miranda, and
Froilán el Infausto),
Eric Colon (author of
El Caballero de Ledesma),
Federico Ruíz (author of the famous opera buffa '''', with a libretto by
Aquiles Nazoa). Other recent premieres include the opera
Gertrudis by
Gerardo Gerulewicz, with a libretto by , which premiered in concert and in full stage production in Caracas, Venezuela. Venezuelan-American composer
Sylvia Constantinidis who has written music and libretto for several lyrical works: two dramatic contemporary operas,
Araminta and
Afrodita; one experimental short opera,
Aurora; and three children operas,
Lincoln,
Ponce de Leon, and
The First ThanksGiving. Some scenes from
Araminta were premiered in concert in England 2017.
Afrodita was premiered in concert in England 2015 and in Miami, USA, also in 2015.
Aurora, the experimental short opera, was premiered in England in 2011. The three children operas:
Lincoln,
Ponce de Leon, and
The First ThanksGiving, were all premiered in Florida, USA, in 2001, 2002, and 2003. For these three children operas Constantinidis received the Educator of Note Award 2003 by the Ethel and W. George Kennedy Family Foundation, and the Young Patronesses of the Opera, the Florida Grand Opera. In 2024 Ángel Hernández Lovera premiered the ópera
Alice conducted by
Elisa Vega. ==Venezuelan lyric singers==