biography
Praised by Opera News for “high notes with ease, singing with a luxuriant warm glow that seduced the ear as he bounded about the stage with abandon,” American tenor David Portillo has established himself as a leading classical singer of his generation.
In the 2019-2020 season, he will return to the Metropolitan Opera to debut the role of Steuermann in a new production of Der Fliegende Holländer, conducted by Valery Gergiev and opposite Bryn Terfel, the Metropolitan Opera and Washington National Opera for performances of Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Bayerische Staatsoper as Pasquale in Orlando Paladino, and Mr. Rodriguez in the world-premiere of Awakenings by Tobias Picker at Opera Theatre of St. Louis.
David Portillo’s 2018-2019 season included a return to the Metropolitan Opera for a role debut as the Chevalier de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites, a return to the Lyric Opera of Chicago for Arbace in Idomeneo with Sir Andrew Davis, an opera he performed for his debut with the Teatro Real in Madrid, but as Idamante, and finally, Oper Frankfurt and the Glyndebourne Festival as Tamino. On two separate occasions in the season, Mr. Portillo returned to his hometown of San Antonio, Texas for a role debut as Alfredo in La Traviata with Opera San Antonio, as well as a solo orchestral program of Italian repertoire with the San Antonio Symphony with Sebastian Lang-Lessing. Orchestral engagements included a return to the Los Angeles Philharmonic for Beethoven’s Mass in C Major, and Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with Gustavo Dudamel, an appearance with Grant Gershon and the Los Angeles Master Chorale for Mozart’s Requiem, and Carmina Burana with DePaul University as part of the opening celebrations of the Holtschneider Performance Center. Finally, he joined the Minnesota Orchestra for performances of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, the New York Choral Society for Tippett’s A Child of our Time at Carnegie Hall, the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis for Handel’s Messiah, and El Paso Choral Society for first performances of Verdi’s Requiem.