Lucila Zavala is a 24-year-old Puerto Rican soprano currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Music at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where she studies under the tutelage of Ana María Martínez and Bethany Self. In 2023, she was named a National Semifinalist in the Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition of the Metropolitan Opera, and since then, she has been award of the Education Fund Grant Recipient from the Metropolitan Opera House.
This season, Zavala will cover the role of Morgana in the opera "Alcina" and will be part of the cast as Gossip and Revolutions Women in "The Ghosts of Versailles." She was also a cover as Lucia in "The Rape of Lucretia" last season at Rice. In May 2023, she attended the Young Artist Vocal Academy at the Houston Grand Opera, working directly with Dr. Stephen King. Most recently, she participated in the Seagle Festival during the summer of 2023 as a Nancy Smith Fellow, where she made her debut in the role of Juliette in their production of Gounod's "Romèo et Juliette," as well as Sor Isabel in Crozier's "With Blood, With Ink" as an Emerging Artist.
During the 2022-2023 academic year, Zavala was a fellow of the Olga Iglesias, a project dedicated to supporting emerging singers in their professional development, as well as educating school communities through educational recitals about music, classical vocal genres, styles, and their history in Puerto Rico. This project utilizes resources from the historical collection of OIP and educational material from the Metropolitan Opera’s Educational Program, thanks to a collaborative agreement.
Zavala has been recognized for her talent, winning the district of Puerto Rico in 2021 and 2022, advancing to the Gulf Region and becoming a semifinalist in 2023. She has received the CulturArte Award, the Ángel Ramos Foundation Award, the Audience Favorite Award, and the Daisy Ruiz Marrero Foundation Award. Additionally, she placed third in the Vienna Summer Music Festival competition in 2022 and participated as a fellow in the Bologna International Opera Academy in Italy in 2021, where she worked with professor such as Leone Maggiera, Stefano Vizzioli, Danielle Orlando, and Luis Ledesma, as well as with the acclaimed soprano Barbara Frittoli in Milan.
Zavala completed her bachelor's degree in vocal performance at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico from 2017 to 2021, where she studied with renowned professors on the island, including Laura Rey, Antonio Barasorda, Ilca López, Elizabeth Rodríguez, Eduardo Valdés, and Pedro J. Jiménez. During her time at the conservatory, she participated in the opera "Suor Angelica" as a novice and was part of the Puerto Rico Lyric Choir, directed by Jo-Ann Herrero, where she participated in various operatic productions with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, including "I Pagliacci," "La Vida Breve," "Carmen," and "La Bohème," among others.
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