ricardo josÉ rivera. Photo: SImon pauly.
BiO
Lauded by the New York Times for "the evening’s richest instrument — powerful yet capable of softness,” Ricardo José Rivera returns to the Metropolitan Opera in the 2026-27 season as both Schaunard in La bohème and Sonora in La fanciulla del West. These returns immediately follow his breakout last-minute role debut as Riccardo Forth in I puritani at the Metropolitan Opera for its Live in HD transmission last season. Also in current season, he makes three important Verdi role and company debuts: Giorgio Germont in La traviata with Glyndebourne Festival Opera, the title role of Simon Boccanegra with Polish National Opera, and Ford in Falstaff at the New National Theatre Tokyo. Future seasons include returns to the Metropolitan Opera and Glyndebourne Festival Opera as well as debuts at Théâtre de Champs-Elysées, Dallas Opera, Opéra national de Lorraine, Santa Fe Opera, and Opéra national du Rhin, all in leading roles. In addition to his triumph in I puritani last season, he made his at the Metropolitan Opera as Dominik in Arabella. He also returned to Sarasota Opera as Conte di Luna in Il trovatore, Teatro Nuovo as the title role of Don Giovanni, and Opera San José as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte as well as joined the Utah Symphony for Orff’s Carmina Burana.
Particularly sought-after in Verdi repertoire’s he has recently sung the title role of Macbeth in the rarely-performed 1847 score in a return to Teatro Nuovo; Conte di Luna in Il trovatore Opera Colorado and Sarasota Opera; Miller in Luisa Miller with Washington Concert Opera and Sarasota Opera; and both Stankar in Stiffelio and Carlo V in Ernani with Sarasota Opera. In other bel canto repertoire, he has sung Severo in Poliuto and Norcesto in the modern premiere of Carolina Uccelli’s Anna di Resburgo; Nottingham in Roberto Devereux with Washington Concert Opera; and Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Opera San José. He joined Pittsburgh Opera and Opera San Antonio for Silvio in Pagliacci, Florida Grand Opera as Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, and the Colorado Springs Philharmonic as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly in addition to returning to Opera San José as Riolobo in Florencia en el Amazonas and Papageno in Die Zauberflöte. In his native Puerto Rico, he has sung Escamillo in Carmen with Opera de Puerto Rico, Schaunard in La bohème and Alfio in Cavalleria rusticana with CulturArte. With the Aspen Music Festival, he has sung Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Claudio in Béatrice et Bénedict, and Angel #7 in the American premiere of Bedford’s Seven Angels.
With the Lyric Opera of Chicago while a member of the company’s prestigious Ryan Opera Center, he has sung Sharpless and Yamadori in Madama Butterfly, Schaunard in La bohème—whilst also being responsible for Marcello, and Baron Douphol in La traviata.
On the concert stage Mr. Rivera has sung Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and Collaborative Arts Festival of Chicago, Orff’s Carmina Burana with the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic, and Don Quijote in de Falla’s El retablo de la Maese Pedro at the Casals Festival. He also also been featured in concert with the Mobile Symphony and Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra.
Ricardo José Rivera is the winner of the 2025 Richard Tucker Career Grand and William Matheus Sullivan Foundation Audition Award and was a finalist for the Rising Star Award at the International Opera Awards that same year. He has received a Richard F. Gold Career Grant awarded by the Shoshana Foundation. He is a former first prize winner of the Saengerbund Competition and Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition third prize winner in the Gulf Coast Region. He has been a Renée Fleming Artist of the Aspen Music Festival and is an alumnus of the Britten Pears Young Artist Program. He holds a Master of Music degree from Rice University and earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music.
