RAFAEL DAVILA - Tenor

A recent recipient of Operawire’s Artist of the Week mention, tenor Rafael Davila has enjoyed for the past decades an important international career that has taken him to the stages of renowned Opera Houses around the world including; The Metropolitan Opera of NY, Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu, San Francisco Opera, Teatro San Carlo in Italy, Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Leipzig Opera, Holland’s Reisopera, and the Macerata Festival in Italy. His vast repertory includes signature leading tenor roles in the operas, Aida, Un Ballo in Maschera, Carmen, Cavalleria rusticana, Don Carlo, La Fanciulla del West, La Forza del Destino, Madama Butterfly, Manon Lescaut, Norma, Otello, I Pagliacci, Tosca, Il Trovatore and Turandot, ​ ​ ​ among others. Next year Rafael returns to the Metropolitan opera to reprise the role of Don Jose in Carmen with which he made his debut at this important house ​ ​ in 2017, as well as to sing the leading tenor role of Ismaele in Verdi’s Nabucco. Other future plans include Tosca and Otello for Opera ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Colorado, Cavalleria Rusticana for Opera de Puerto Rico, Verdi’s ​ ​ Requiem with Santa Fe Symphony and the premiere of Guidobaldi’s Eva ​ ​ Luna in Puerto Rico. ​ His Don Jose has also been heard in Minnesota, Miami, New Orleans, Washington, DC, Palm Beach, Kansas City and New Zealand. His Mario Cavaradossi in Puccini’s Tosca has been heard in Sarasota, San Antonio, ​ ​ Leipzig, Puerto Rico, Arizona, Minnesota, Miami and Los Angeles. He has performed Radames in Verdi’s Aida in Canada and Spain, and his ​ ​ impressive Pollione in Bellini’s Norma has been heard in Kansas City and ​ ​ at the Kennedy Center in Washington. This past season he made his role debut in Catalani’s La Wally for ​​ ​​ Sarasota Opera, a house where he also made his debut as Verdi’s, Otello, ​ ​ I Lombardi, Attila, Giovanna D’Arco, Puccini’s Tosca, Massenet’s ​ ​ ​ Werther, Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Other important roles include, Dick Johnson in La Fanciulla del West for ​​ ​ Michigan Opera and Minnesota Opera, Manrico in Il Trovatore for Opera ​​ ​​ New Jersey and Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Jimmy Lopez’s Bel Canto ​ premiere for Chicago Lyric Opera, the premiere of the opera Time and ​​ Again Barelas by Miguel del Aguila in Albuquerque, New Mexico and ​​ Calaf in Turandot for Opera de Puerto Rico, Connecticut Grand Opera and ​​ ​​ New York Lyric Opera. Rafael has also appeared in the leading tenor roles of the operettas, Cofresí, Die Fledermaus and The Merry Widow, as well as in the ​ ​ ​ ​​ ​ Spanish zarzuelas; Luisa Fernanda, El Huesped del Sevillano, and ​ ​ Marina, Venezuelan zarzuela Alma Llanera, and the Cuban zarzuelas ​ ​​ ​ ​ María La O and Cecilia Valdés. ​ ​​ ​ His concert experience includes Verdi’s Requiem, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, ​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Bach’s Magnificat, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, Beethoven’s Ninth ​​ ​ ​ ​​ ​ ​​ Symphony, Berlioz ‘s Te Deum, Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Mass, and Estevez’ Cantata Criolla which he performed with the Seattle ​ ​ ​​ ​ Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Gerard Schwarz, as well as with the Puerto Rico Symphony. His recordings of Ariel Ramírez’s Misa Criolla as well as the recording of ​​ ​ the operetta Cofresí by Rafael Hernández were both nominated for a ​​ ​​ Grammy Award. Rafael began his musical training at the Puerto Rico Music Conservatory completing later a Master’s degree in Opera Performance at the University of Texas at Austin.