Meryl Dominguez

Cuban-American soprano Meryl Dominguez has been praised for her “intensity and warm tone” (Bachtrack). An alumna of the Houston Grand Opera Butler Studio and the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, she has been celebrated for her “gorgeous, crystalline highs and a powerful mid-range.” Recent seasons have seen Dominguez in performance with Houston Grand Opera, The Santa Fe Opera, and The Glimmerglass Festival, among others.

Dominguez’s repertoire spans diverse roles, including Violetta (La Traviata), Juliette (Roméo et Juliette), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Rosalinda (Die Fledermaus), and Donizetti’s titular Lucia di Lammermoor. In 2022, she made her return to the international stage in the title role of Maria Stuarda with Musica Viva Hong Kong, where she earned praise for her “Sutherland-like purity in the upper and middle registers, coupled with depth in the lower range” (South China Morning Post). This season she makes her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in Strauss’ Die Frau ohne Schatten singing Unborn Child 2 and covering the Falcon before appearing as Violetta in La Traviata for Vero Beach Opera and Livermore Valley Opera as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni.  She will also perform the role of Salud in de Falla’s La Vida Breve for The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle. Future engagements include a return to the Houston Grand Opera in Il Trittico and to Livermore Valley Opera as Fiordligi in Così Fan Tutte.

Dominguez has earned recognition in notable competitions, including as a Finalist in the Houston Grand Opera Eleanor McCollum Competition, the Jensen Foundation Competition, and a Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She is the 1st Prize winner of the Vero Beach Opera Competition, a Sullivan Foundation Grantee, and a prize winner with both the Gerda Lissner Foundation and the Giargiari Competition.

Passionate and invested in the realm of art song and new music, Dominguez has been involved in the creation and premieres of multiple new operas and recital programs. She was slated to sing Lucy Harper in Santa Fe Opera’s workshop of Corigliano’s The Lord of Cries (canceled due to COVID-19) and later premiered the role of Skyspace Woman in Another City (Beck/Fleischmann) with Houston Grand Opera. Most recently, she was part of the world premiere of Matt Aucoin’s ensemble opera Music for New Bodies, and she covered Callie van Lew in the world premiere of Intelligence (Heggie/Scheer/Zollar) also with Houston Grand Opera.

Dominguez’s recital work has celebrated her versatility, collaborating with LyricFest on the premiere of John Musto's “Be Music, Night,” Lili Boulanger's “clairières dans le ciel,” Wolf's “Spanisches Liederbuch,” and several other works. She is in the process of developing a recital combining her passion for fiber arts, the feminist concept of ‘women’s work’, and the narrative trope of madness that pervades the western musical canon.