Laura Santamaria (she/her) is a Colombian-American soprano from West Palm Beach, FL. She is a recent recipient of the Richard Gaddes Career Award from Opera Theatre of Saint Louis—for the second consecutive year—and was named a 2024 Florida District Winner in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. 

In 2025, Laura returned to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as a Gerdine Young Artist, where she performed the role of Peaseblossom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and covered Norina in Don Pasquale. In the previous season, she covered Musetta in La Bohème and Berta in The Barber of Seville. 

In April, she made her role debut as Fiordiligi in the Boston Conservatory’s production of Così fan tutte. Last August, she joined the prestigious Ravinia Steans Music Institute as a fellow, where she appeared in Schubert on the Road, a curated recital led by Graham Johnson. 

Laura recently earned her Master of Music in Opera Performance from Boston Conservatory, studying under Dr. Rebecca Folsom. A passionate advocate for her Latin American heritage, she enjoys performing art songs by composers such as Jaime León, María Grever, and Alberto Ginastera.