The Puerto Rican soprano Abigail Santos Villalobos has gained recognition as a multi-faceted performer nationally and internationally performing under the batons of conductors such as John Nelson, Paavo Järvi, Mark Gibson, Guillermo Figueroa, Earl Rivers, Brian Salensky, and David Hanlon.
Some of her career highlights include performing as “Amorita,” the leading role in El pasado nunca se termina (The past is never finished) music by José “Pepe” Martínez and libretto by Broadway and Opera theater director Leonard Foglia. She premiered and toured nationally at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opera Unlimited, San Diego Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and Fort Worth Opera. In this role, Opera News has hailed her for possessing “a delicate, fresh soprano.” Texas Classical describes her voice as “...gorgeous and powerful...” Other operatic roles performed by her are “Morgana” in Handel’s Alcina, “Sofia” in Rossini’s Il Signor Bruschino, “Cleopatra” in Handel’s Giulio Cesare, “Tiresias” in Poulenc’s Les Mamelles des Tiresias, “Zerlina” in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and “Susanna” in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.
Equally accomplished in oratorio, concert, and recitals. Dr. Santos has performed with numerous orchestras, choruses, and concert halls such as the Costa Rica Symphony, NHK Symphony in Japan, Cincinnati Symphony, Schwartz Center of Performing Arts in Atlanta, Carnegie Hall, Pro-Arte Chorale, Voices of Ascension, Masterworks Festival, and Wheaton College Symphony, among others. Some of her concert repertoire includes Bernstein’s West Side Story, Haydn’s Creation, Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore, Handel’s Messiah, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Brahm’s Requiem, Mozart’s C minor Mass, Mahler‘s Symphony No. 2, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, and Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion, and Wedding Cantata.
Alongside her classical music career, Santos counts with a strong social media influence through her online vocal pedagogy tutorials and live workshops with approximately half a million world-wide followers. Santos currently uses this platform to bring vocal education to remote places in Latin America with diverse non-profit organizations such as “Ministerio de Reconcilación” in Pereira, Colombia and “Escuela Superior de Formacion Artistica Publica” in Bagua, Perú near the Amazon Jungle.