Vocal Arts DC presents: Canciones de mi corazón

Join us in welcoming to the Mexican Cultural Institute the talented opera singers Danielle Talamantes and David Portillo to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Mexico-U.S. relationship. They will make this a special night for the audience with their delightful performances of popular songs throughout Latin America and Spain.

To give you a sneak peek of the night, Talamantes and Portillo will honor the work of Maria Grever, one of the greatest Mexican composers in the international arena. Through her masterpieces, Grever succeeded in the music industry at a time when only a few women did. Come sing and enjoy this fantastic recital!

DAVID PORTILLO (Tenor).

A native of San Antonio and resident of Minneapolis, David Portillo is one of the most esteemed and versatile tenors of his generation, with an impressive and still burgeoning résumé encompassing some of the world’s most prestigious opera houses and concert platforms. In recent seasons he has originated the role of Jonathan Harker in the world premiere of John Corigliano and Mark Adamo’s Lord of Cries with Santa Fe Opera and Boston’s Odyssey Opera, sung Bach’s B Minor Mass with the Orchestre Métropolitain in Montreal, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and returned to the Metropolitan Opera in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites (again led by Mo. Nézet-Séguin) and Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer (conducted by Valery Gergiev). He has performed his “signature role” of Tamino in Mozart’s The Magic Flute at, among many companies, the Met, Washington National Opera, Frankfurt Opera and England’s Glyndebourne Festival. Concert engagements include Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel, Minnesota Orchestra and New York Choral Society at Carnegie Hall.

DANIELLE TALAMANTES (Soprano):
A native and resident of Northern Virginia, soprano Danielle Talamantes is in demand throughout the metropolitan Washington area and nationally as soloist with leading opera companies, symphonies and choruses. In recent seasons, she has appeared regularly as a featured artist with the Metropolitan Opera, performing roles in the company’s stagings of Carmen, Nabucco and Die Frau ohne Schatten, among others. She made her Washington National Opera debut during the 2021-2022 season as Maria Hernández in the world premiere of Kamala Sankaram’s Rise, and has triumphed in other operatic roles with Hawaii Opera Theatre (Violetta in La traviata), , Spoleto Fetival USA (Sergente in Veremonda), Virginia Opera (Beatrice in Il postino) and Fairfax Symphony (Mimì in La bohéme). Her many oratorio and orchestral successes have taken her to the National Philharmonic, Washington Master Chorale, North Carolina Master Chorale, Opera Roanoke, Santa Clara Chorale, MidAmerica Productions at Carnegie Hall, and the Buffalo Philharmonic at ArtPark.

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GA YOUNG LEE (Pianist):
A native of Seoul, Korea, Ga Young Lee is a Doctoral Candidate in Piano Performance at George Mason University under the tutelage of Dr. Linda Apple Monson while simultaneously serving as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Collaborative Piano. She earned her Master of Music degree in Piano Performance at GMU, and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance at the Catholic University in her native Korea. She pursued additional studies at the Ewha Women’s Graduate School of Music in Seoul. Among her many awards, Lee recently won the gold medal at the prestigious 2021 Grand Maestro International Music Competition and a silver medial in the 2021 North American Virtuoso International Music Competition.