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Hailed by Opera News for displaying “a fine natural tenor that remained open and sonorous throughout the range…” Peruvian-born tenor, Percy Martinez, is quickly making his presence known as a strong tenor with much power in his voice. Of his Des Grieux, Kathleen Acuff of the Los Altos Town Crier wrote:
"The first happy note came from Martinez, making a strong company debut as Des Grieux. His rich tenor and confident delivery emphasized the foreshadowing in the first word of his opening aria – 'L’amor!'. He remained a strong lyrical presence throughout the performance, and was at his best in Acts 3 and 4.”
Mr. Martinez has sung principal roles in Manon Lescaut, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, La Boheme, Un Ballo in Maschera, La Traviata, Rigoletto, Aida, La Forza del Destino, Lucia di Lammermoor, Gounod’s Faust, Bizet’s Carmen, Mozart’s Idomeneo and Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci. Mr. Martinez made his Bucharest National Opera debut reprising the role of Chevalier des Des Grieux in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut. Recent engagements include concert performances of Puccini’s Tosca and Bizet’s Carmen with the Opera Company of Brooklyn in New York City.
Equally at home on the concert stage, Mr. Martinez has been a featured soloist in concert performances of Handel’s The Messiah, Ariel Ramirez’ Misa Criolla and Navidad Nuestra, Puccini’s Messa di Gloria, Saint-Saenz’ Christmas Oratorio, and numerous opera galas, benefits and fundraisers. An ardent lover of Latin-American music, especially from his native country Perú, Mr. Martinez often performs piano arrangements of popular songs from Peru (valses, huayno, tondero), Argentina (tango), México (mariachi), and from the “homeland” Spain (Zarzuela).
Mr. Martinez spent the summer of 2005 at the prestigious Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Singer Program, where he sang the role of Anatol in scenes from Barber’s Vanessa. Also in 2005, Mr. Martinez was an Apprentice Artist at Sarasota Opera for their Winter Festival, where he covered and sang the role of Federico in Verdi’s Stiffelio, and performed in scenes from Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte and Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann. Mr Martinez holds Performance and Teaching Diplomas from the Accademia Internazionale de Canto in Pesaro, Italy, and a Performance Diploma from the Accademia Del Teatro, Cagli, Italy. |
