Lindemann and Teatro Real Young Singers Share a Stage for First Time

Ten early-career opera singers from the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and Madrid's Teatro Real Crescendo performed together on the same stage for the first time on December 2's "Rising Stars" recital at All Souls Church in New York. The program, presented by Musica Viva under artistic director Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez, marked the first joint performance since the two training programs launched their international partnership in 2024.

The Crescendo contingent — soprano Lucía Iglesias, mezzo-soprano Yasmin Forastiero, tenor Pablo Puértolas and baritone Enrique Torres Domínguez, with pianist Carlos Alfonso Ferri — was joined by Lindemann singers soprano Laura Santamaria, mezzo-soprano Sophia Baete, tenor Angel Raii Gomez, bass-baritone Lonwabo Mose and pianist John Morefield. Some, including Iglesias and Forastiero, will make their debuts this season at Madrid's Teatro Real. All the New York-based singers have roles at the Metropolitan Opera this season.

The close sanctuary space allowed the audience to hear each singer outside large-scale productions. Bass-baritone Mose offered a polished, powerhouse low range in Figaro's "Non più andrai," combining stunning characterization with jocular flair. As Juliette in Gounod's "Roméo et Juliette," Iglesias deployed vibrato with pointed command, building youthful joy and hints of foreshadowed doom in "Ah! Je veux vivre."

The two mezzo-sopranos chose works of technical range. Baete sang "Must the Winter Come so Soon" from Barber's "Vanessa" with understated warmth tinged with melancholy, drawing convincingly on the opera's complex messages. Forastiero brought vocal maturity and even phrasing to Saint-Saëns's "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" from "Samson and Delilah," spinning her legato passages like silken thread.

Puértolas unfolded the melodic line of "È la solita storia del pastore" from Cilea's "L'Arlesiana" methodically, with piercing drama and a ringing swoon. Domínguez offered a fitting gift to his New York hosts with "Luche la fe por el Triunfo" from Torroba's "Luisa Fernanda," mining rounded tone and painting each phrase from the heart. The two then blended blissfully in Bizet's "Au fond du temple saint," ending with arms around each other's shoulders.

Gomez, as Tonio in "La Fille du Régiment," hit the famously high Cs of Donizetti's "Ah, mes amis" like fireworks while holding long notes with stellar agility. Santamaria avoided an overly saccharine reading of Puccini's "O mio babbino caro," opting for a surprisingly innocent version focused on lyrical beauty. As a duo, they brought tears to eyes in Bernstein's "Tonight" from "West Side Story" — a choice that felt particularly poignant given the meeting of the two organizations.

Ensemble works showcased the singers' acting skills. Massenet duets paired Baete with Mose and Iglesias with Forastiero, while the SATB quartet "Bella figlia dell'amore" from "Rigoletto" proved punchy and electrifying. Guest bass Paul Whelan modeled subtle pausing and dynamic pullback in the "Le nozze di Figaro" sextet "Riconosci in questo amplesso," demonstrating how to adjust vocal timbre without sacrificing musical integrity — a skill the full ensemble also tested as the combined voices pushed the church's acoustics to their limits in Donizetti's "Chi me frena in tal momento."

The evening closed with Verdi's "Libiamo, ne' lieti calici" from "La Traviata," with Hernandez-Valdez at the piano and members of the Musica Viva NY chorus joining on stage in what felt like an old-fashioned sing-in. With Teatro Real debuts and Met roles ahead this season, these ten singers now return to the larger stages their training has prepared them for.