ADA Artist Management & Representation

Biography

Texas tenor David Portillo is rapidly establishing a reputation as an accomplished vocalist with uncommon technical facility. Currently a third year member of the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago for the 2009-2010 season, he has performed Gastone in La Traviata and the Sailor in Tristan und Isolde for the company. David has also covered Fenton in Falstaff, Nadir in Les pêcheurs de perles, and Conte Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia. In addition to his assignments in Chicago, David revisits Ferrando in Così fan tutte for the Virginia Opera and sings Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni in his Fort Worth Opera debut. He also takes the concert platform as soloist for Haydn’s Creation, Beethoven’s Symphony No.9, and Verdi’s Requiem for the Colorado Music Festival, Phoenix Symphony, and Elmhurst Symphony, respectively. Next season, David returns to the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

David is an alumnus of both the Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera and Wolf Trap Opera in Washington, D.C. where his performances were met with public and critical acclaim. Of his turn as Paolino in Cimarosa’s Il Matrimonio Segreto, San Francisco Classical Voice remarked that, “Portillo’s sweet lyric tenor and his fine stage presence make a winning combination.” This past summer, his performances of Ferrando prompted the Baltimore Sun to comment, “David Portillo proved particularly promising. The tenor’s soft notes had a tenderness not often encountered today among young singers; he is capable of truly lyrical vocalism.” He has been featured with Florida Grand Opera, Chautauqua Opera, and the Opera Company of Philadelphia. Other roles to his credit include Albert Herring, Alfredo in La Traviata, Sam Kaplan in Street Scene and the Chevalier de la Force in Dialogues of the Carmelites.

A versatile recitalist, David was invited to perform a Schwabacher Debut Recital under the auspices of the San Francisco Opera Center. In response, the San Francisco Chronicle found that “His tenor rang out clearly and brightly, his diction was exemplary, and he moved with easy assurance from the 17th century to the 20th and through realms in between.”

David is the recipient of numerous prizes for his accomplishments in the field, including a 2009 Shoshana Foundation Grant, 2009 American Opera Society of Chicago Award, 2009 Sullivan Foundation Encouragement Award, 2008 Winner of the Men’s Prize of the Union League of Chicago Young Adult’s Music Competition, and 2009 Winner of the Bel Canto Scholarship Foundation Competition. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a master’s degree in vocal performance from the University of North Texas.