Biography

Puerto Rican soprano Rosa Betancourt made her professional debut in 2005 as Musetta in Puccini’s La bohème with Ópera de Puerto Rico. El Nuevo Dia claimed: “The one that really shined displaying an ample voice, well managed and with “spinto” hints, was Rosa Betancourt, who sang a stupendous and fervent Musetta… she totally dominated the scene with her voice and her histrionic talent.” On her return to Fort Worth Opera for their 2013 production of La bohème, Opera News said “His Musetta (Wes Mason’s), Rosa Betancourt had a lovely legato and gave a snappy, brassy delivery of her show-stopping waltz”. Other professional engagements include: the title role in the Zarzuela Marina,Valencienne in The Merry Widow, Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Fräulein Silberklang in Der Schauspieldirektor, Soloist in Haydn’s The Creation with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra and; with the New World Symphony, under the baton of Maestro Michael Tilson Thomas, singing Robin Halloway’s Clarissa Sequence. As a young artist in the Opera New Jersey’s 2007-2008 season, she covered the title role in Roméo et Juliette for their Summerfest. For their 2010-2011, Rosa became the soprano Studio Artist with the Fort Worth Opera. She also took part of their spring festival as the First Soprano in Phillip Glass’s Hydrogen Jukebox and the cover for the role of Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare. Other credits include: Tanglewood Music Festival 2009, Mimesis Ensemble (Malcom Peyton’s Songs from T. Sturge Moore), the prestigious Casals Festival 20012 (Jack Delano’s symphonic piece Amor América and as Beethoven’s 9th Symphony).As part of their prestigious Spanish Nights Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, Ms. Betancourt sang the title role in Ricardo Llorca’s Las Horas Vacías. IN the summer of 2013, American Lyric Theater had a reading of a new work by Mexican composer Jorge Sosa titled La Reina, where she had the opportunity to bring to life the role of Young Regina.

The young soprano holds degrees from the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music (BM) and Mannes College of Music (PSD). At PRCM she performed Carolina in Il matrimonio segreto, Suzel in L’amico Fritz, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, Helen in Hin und Zurück and Lucy in Die Dreigroschenoper. While at Mannes Opera, Rosa portrayed Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi and Contessa Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro.

Ms. Betancourt was the winner of the 2005 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in the Puerto Rico district and received the third place prize of the Gulf Coast Regional competition that same year. She was a finalist in 2006 in both the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation Competition and the Giuglio Gari Foundation Competition, a recipient of the Judge’s Award at the 2007 Opera Index Competition and a Finalist in the 2008 Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation Competition. In 2009 Connecticut Opera Guild awarded Rosa the Andrea Pinto prize and also was a recipient of a second prize at the Gerda Lissner Foundation. In 2014, she was a Semi-Finalist in both Rochester's Clasical Idol and Opera Birmingham Competition.