Praised for her “lustrous soprano voice” and described as a “gifted young singer to watch” (South Florida Classical Review), Cuban-born soprano Evelyn Saavedra is steadily building a reputation as a versatile and expressive artist. Known for the warmth of her tone and her thoughtful musicality, she has already appeared with respected opera companies and orchestras in the United States and abroad, and her work continues to draw the attention of critics and audiences alike.

In the 2024–2025 season, Ms. Saavedra looks forward to several significant debuts. She sings Lauretta in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi with Opera Roanoke, bringing her clear lyric voice to one of Puccini’s most beloved arias, “O mio babbino caro.” In South Florida, she is featured in Miami’s St. Hugh Steinway Concert Series, a platform known for presenting distinguished pianists and singers.

With Florida Grand Opera, she joins the company for multiple concerts while covering Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen and the First Lady in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Another highlight of the season is her Puerto Rico concert debut, where she performs opposite internationally acclaimed tenor and Metropolitan Opera artist Rafael Dávila.

The 2023–2024 season brought Ms. Saavedra to both concert and opera stages. She performed Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 with cello ensemble at Lincoln Center, and joined the Madison Symphony Orchestra for their popular holiday concert.

She returned to Nashville Opera as Rosalba in Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas, reprising a role that has become one of her signature performances. With Vero Beach Opera, she sang Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and she appeared as Vitellia in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito with Juilliard Opera, a demanding role that showcased her vocal flexibility and dramatic instincts.

Previous seasons have included a range of roles and appearances that demonstrate Ms. Saavedra’s artistic versatility. She made her company and role debut as Mabel in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance with Nashville Opera, where she earned praise for her bright coloratura and stage presence. Internationally, she joined the Orchestra Filarmonica di Firenze at the Festival Symphonique d’El Jem in Tunisia.

She made her Lincoln Center–Alice Tully Hall debut in a performance of George Crumb’s Ancient Voices of Children with AXIOM, New York City’s leading contemporary music ensemble. She has also collaborated with Grammy Award–winning composer Rhiannon Giddens, performing as a soloist in a Juilliard retrospective of her chamber works.

In 2022, Ms. Saavedra won Third Prize in the Gerda Lissner Foundation International Operetta and Zarzuela Competition, which led to her Carnegie Hall debut in the winners’ concert. That same year, she sang Musetta in Puccini’s La bohème with Vero Beach Opera and appeared with the Madison Symphony Orchestra in their Voices of Spring Organ Gala.

Ms. Saavedra has been closely involved with contemporary opera and has created several roles in new works. With Michael Ching, she premiered the role of “Mother” in Birthday Clown for the Savannah Voice Festival and “Featured Dater” in Speed Dating Tonight! at the Brevard Music Center.

Earlier, at Brevard, she created the role of Epiphany Proudfoot in J. Mark Scearce’s Falling Angel, for which the Wall Street Journal noted her “alluring soprano who brought sensitivity to Epiphany.” She has also appeared as Sister Catherine in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking and as Young Alyce in Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied with Pensacola Opera.

Her operatic repertoire includes a wide range of roles: Maria in Piazzolla’s María de Buenos Aires, Kate Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Antonia in Man of La Mancha, Sacerdotessa in Verdi’s Aida, and Contessa in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with the Miami Music Festival.

In Handel’s Agrippina, she was praised for “coloring her vocalism expressively… dominating every scene, singing with striking dramatic heft and passion” (South Florida Classical Review), a performance that underscored both her vocal strength and dramatic engagement.

On the concert stage, Ms. Saavedra has appeared with the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra and Choral Society of Pensacola in Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Handel’s Messiah. With the Brevard Music Center Orchestra, she was a soloist in Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music and Symphony No. 3 (“A Pastoral Symphony”).

Ms. Saavedra completed her Artist Diploma in Opera Studies at The Juilliard School, where she was awarded the Novick Career Advancement Grant. She earned her Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, winning First Prize in the Friends of Eastman Opera Competition. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance from Florida International University, where she began developing the foundation for her professional career.

Evelyn Saavedra continues to expand her repertoire and presence on both operatic and concert stages. Known for her expressive voice, sincerity of interpretation, and collaborative spirit, she is building a career that balances the traditions of the operatic canon with the innovation of contemporary music. Audiences and colleagues alike have come to recognize her as a thoughtful and engaging young artist whose performances leave a lasting impression.