
Puerto Rican soprano Kresley Figueroa recently completed her tenure as a Cafritz Young Artist with Washington National Opera, where she earned critical acclaim for her vocal brilliance, dramatic versatility, and magnetic stage presence.
Frequently hailed by The Washington Post during her residency in D.C as “a strong actress and an even better singer,” she was also praised by the news outlet for her “artful pacing, gleaming highs, and a presence that made her competition-closing performance feel like a reward” in Gilda’s “Caro nome” from Rigoletto, and for her gripping emotional depth in “Piangerò la sorte mia” from Giulio Cesare.
Last season, Figueroa made a “powerful” and “memorable” role debut as Chrisann Brennan in The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs with WNO and gave the “star turn of the evening” for her performance in Mud Girl, an opera commissioned by the company’s 2025 American Opera Initiative.
The 2024–2025 season included major competition wins for Figueroa: National Semifinalist in The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition (First Place and Audience Favorite, Mid-Atlantic Region); First Place and Audience Favorite in the James Toland Vocal Arts Competition; First Place in the Kyrenia Opera Vocal Competition; and Third Prize in Florida Grand Opera’s National Voice Competition.
Concert highlights include performances with Renée Fleming, Thomas Hampson, and Denyce Graves in WNO’s annual gala, singing Cunegonde in excerpts from Candide; a recital at the Aspen Music Festival with Ana María Martínez and pianist Myra Huang; and a concert with Susan Graham at The Library of Congress.
In WNO’s 2023–2024 season, she performed the title role in Handel’s Partenope, Berginella in La Périchole, and The Unicorn in The Lion, The Unicorn, and Me. Other highlights include her role debut as Nannetta in Falstaff, performing alongside Bryn Terfel in the title role, with the Aspen Music Festival under the baton of Patrick Summers, and Zerlina in Don Giovanni with OPERA San Antonio. Her diverse repertoire includes roles such as Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Servilia in La clemenza di Tito, Bubikopf in Der Kaiser von Atlantis, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, Maria in West Side Story, and Fiona in Brigadoon.
Figueroa holds degrees from The Juilliard School and Rice University, and continues to establish herself as a vibrant, expressive presence on the operatic and concert stage.
Photo by Soloman Howard