
Photo: © Anna Barbera / STAGE+
Tenor (lyric)
René Barbera is a Mexican-American tenor. He was the recipient of three awards of the Operalia Competition in 2011, and winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition in 2008.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Maria Stuarda as Leicester · Metropolitan Opera House · Dec 22, 2026
A lyric tenor of exceptional warmth and musicality, René Barbera rose to prominence through major competition victories—winning the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2008 and becoming the sole recipient of all three top awards at the 2011 Operalia Competition—before establishing himself as a master interpreter of the bel canto repertoire at the world's leading opera houses. His professional career, launched with his 2011 debut as Tonio in *La fille du régiment* at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, has been characterized by performances of Count Almaviva, Ernesto, and other lyric tenor roles at La Scala, the Vienna State Opera, the Paris Opéra, and the Metropolitan Opera. Remaining an active and sought-after artist on the international circuit, Barbera continues to embody the vocal and dramatic ideals of the Italian and Spanish operatic traditions.
First-ever sole recipient of all three top awards at the Operalia Competition (2011): Opera Award, Zarzuela Award, and Audience Award
University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Winston-Salem, North Carolina (BM, 2008; completed online 2020); American Institute of Vocal Arts, Graz, Austria (2003); Vocal Arts Symposium of Colorado Springs
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