Grammy nominee and two-time Emmy Award winner Suzanna Guzmán holds the distinguished title of an LA Opera 2023 Hispanic Opera Legend. As an international soloist, she has graced orchestras and opera houses worldwide (i.e. Kennedy Center, Houston Grand Opera, LA Opera, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Opera) in lead roles (Carmen, Leonora, Mother, Art Banker). For decades, Guzmán has had an unwavering dedication to new opera works, creating roles in world premieres including the Duchess of Alba in Gian Carlo Menotti’s opera Goya, Paula in Daniel Catan’s Florencia en el Amazonas, Lucha in Yuval Sharon’s mobile opera Hopscotch, Sheila in Eric Whitacre’s Gift of the Magi, Mrs. Fox in Tobias Picker’s Mr. Fox and many more. Recent appearances include Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music (La Mirada Theater for the Performing Arts), Abuela Claudia in In the Heights (Rubicon Theater), Mama in Papi, Me and Cesar Chavez (B Street Theatre) and Luz in Nicolás Lell Benavides’s Caravana de mujeres (New Opera Workshop).

Guzmán is a celebrated radio and TV host, receiving two Emmy Awards as host of the 2019 and 2021 annual Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration for PBS SoCal. Also for PBS SoCAL, Guzmán hosted the weekly television series Open Call, focusing on Arts in Southern California. For over 20 years, Guzman hosted, wrote and produced many popular radio programs including LA Opera Notes, Sunday Evening Opera and LA Opera Live!

For her work as an arts advocate, she was honored by the Hispanic Scholarship Foundation as Mentor of the Year, received a lifetime achievement award for service to arts and the community from the Nederlander Organization and was Woman of the Year for Mexican American Opportunity Foundation. Artistic excellence awards include a Grammy nod for Best Classical CD for her solo work with Southwest Chamber Music, two Emmys for her work in television and first place vocal awards with Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera and Opera Guild. A longtime member of the Los Angeles Music Center’s Artists in Schools, her one-woman show Don’t Be Afraid; It’s Just Opera! has been presented for over 500,000 students across the United States. More info: Visit www.suzannaguzman.com

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