Efraín Solís
The San Francisco Chronicle exclaims, “For theatrical charisma and musical bravado, it would be hard to top the performance of baritone Efraín Solís.” In the 2022-23 season, he returns to San Francisco Opera as as Thierry, La medicin, and the Jailer in Dialogues des Carmélites and makes further returns to Oper San Jose as Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Opera Santa Barbara as Germano in La scala di seta, and the Las Vegas Philharmonic for Handel’s Messiah. He also makes his role and company debut as Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore with Hawaii Opera Theater. Future seasons include debuts with the Staatsoper Hamburg, Santa Fe Opera, and Dallas Opera. Last season, he sang Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas with Opera San Jose, returned to his critically-acclaimed performances of Charlie in Three Decembers with Virginia Opera as well as made returns to Opera Delaware as Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Opera Southwest for further performances of Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande, Opera Santa Barbara for Mark in Cruzar la cara de la luna, and West Edge Opera for the Father in Turnage’s Coraline. He also made his debut in recital with San Francisco Performances.
He is a recent graduate of the San Francisco Opera Adler Fellowship and while with the company, sang his first performances of Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Dandini in La cenerentola, Schaunard in La bohème, Silvano in Un ballo in maschera, Sciarrone in Tosca, and Prince Yamadori in Madama Butterfly.
He joined Houston Grand Opera’s HGOCo, New York City Opera, and El Paso Opera as Mark in Martinez’s Cruzar la cara de la luna. Other recent performances for the baritone include Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette with Utah Opera, Opera Carolina, Virginia Opera, and Toledo Opera; Lieutenant Audebert in Puts’ Silent Night and Escamillo in La tragedie de Carmen, also with Utah Opera; Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Memphis and Livermore Valley Opera; Charlie in Heggie’s Three Decembers with Florida Grand Opera and Opera San Jose; Malatesta in Don Pasquale with Opera Santa Barbara; Di Cosimo in Catán’s Il postino with Virginia Opera; Slook in La cambiale di matrimonio with Philharmonia Baroque; El Payador in Piazzola’s Maria de Buenos Aires with Opera Southwest, Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande and Glass’ Hydrogen Jukebox with West Edge Opera; Fiesque in Maria di Rohan with Washington Concert Opera, Gaspar in Rita with the New Century Chamber Orchestra, and Dick in Blitzstein’s The Cradle Will Rock with Opera Saratoga. He joined both Opera Delaware and Baltimore Concert Opera for concerts of opera favorites.
Mr. Solis sang his first performances of Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with the Palo Alto Philharmonic and Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem as a guest artist at Concordia College. He joined the Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra for Britten’s War Requiem and both Las Vegas Philharmonic and New Choral Society for Handel’s Messiah. His debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as the Peasant in Schönberg’s Gurrelieder was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic. An active recitalist, he has previous joined the New York Festival of Song for multiple programs of Spanish repertoire and has sung a solo program of Granados and Turina with the Cincinnati Song Initiative. He has been presented in a Schwabacher Debut Recital in San Francisco and offered an additional recital program at the El Camino College Center for the Arts.
He is an alumnus of the prestigious Merola Opera Program in association with San Francisco Opera, at which he sang Junius in The Rape of Lucretia and covered Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro. He is also a former member of Opera Santa Barbara’s Studio Artist Program. In 2013, he was a Grand Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and sang arias from Rodelinda and Le nozze di Figaro on the famed company’s stage with Marco Armilianto conducting. He was also a finalist in Houston Grand Opera’s Eleanor McCollum Competition and the Loren L. Zachary Society for the Performing Arts National Vocal Competition. He holds a Master of Music from San Francisco Conservatory of Music, at which he sang Guglielmo in Così fan tutte and Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and while at Chapman University, his performances included Beethoven’s Mass in C and Puccini’s Messa di Gloria.
