David Portillo

David Portillo, winner of the prestigious Sphinx Medal of Excellence (2024), has established himself as one of his generation’s leading classical singers.

During the current season, Portillo sings Jupiter (Semele) at Dutch National Opera, conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm; Frederic (The Pirates of Penzance) with Seattle Opera; the title role in Idomeneo with Boston Baroque; Carmina Burana with Lyric Opera of Chicago; Mozart’s Requiem with Manfred Honeck and the San Francisco Symphony, and with Jane Glover and Philadelphia Orchestra.

Portillo has appeared in multiple leading roles at major theaters worldwide, including Tamino (The Magic Flute) at Metropolitan Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and Glyndebourne Festival; David (Die Meistersinger) at Lyric Opera of Chicago; Lysander (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) at Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival and Opéra de Lille; Count Almaviva (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) at the Wiener Staatsoper; Lurcanio (Ariodante) at Palau des les Arts Reina Sofia and Festival d’Aix-en-Provence; and Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) at Hyōgo Performing Arts Center, Kyoto.

Concert highlights include Beethoven’s Mass in C major and Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Los Angeles Master Chorale for Mozart’s Requiem with Grant Gershon; an orchestral program of Italian repertoire with San Antonio Symphony and Sebastian Lang-Lessing; Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; the title role in Jephtha with Music of the Baroque; Minnesota Orchestra for Bach’s Christmas Oratorio; and New York Choral Society for Tippett’s A Child of our Time at Carnegie Hall.

Mr. Portillo grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and resides in Zürich, Switzerland.