Judith Rodríguez - Dreams of Gold: Zarzuela Arias By Barbieri (2023)

Praised for a warm, luxurious lyric soprano voice with "impressive flexibility" (Texas Classical Review), Judith Rodriguez is a Spanish music specialist based in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Equally at home on the operatic stage and in the concert hall, she has performed to wide acclaim from audiences across the United States and Europe.

With her first album release Dreams of Gold: Zarzuela Arias by Barbieri, Ms. Rodriguez's passion for Zarzuela shines through as she delves into this fascinating genre's historical heritage and artistic legacy, paying homage to one of its founding fathers, Francisco Asenjo Barbieri. Ms. Rodriguez has found inspiration in the works of this revered composer, musicologist, and "Father of Zarzuela," collaborating with pianists Julian Reed and Dr. Charlene Lotz to bring a specially curated set of his arias to life. The recording will feature selections from Playing with Fire (1851), The Lightning Bolt (1857), and both arias from Dreams of Gold (1888). Flautist, Shannon Moy, is also featured in The Devil in Power (1856). This incendiary collection of Barbieri gems will be released in the spring of 2023

In 2019, Judith Rodriguez was invited to sing a Zarzuela program at The Hall of the Americas in Washington, D.C., under the sponsorship of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That year she also made her operatic debut in Florence, Italy, singing the title role in the opera Suor Angelica, under the direction of Adrian Sylveen, Artistic Director of Connecticut Lyric Opera.

From her first starring role as Dolores in La Dolorosa, under the baton of Maestro Germán Gutierrez, Ms. Rodriguez was "baptized by fire." A spark was ignited, and the quest to find out more about the genre of Zarzuela began. Judith Rodriguez went on to study abroad in Spain, immersing herself in the study of Spanish language, texts, music, and performance, under the influence of her mentor, Belén Genicio. During this time, she also had the privilege of working with many great experts such as Dolores Marco, Montserrat Font, Borja Mariño, and Miquel Ortega Pujol.

In 2008 she made her professional debut in Madrid as Cio-Cio-San in Madame Butterfly to great success. Excellent reviews continued to pour in throughout Spain for her interpretation of versatile roles such as Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Countess Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, the title role of Marina, Pepita in Pepita Jimenez, and Donna Anna and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. By 2011, Judith had returned stateside and embarked on sharing the gift of Spanish music with the community. She went on to perform Zarzuela in different organizations such as Opera on Tap, Opera in Concert, Timeless Concerts, The House of Spain, The Orchestra of New Spain, and the Fort Worth Opera. Judith Rodriguez has sung under the direction of Pascual Ortega, Dolores Marco, Montserrat Font, Michael Thomas, Hector Guzman, Adrian Sylveen, and Joe Illick. After living and performing in Spain for many years and falling in love with Zarzuela, Ms. Rodriguez looks forward to sharing this centuries-old art form with audiences worldwide.