Contralto
Biography
A contralto with an expressive voice and a striking timbre, Brenda Iglesias has appeared as soloist and guest artist on stages across Mexico, Europe, and the United States. She has performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México, the Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM, the Orquesta Sinfónica de la UAEH, the Orquesta Escuela Carlos Chávez, and the Capella Barroca de México, appearing at venues such as the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Teatro Degollado, Cincinnati Music Hall, and Prague's Estates Theater and Liechtenstein Palace, and collaborating with conductors such as Louis Langrée, James Burton, José Luis Castillo, and Eduardo García Barrios.
With a repertoire spanning from the Baroque to contemporary music, and a natural affinity for concert music, Iglesias has distinguished herself in Brahms's Alto Rhapsody, Bach's St. John Passion, Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky, Falla's El Amor Brujo, Mozart's Requiem, as well as Mahler's Kindertotenlieder, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, and Symphony No.3 . In the operatic realm, Iglesias has also performed leading contralto and mezzo-soprano roles, including the Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica, Sesto in La Clemenza di Tito, the Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte,, and Maman and La bergère in L'enfant et les sortilèges. Committed to expanding today's repertoire, she took part in the recording of Scott Davenport's Blind Injustice and in the workshop of Tobias Picker's opera Awakenings, both with Opera Fusion: New Works.
A prizewinner of the renowned "Carlo Morelli" Competition at the Opera of Bellas Artes in Mexico and the Alltech Vocal Scholarship Competition in Kentucky, Iglesias was also a semifinalist at the 2025 Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition in New York City. She was recently among the winners of the Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra's concert soloist competition, with which she performed Haydn's Theresienmesse. She has also received competitive grants from Mexico's National Fund for Culture and the Arts (FONCA-CONACYT), National System for Music Development (SNFM), and Pro-Ópera A.C. Iglesias holds Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Voice Performance from the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music, both earned on full merit scholarships, as well as a Bachelor of Music with honors from the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo.
A leading voice in Latin American art song, Iglesias combines research and performance, presenting her work on early Mexican song through lecture-recitals at forums including the Society for American Music Conference in Detroit and the International Congress of Voice Teachers in Toronto. She has appeared as a young artist at festivals including the Source Song Festival in Minneapolis and the Art Song Preservation Society of New York's Summer of Song. In 2025 she undertook a recital tour dedicated to Latin American song, performing at the Anderson Center for the Performing Arts in Binghamton, the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, and the CFA Concert Hall at Boston University, alongside pianist José Meléndez and tenor David Guzmán.
Dr. Iglesias is currently an Assistant Professor of Voice at Binghamton University (State University of New York) and maintains an active private voice studio. She previously served as an Instructor of Record at the University of Cincinnati and as C.T. Vivian Scholar at Western Illinois University. A sought-after clinician and Spanish diction coach, she has been invited to deliver lectures and lead masterclasses at institutions including the Universidad Católica Argentina, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, Purdue University Fort Wayne, and Boston University.
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