Email:

pauvilla@iu.edu

Website:

https://www.paulinavillarreal.net

Department:

Voice

Campus:

IU Bloomington

Biography

Mezzo-soprano Paulina Villarreal is assistant professor of music in voice at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

A recipient of the Yamaha Corporation Excellence in Music Education Award, she brings a dynamic career as a performer, educator, and advocate for Latin American and Iberian vocal music.

Prior to IU, Villarreal served on faculty at the University of Memphis. She continues on faculty at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival and is founder and artistic director of the Cantos para el Mundo concert series in Mexico. Previous academic appointments include Centenary College of Louisiana and Millikin University. She was a graduate assistant at the University of Cincinnati College–Conservatory of Music, where she earned a doctorate degree.

Villarreal has appeared with Opera Saratoga, Cincinnati Opera, Opera Fusion: New Works, the Tanglewood Music Center, Boston Pops, Cincinnati Symphony, Princeton Symphony, and Opera Western Reserve, among others. Equally at home in classical, musical theater, and commercial music, she is recognized for her artistic versatility and cultural advocacy.

A sought-after clinician, lecturer, and published researcher, she has presented for the National Association of Teachers of Singing, National Opera Association, College Music Society, Classical Singer Convention, and institutions across Latin America and the Caribbean. Her students have earned major roles and coveted spots in Young Artist programs and competitions in the United States and abroad.

Career highlights include the title role in Carmen, the world premiere of Mango Suite with the Princeton Symphony, and Simply Sondheim with the Boston Pops. Her recitals often spotlight her research on Latin American song, zarzuela, and Mexican composer María Grever.