soprano
"My mission as an artist is to make connections: Connections to an audience, connections with my colleagues, and most importantly connections to characters and ways of life other than my own."
About
Known for her floating high notes and rich middle range, Hillary Esqueda is a versatile lyric soprano praised as a “powerful” performer. Hillary’s passion for modern and 21st-century opera led her to create three roles for composer Francis Lynch in the world premiers of Voices at Domrémy (Yvonne), For Those in Peril (Gwendolyn) and Joseph’s Gift (Mary). Aaron Hunt of Chicago Theatre Review described her performance of Mary as "appropriately serene...with a flowing and pitch-perfect voice that sets the bar high for any soprano undertaking this role in the future." Hillary also appeared in the Midwest premiers of With Blood, With Ink as legendary poet, scholar and nun Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz and Darkling (Soprano Anna) by Stefan Weisman and Anna Rabinowitz. She has also sung the roles of Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Mimi (La Bohème), Laetitia (The Old Maid and the Thief), Drusilla (L'incoronazione di Poppea), Popelka (Comedy on the Bridge), Marie (La Fille du Régiment), Sophie (Werther), Marzelline (Fidelio), First Lady (Magic Flute), and Frasquita (Carmen).
Esqueda was a Young Artist and Apprentice with Hubbard Hall Opera Theater, Pacific Encore Performances, and Underworld Productions. In summer 2016, she attended OperaWorks’ Advanced Artist Program, where she explored her artistry in four weeks of intensive work culminating in an improvisational opera performance. In summer 2022, she traveled to Cancun, Mexico, to perform around the Yucatan Peninsula with OperaMaya as a Young Artist during their summer festival. In 2023 she joined Mozart in the Knobs in their inaugural festival and made her role debut as Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni). In 2024 Hillary made her company debuts in concerts with Opera Nova and Wilmington Concert Opera. She is currently preparing for her role debut as Tatyana in Eugene Onegin with Opera Aeterna this December.
Hillary recently was a finalist at the NH Opera Idol competition and took first place in The Da Capo International Vocal Competition. She was a prizewinner in the 2022 Vienna New Year’s Competition and was runner-up in The American Prize (2020). She received her bachelor’s degree in music from NYU’s Steinhardt School and her master’s from Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. Hillary currently lives in Chicago and studies with countertenor Mark Crayton.
Photos
PC: Clint Funk
PC: Carl Alexander
PC: Clint Funk
Resume
Current Resume
Curriculum Vitae
Performances
Upcoming Performances
Wilmington Concert Opera:
Virtual Recital
Hillary and Pianist Jennifer Allor have collaborated on a unique concert of classical music's "strange and unusual" side. Spooky Songs to Listen to in the Dark is presented as part of the William and Mrs. Dawn Schlotterer Virtual Recital Series with Wilmington Concert Opera. A company debut for both Esqueda and Allor, the pair are excited to share a bit of Halloween spirit a bit before Thanksgiving!
November 23, 2024 6pm Central/7pm Eastern
Opera Aeterna Winter Fest:
ROLE DEBUT: Tatyana (Eugene Onegin)
Hillary is ecstatic to end 2024 with a dream role debut as Tatyana in Eugene Onegin. Opera Aeterna presents this work as part of their Winter Fest along with a concert of Russian works in their 2 week long intensive in Evanston, IL.
December 7, 2024 Russian Concert
December 14, 2024 Eugene Onegin
Trinity Lutheran Church
3637 Golf Road, Evanston IL 60203
More details TBA
Recent Performances
RECENT PERFORMANCE:
Opera Nova:
1st Annual Gala (Virtual Concert)
Hillary is proud to be joining Opera Nova for their first ever Opera Gala! This brand new company headed by Mitchell Gage has a mission to increase the inclusivity and accessibility of Opera for the disabled/differently-abled community. Hillary will be joining Soprano Melissa McCann for a duet from Norma as Adalgisa!
RECENT PERFORMANCE:
Third Eye Theater Ensemble
The Consul (Foreign Woman)
A staple of the storefront opera scene in Chicago for 10 years, Third Eye Theater Ensemble is presenting its final production, Menotti's The Consul. Hillary is honored to join the company a third, and final, time, this time as Foreign Woman.
The Edge Theater
5451 North Broadway,Chicago, 60640
Hillary Performs: 9/23, 9/30, 10/5 & 10/7 at 7:30 PM