Abreu was simply the star of the night…his stage presence lit up the auditorium.

- Operawire

Puerto Rican tenor Javier Abreu sets himself apart with his energetic performances and commanding stage presence. Praised by Opera News as a “consistently lyric high tenor,” Abreu has wowed audiences all over the world in the baroque, bel canto, and contemporary repertoire.

Recent performances include King Kaspar in Central City Opera’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, the tenor soloist in Carmina Burana for both CU Boulder at Boettcher in Boettcher Concert Hall and the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Baker in Sondheim’s Into the Woods with Theaterworks, as well as the tenor soloist in Bach’s B minor mass with Resonance Works in Pittsburgh. The 2018-19 started with Abreu’s Opera Paralèlle debut as The Visitor in Phillip Glass’ In The Penal Colony, immediately followed by Tony in West Side Story in concert for the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra. He also returned to Mill City Opera in his much-anticipated role debut as Ferrando in Così fan tutte and to Pittsburgh Opera with a start-studded cast in Don Pasquale as Ernesto. Upcoming performances include the tenor solos in Beethoven Cycle: Symphony No.9 “Choral” with the Longmont Symphony as well as Uberto in Rossini’s La donna del lago with Resonance Works.

The 2017-18 season was a season of debuts. Abreu debuted with Eugene Opera as Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Ramiro in La cenerentola with Opera Orlando, and in the title role in Donizetti’s Il pigmalione as well as Beppe in Rita with Chicago Opera Theater. He also created the role of Gabriel in Opera Southwest’s premier of Bless Me Última by composer Héctor Armienta. Abreu returned to the Lismore Opera Festival in Ireland for Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri.

A champion of contemporary opera, Mr. Abreu premiered the roles of Castleman in The Long Walk with Opera Saratoga, Pepe in Before Night Falls with Forth Worth Opera and Florida Grand Opera, Padre Rufiano in The Inspector with Wolf Trap Opera, Pozolero in La Reina with American Lyric Theater and Prototype, and Enano de Salnés in La cabeza del bautista with Gran Teatro del Liceu in Barcelona. Additionally, he performed Arcadio in Florencia en el Amazonas, Cat in the North American premier of Jonathan Dove’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, and Molqi in a special alumni performance of The Death of Klinghoffer with The Juilliard Orchestra and conducted by John Adams.

Mr. Abreu’s many opera credits also include appearances with Atlanta Opera, Opera de Oviedo, Theater Basel, Arizona Opera, Teatro Municipal de Santiago in Chile, Austin Opera, Israeli Opera, Stuttgart Staatsoper, Nashville Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera Omaha, Virginia Opera, New York City Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Lismore Opera Festival in Ireland, Teatro Arriaga in Spain, Central City Opera, Knoxville Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, and Bard Summerscape, to name a few.  His roles with these companies include Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Lindoro in L’italiana in Algeri, Ory in Le comte Ory, Fenton in Falstaff, Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Valletto in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Ramiro in La cenerentola, Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Alexis in The Sorcerer, Pirelli and Toby in Sweeney Todd, and Orpheus in Offenbach’s Orpheus and the Underworld.  

An accomplished concert singer, he has performed Orff’s Carmina Burana with many leading orchestras including: National Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, Britt Music Festival, The Pennsylvania Ballet, and the South Bend Symphony.  With the Jacksonville Symphony, he has performed both Handel’s Messiah, and Mozart’s Requiem.  He’s also been a featured soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra.  

He has been featured in two opera recordings: John Musto’s The Inspector with the Wolf Trap Opera, and Before Night Falls with Fort Worth Opera, as well as Five Borough Songbook with the Five Borough Music Festival, and in Andrew Garland’s solo album, El Rebelde.

Mr. Abreu holds degrees from the University of Miami, the University of Houston and the University of Colorado - Boulder. He is an alumnus of the Pittsburgh Opera Center, Music Academy of the West, the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artist Program with Central City Opera, the Seagle Festival, and The Juilliard School.

Revised 4/15/2024

Contact Javier