“Every story ever told really happened. Stories are where memories go when they’re forgotten.” — Steven Moffat

David Soto Zambrana is a Puerto Rican Lyric Tenor praised for his “great tenor timbre and flexibility” (Classical Voice North America) and “strong voice” (The Oklahoman). In the 2023/24 season, he returns to Painted Sky Opera to sing the role of Edgardo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. David will also create the roles of Ken and Hobart in the World Premiere of B.E. Boykin and Jarrod Lee’s Two Corners. Commissioned by Finger Lakes Opera, the premiere is directed by Kimile Howard, and dramaturge Cori Ellison. Elsewhere, David will be a featured soloist with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra, and The Flying Horse Big Band.

Last season, David stepped in to sing the Duke of Mantua from Verdi’s Rigoletto at Opera Colorado, where he received a standing ovation. He also sang the role of Graf Albert in Korngold’s Die tote Stadt at the same company. Continuing his relationship with Painted Sky Opera, David traveled to Oklahoma to sing the role of Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

Recently, David made his debut with Opera Orlando as Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor.  His other roles with Opera Orlando have included Leon Trotsky and Mr. Ford in Robert Xavier Rodriguez’s Frida, Spoletta in Puccini’s Tosca, the multiple Vendors in Phillip Glass’ The Juniper Tree, and the comic Huntsman in Dvořák’s Rusalka.

Other notable performances: Count Almaviva, in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, Alfredo in Verdi’s La traviata, Ferrando in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Beppe in Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci, Frederic in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, and Arthur Dimmesdale in Laitman’s The Scarlet Letter.

While an Artist-in-Residence with Opera Colorado, David debuted as Borsa in Rigoletto, and covered the roles of Victorin and Gaston in Die tote Stadt. He sang his first performances of Romeo in a modernized setting of Gounod’s Romeo and Juliette as part of Opera Colorado’s educational outreach program. David has also performed with Taconic Opera, Cimarron Opera, and the Reynolds Performing Arts Center.

David first sang in Europe as a member of Musiktheater Bavaria in Oberaudorf, Germany. There, he sang in concerts and scenes from various German operas and operettas, most notably as Lyonel in Flotow’s Martha and Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. Also on the concert platform, he has sung excerpts from Puccini’s La Boheme with The Villages Philharmonic.

He has collaborated with well-known conductors including Ari Pelto, Jorge Parodi, Eiki Isomura, and Geoffrey Loff. Significant directors with whom they have worked include Christopher Mattaliano, Chas Rader-Schrieber, Joshua Shaw, Aria Umezawa, and John De Los Santos.

David received awards from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, Denver Lyric Opera Guild, and the National Association for Teachers of Singing. David holds a Master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma, where he was awarded the Marilyn Horne Performance Award and Dame Eva Turner Award, and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida.

David studied under Metropolitan Opera star baritone Kim Josephson, a student of legendary tenors Franco Corelli, Alfredo Kraus, and Michael Trimble.