Ecuadorian soprano based in Colorado, María José Fabara is a versatile artist who has performed on stages across Latin America and the United States. Since relocating to Colorado in 2022, she has become an active presence in the region’s musical landscape, collaborating with Opera Colorado, Opera Fort Collins, Boulder Opera, and Central City Opera, among others. Her work spans opera, chamber music, musical theater, and community-based performance. Drawing from a wide palette of influences and languages, María José brings her perspective as a Latina artist naturally into her storytelling and her connection with audiences.

Her recent operatic roles include Adina in L’elisir d’amore with Boulder Opera, Micaëla in Carmen with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ecuador, Norina in Don Pasquale with Opera Fort Collins, Despina in Così fan tutte at the Crested Butte Music Festival, Frasquita in Carmen for Opera Colorado’s Student Matinee, Mimì in La Bohème with Steamboat Opera, Tiresias in Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tirésias at Denver’s Newman Center, and Violetta in La Traviata with the Guayaquil Symphony Orchestra. This season, María José returns to Ecuador as Mimì in La Bohème in Cuenca under the baton of Maestro William Vergara.

In her native Ecuador, María José has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ecuador, the Guayaquil Symphony Orchestra, and the Loja Symphony Orchestra, as well as at venues including Fundación Teatro Nacional Sucre, Casa de la Música, Teatro Centro Cívico, Teatro Variedades, and Teatro México. Her roles there have included Violetta in La Traviata, the Queen of the Night in La flauta mágica de los Andes, an Andean adaptation of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Lisette in La Rondine, Despina in Così fan tutte, and Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi. Her concert repertoire includes works such as Vivaldi’s Gloria, Mozart’s Requiem, and Bach’s Coffee Cantata.

Her musical theater credits include Maria in West Side Story, Wendla in Spring Awakening, and the title role in the first Spanish-language production of Dave Malloy’s Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. While in Wichita, Kansas, she appeared as Flora in La Traviata with Wichita Grand Opera, as well as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Adina in L’elisir d’amore, and Héro in Béatrice et Bénédict at Miller Concert Hall.

Deeply devoted to community engagement, María José also shares music beyond the traditional stage. From 2022 to 2024, she toured as a featured artist with Central City Opera’s Education and Community Engagement programs, performing in projects such as ¡Fiesta!, a celebration of Spanish and Latin American music, and Chiaroscuro, an initiative centered on mental health awareness. She also portrayed Mariana in Joe Illick’s Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World, bringing opera and Latin American stories to young audiences. Her community-based work has continued through performances of Xochitl and the Flowers, a bilingual children’s opera based on the true story of a young girl and her family’s journey from El Salvador to the United States.

Across both traditional and community spaces, María José is drawn to work that reflects the complexity of her cultural background and creates meaningful connections with audiences. She approaches each project as an opportunity to tell stories through music that feel honest, grounded, and reflective of lived experience.

María José holds an Artist Diploma from the University of Denver, a Master’s in Opera Performance from Wichita State University, and a Bachelor’s in Music Education from the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador.