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 educational outreach, with a particular interest in connecting classical performance to contemporary conversations and local communities. Drawing from a wide palette of influences and languages, María José brings her perspective as a Latina artist to her work into her storytelling.

Her recent operatic roles include 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 in Ecuador.

In her home country, she has performed leading roles at Fundación Teatro Nacional Sucre, such as 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.

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.  

María José’s musical theater credits include portraying Maria in West Side Story, Wendla in Spring Awakening, and starring in the first Spanish-language production of Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 at Teatro Parapluie.

In 2025, María José will return to Ecuador to perform the role of Micaela in Carmen with the National Symphony Orchestra at La Casa de la Música in Quito. She will also be featured as a soprano soloist in Opera in the Park and is set to take on the role of Adina in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore with Boulder Opera.

In Colorado, María José actively engaged with communities as a featured artist in Central City Opera’s Education and Community Engagement programs, participating in projects such as ¡Fiesta!, a celebration of Spanish and Latin American music, and Chiaroscuro, which raises awareness about mental health. She also portrayed Mariana in Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World, a youth opera by Joe Illick that brings Latin American stories into classrooms and theaters. Continuing her commitment to accessible and meaningful opera, María José serves as a resident artist with Boulder Opera, where she recently performed in Xochitl and the Flowers, a bilingual opera telling the true story of a young girl’s migration journey. 

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.