Hailed for his “sublime baritone” and “burnished tone,” praised for his “remarkable ease,” “passionate acting chops,” and “soft-spoken charisma,” Mexican-American baritone Octavio Moreno is a commanding artist whose voice and presence have resonated on some of the world’s most celebrated stages. Critics from The New York Times, Houston Chronicle, Arizona Daily Star, The Independent, and The Dallas Morning News have recognized his ability to embody characters with “vitality and fullness,” wielding a voice that is “round and resonant” with “deep masculinity” and a natural dramatic instinct.
A graduate of the prestigious Houston Grand Opera Studio and the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, Mr. Moreno earned his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Arizona. His artistry has garnered international recognition, including First Prize at the 2018 Linus Lerner International Opera Competition, Third Prize in the Eleanor McCollum Competition, and representation of Mexico at both the 2009 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World and the 2010 Paris International Competition. He is also a top prizewinner of Mexico’s Carlo Morelli Competition, Cuba’s Mariana de Gonitch Competition, and Peru’s Premio Ciudad Trujillo.
Mr. Moreno has performed with major companies such as the Lyric Opera of Chicago, New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, San Diego Opera, Arizona Opera, Teatro de Bellas Artes (Mexico City), and Théâtre du Châtelet (Paris), among many others.
A strong advocate for new and culturally resonant repertoire, he created the roles of Laurentino in Cruzar la Cara de la Luna—the world’s first mariachi opera—Xihuitl in El Pasado Nunca Se Termina, and General Moncada in Zorro. His operatic portrayals include Marcello (La bohème), Tonio (Pagliacci), Zurga (Les Pêcheurs de Perles), Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte), Vronsky (Anna Karenina), John Proctor (The Crucible), Germont (La traviata), Malatesta (Don Pasquale), Enrico (Lucia di Lammermoor), the title role in Rigoletto, Sourin (The Queen of Spades), and Belcore (L’elisir d’amore).
On the concert stage, Mr. Moreno has appeared with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, singing the baritone solo in Carmina Burana, and with the Arizona Philharmonic as the bass soloist in Handel’s Messiah. He has been a featured guest artist with the International Music Festival Orchestra in Belgrade, Serbia, and performed the baritone solo in Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem with the Fred Fox School of Music Orchestra. At the Academy of Vocal Arts, he sang the title role in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the AVA Orchestra. His concert work continues to reflect his versatility and vocal distinction across both sacred and symphonic repertoire.