Suzanna Guzmán (born in East Los Angeles, California is an American mezzo-soprano. Ms. Guzmán has sung in major operas such as La Traviata at the Metropolitan Opera, La Favorite in Montpelier, France, and Goya at the Spoleto Festival in Italy. She garnered international acclaim for her portrayal of the title role in Carmen for Houston Grand Opera's critically acclaimed multimedia production (known as the "MTV Carmen"), a role she has repeated more than one hundred times in major houses across the globe.
Ms. Guzmán made her stage debut with the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts in a touring company of Se Necesíta Costureras con Experiencia with Dame Carmen Zapata. Shortly thereafter she became a member of San Diego's [Old Globe Theater]'s Educational Tour under the auspices of Craig Noel, David McClellan and Jack O'Brien. Most of her early career successes were in musical theater rather than opera, portraying the role of Amazon No. 2 with Yul Brynner on his final tour and 4000th performance of The King and I, and Carousel directed by the late Jamie Hammerstein at the Kennedy Center. At the urging of an early voice teacher, she entered the Metropolitan Opera Competition, where, as a National Finalist, she caught the attention of two important impresarios: Ian Campbell (San Diego Opera) and Francis Rizzo. In 1985 she made her operatic debut as the voice of Antonia's Mother in San Diego Opera's production of Tales of Hoffman starring Nelly Miraciou, James Morris, Judith Forst and conducted by Theo Alcantara and has sung as a principal artist in nearly every season since then until her most recent performance of La Traviata starring Elizabeth Futral in April 2010. Notable performances in San Diego have included Maddalena in Rigoletto, Eunice in Streetcar Named Desire, Cornelia in Giulio Cesare, Third Lady in Magic Flute, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Patricia Racette. Concurrently it was Frank Rizzo of Washington Opera who hired her for ten consecutive seasons with Washington Opera including a successful run as the title role in Carmen. It was there, at the Kennedy Center, that she first worked with the opera composer/director Giancarlo Menotti on his new opera Goya (with Plácido Domingo), which led to further collaborations including new productions of The Consul, The Saint of Bleecker Street, and Amahl and the Night Visitors, for which she was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress. In 1987 she was named an Associate Artist of the Los Angeles Opera by the late Peter Hemmings and has appeared with them as a Principal Artist in over forty productions to date including Peep Bo in The Mikado (directed by Jonathan Miller with Dudley Moore, Stephanie Vlahos, Dale Franzen, Marvalee Cariaga, Sandy Egerton), Maiden 5 in Elektra (Leonie Rysanek),Dorabella in Cosi Fan Tutte, Isaura in Tancredi (Marilyn Horne, Henry Lewis conductor)La Gitana in El Gato Montés starring Plácido Domingo, Veronica Villareal, Justino Diaz,Mrs. Fox in Tobias Picker's world premiere of Fantastic Mr. Fox (Gerald Finley, Charles Castronovo, Jamie Offenbach, Malcolm Mackenzie, Jill Grove, Leslie Leighton, Louis Lebhertz) Third Lady in the Gerald Scharfe production of Magic Flute, Berta in Barber of Seville directed by John Copley with Federica Von Stade, Raul Jimenez,Berta again in Barber of Seville with John Del Carlo, Jennifer Larrimore directed by Michael Hampe, Cornelia with Giulio Cesare with David Daniels, Beijun Mehta, Elizabeth Futral, James Creswell, Peter Grimes with Phillip Langridge, Nancy Gustafson,John Atkins, Richard Stillwell)directed by the late John Schlessinger,the Governess in Pique Dame with Plácido Domingo, Elena Obratsova, Valery Gerghiev, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Catherine Malfitano, AND Yoko Watanabe in the title role, Diana in Orpheus in the Underworld with Peter Mark Shifter, Dom Deluise, Tracy Dahl, John de Main conducting, Flora in La Traviata with Renne Flemming, Elizabethe Futral, and Ana Maria Martinez, directed by Marta Domingo, Gertrude in Romeo et Juliette with Rolando Villazon and Anna Nebrenko, La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi directed by William Freiedkin, starring Sam Ramey, Ros Elias, Jessica Rivera, Rolando Villazon, Faust with Veronica Villaroel and Sam Ramey, Frau Mary in Flying Dutchman with Greg Fedderly and directed by Julie Taymor, Der Rosenkavalier with Ashley Putnam, Federica von Stade, directed by Jonathan Miller, to name a few.
Ms. Guzmán has had the privilege of working with John Schlesinger, William Friedkin, Francesca Zambello, Franco Zeffirelli, Sir Peter Hall, and Robert Wilson;as well as with many familiar contemporary composers: Jake Heggie Dead Man Walking; Tobias Picker (Fantastic Mr. Fox), Daniel Catán (Florencia en el Amazonas), Cliff Eidelmann (Wedding in the Night Garden), Ian Krouse (Lorca, Child of the Moon), Richard Rodgers Melnick (Chinese Cabaret), and Lee Holdridge (Journey to Córdoba and Concierto para Mendez) have all called upon her to originate roles in their operas. She performs with orchestras and symphonies across the United States, is on the roster of the [Los Angeles Music Center Education Division] and continues performing for the Los Angeles Opera Education Department. She sang as a principal soloist with Tambuco Percussion Ensemble of Mexico and the Southwest Chamber Music's CD Carlos Chavez Volume 3, which was nominated for a 2006 Best Classical CD, Best Small Ensemble and for Best Classical Latin Grammy. 2011 marks the 10th anniversary performance as the Virgen de Guadalupe in the Latino Theatre Centers annual pagaent La Virgen de Tepeyac;Dios Inantzin with Sal Lopez as Juan Diego, Geoff Rivas, Chris Franco, as Friales, Dyana Ortella as La Criada and Castulo Guerra as the Bishop.
In addition to on stage performance Ms. Guzmán is a well known radio host appearing for almost nine seasons on the weekly broadcast L.A. Opera Notes co-hosting first with radio legend Rich Caperela and later with Los Angeles favorite, baritone Rod Gilfry. Later she appeared for three seasons as producer, writer and host of Sunday Evening Opera. She is an advocate of arts in education, serving on the USC Thornton School of Music Board of Advisors, Board of UCLA's Design for Sharing, the Education Committee of Los Angeles Opera, and the Pasadena Arts Council. Her award-winning one-woman show, Don't Be Afraid: It's Just Opera, has been performed for more than 200,000 students nationwide. July 2011 marks the second year anniversary of her employment with the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) as Director of Community Engagement.
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