Costa Rican soprano, artist and educator Yuriria Rodríguez holds the rare privilege of being able to sing in both classical and popular styles with great professionalism, expression, and accuracy of style. Reviews have praised Ms. Rodríguez as a singer “with a beautiful voice which recalls a force of nature” (Herald Times, Bloomington, IN), and as “The real deal” (Fanfare , November 2011, USA). In 2006, she sang the role of Maria in the tango-operita by A. Piazzolla and H.Ferrer, Maria de Buenos Aires, at the Buskirk- Chumley Theater, receiving a standing ovation in a sold out performance. In the classical realm, Ms. Rodríguez also successfully performed known roles such as
Despina in W.A. Mozart’s Cosí fan tutte (Costa Rica) and Mimí in Puccini’s La Bohème (Costa Rica), as well as new opera roles, such as Chanfalla in G. Diriés’ Puppeteer’s String, and One of the Three Rosales sisters in Indiana University’s collegiate premiere of Oswaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar, conducted by Carmen Helena Téllez.
Ms. Rodríguez holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music from Indiana University—Jacobs School of Music, where she studied with Teresa Kubiak, Carlos Montané and Mary Ann Hart. As a member of El Taller, she had the opportunity to share the stage with prominent guest musicians and Jacobs School of Music faculty, such as Grammy Award Winners Pablo Ziegler, Pablo Aslan, Michael Spiro, Gonzalo Grau and Sylvia McNair among many others.
She was a winner at the National Society of Arts and Letters voice competition, in Bloomington, Indiana, and a winner of the 9th Annual Competition in the Performance of Music from Spain and Latin America, which allowed her to tour the United States as an artist sponsored by the Embassy of Spain, giving recitals of Zarzuela and Latin American/Spanish Art Song. Among other honors received while in school, she was awarded the Olimpia Barbera scholarship from the Latin American Music Center at IU to pursue studies in voice at the level of Master in Music.
Most recently, Yuri sang the role of Sombra, in the world premiere and +20 performances of Gabriela Ortiz’s Ana y su Sombra, commissioned by Reimagining Opera for Kids, a local Opera Company that Yuriria is proudly part of, and that performs all year round. In 2016, Yuri was called to be the cover for the role of Mimi in Costa Rica’s National Lyric Opera Production of La Bohème.
Currently, Yuri works as Associate Director of Hispanic Music at Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis, where she conducts the Coro Latinoamericano and develops a bilingual choral program for early music learners. Occasionally, she can be heard singing as a guest soloist for the Choir of Adult and Choristers of Christ Church. She is a guest artist for the Indiana University Latin Jazz Ensemble.
In the Sacred Music world, Yuri is a faculty member of the Episcopal Latino Ministry Competency Course which is taught four times a year in different cities in the United States. She also presented a preliminary research paper on Re-defining the Choral Model of Latino Ministries in the Episcopal Church in the first Conference for Latinex Church of the 21st Century at Seminary of the Southwest. Most recently, Yuriria was invited to present La Misa Campesina Nicaraguense at Dominican University and Sewanee Seminary at University of the South, and last year, she was the guest conductor for Nuevo Amanecer 2018, the bi annual Latino Ministry Conference of The Episcopal Church at the national level.
Yuri just finished her discernment process, and is now on the works to pursue theology and music studies that will allow her to serve as an Ordained Minister of the Episcopal Church.