A 1st Prize winner in New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera's 2014 International Vocal Competition, and an encouragement award winner in the 2015 Giulio Gari International Vocal Competition, Dominican tenor José Heredia has been called "A Golden-Age style tenor... that impresses immediately with his vibrant instrument and forward placement of tone".
A 1st Prize Winner of the 2014 NJ Association of Verismo Opera International Vocal Competition, and a finalist/encouragement award winner of the Giulio Gari International Vocal Competition in 2015 and 2017, Dominican tenor José Heredia has thrilled audiences with his voice of "Pavarottian shimmer." Son of a Merengue singer, Heredia grew up surrounded by music. Although he enjoyed all genres, he had a special love for classical music.
Mr. Heredia started singing in a church in New York back in 2006. He attended Nyack College and the Manhattan School of Music, and studied with the tenor Dr. Dana Talley and the mezzo-soprano Mignon Dunn of the Metropolitan Opera. After debuting as "Rodolfo" in Puccini’s La Boheme with the NJ Association of Verismo Opera in 2014, Heredia has sung the roles of “Tinca” in Puccini’s Il Tabarro, "Rodolfo” in La Boheme (G. Puccini), "The Duke of Mantua" in Rigoletto, "Don Jose" in Carmen, "Alfredo" in La Taviata , "Riccardo" in Un ballo in maschera, "Nemorino" in L'elisir d'amore, "Marcello" in La Boheme (R. Leoncavallo), "Mario Cavaradossi" in Tosca, "Radames" in Aida, “Turiddu” in Cavalleria Rusticana, “Pinkerton” in Madama Butterfly, “Canio” in I Pagliacci.
Mr. Heredia made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2016, performing the song cycle Four Short Stories at the Standard Hotel, Op.6 by Colombian pianist, composer and award winning film director Julian De La Chica. He has toured in Italy, Puerto Rico and South Korea, where he sang in more than 34 successful concerts, some broadcast live on television (NBC Korea). He was also a resident artist and soloist of the Brooklyn Philharmonia Chorus, and currently serves as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of The Opera Collective, LLC. A NYC based opera company that seeks to bring Opera to all audiences in unorthodox spaces throughout NYC. In 2021, Mr. Heredia represented his Native Dominican Republic in the first Annual Festival Lirico del Caribe, a concert series hosted by the European Union that seeks to celebrate Caribbean talent in opera. Most recently, Mr. Heredia made his Singapore debut With the Singapore Lyric Opera, singing the roles of “Turiddu” and “Canio” in their double-bill production of Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci.
Upcoming projects include the role of “Jesus de Nazaret” in the Spanish Opera El caminante de Nazaret by Dominican Composer Rafael Danilo Grullón, and the role of “Edgardo” in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Mr. Heredia lives in New York City, and performs often with his wife, American Soprano Rachel Hippert.