Ailyn Perez Boards Metropolitan Opera Guild's Artists' Council

The Metropolitan Opera Guild has announced that soprano Ailyn Pérez has joined the organization's Artists' Council. Comprised of a distinguished group of Met artists from both past and present, all of whom share the Guild's mission to support the Metropolitan Opera and enhance the public's appreciation of the art form, the Artists' Council serves in an advisory capacity to the Guild board and staff, and, when possible, works actively on its programs.

Richard J. Miller Jr., President of the Metropolitan Opera Guild, comments: "We're delighted that Ailyn Pérez has agreed to join the Guild's Artists' Council. She's a wonderful addition to a remarkable group that is already providing unique support to the Guild, especially for our opera education programs. In February, Ailyn worked with a group of students in our High School Immersion program, giving them a rich and candid impression of the work and life of a professional singer. We look forward to working with her in the years to come."

Ailyn Pérez (center, sixth from left) with students at Metropolitan Opera Guild's recent High School Immersion program

Pérez, who also made her celebrated debut with the Metropolitan Opera in February, as Micaëla in Bizet's Carmen, explains: "I am truly delighted to join the Metropolitan Opera Guild's Artists' Council. I have great admiration for their public programs and educational initiatives and am looking forward to deepening my involvement in the enriching exchange they foster within the artistic and educational community. Helping and encouraging young artists in any way that I can is very important to me. There have been teachers, artists, patrons, and mentors who have generously shared their support and advice with me over the years. I'm eager to continue in this tradition of offering helpful and encouraging words and sharing time with others."

Pérez joins a prestigious group of colleagues on the current Artists' Council, which is comprised of Martina Arroyo, Harolyn Blackwell, Rosalind Elias, Michael Fabiano, Susan Graham, Denyce Graves, Thomas Hampson, Eric Owens, Roberta Peters, and Frederica von Stade.

Since its founding by the pioneering philanthropist Eleanor Robson Belmont in 1935, the Metropolitan Opera Guild has contributed more than $245 million to the Met. In addition to running one of the country's most innovative and far-reaching music education programs, which impacts hundreds of schools and communities worldwide, the Guild also publishes Opera News, the world's largest-circulation magazine devoted to opera, and produces an annual series of major public programs that includes the Opera News Awards. The Tenth Annual Opera News Awards will take place on April 19, 2015 at the Plaza in New York City.