Noted for her rich vocal tone, soprano Ailyn Pérez has played on many of the world's most celebrated opera stages, including starring as Violetta at La Scala and Mimi at the Met. Emerging from music school in 2006, she placed second at Plácido Domingo's annual Operalia competition as she launched a successful career on the stage. Pérez made her solo recording debut with 2013's Poème d'un Jour EP before appearing on the Billboard classical albums chart for the first time with the next year's Love Duets alongside her husband, opera tenor Stephen Costello. She had a crossover hit in 2020 with the guitar-accompanied Mi Corazón EP. Born in Chicago and raised in suburban Elk Grove Village, Illinois, Pérez studied voice at the Indiana University School of Music and the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. She had already collected honors from organizations including the Loren L. Zachary Foundation before graduating in 2006 and finishing as runner-up in that year's Operalia competition. Spending the next several years winning roles with prestigious opera companies across Europe and North America, Pérez became best known for her portrayal of Violetta in multiple productions of La Traviata, including appearances at Opernhaus Zürich, Bayerische Staatsoper, and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. She won the Richard Tucker Award in 2012. In 2013, Pérez issued her solo debut EP, Poème d'un Jour, on Opus Arte. Her first album, Love Duets, featured her and her spouse, Stephen Costello. Drawing from opera and musical theater, it arrived on Warner Classics in mid-2014 and reached number 21 on the Billboard Classical Albums chart. She was soon cast alongside Joyce DiDonato and Frederica von Stade in a Dallas Opera production of the Jake Heggie-Terrence McNally opera Great Scott. A live recording of the production was released by Erato/Warner Classics in 2018. Pérez landed on the classical crossover chart in 2020, reaching number 12 with the EP Mi Corazón. ~ Marcy Donelson