Palomar College Alumnus Gregorio Gonzalez, of Poway was honored at the College’s May 20 Commencement Ceremonies as 2011 Alumnus of the Year.
Gonzalez was born and raised in Mexico, and came to California at age 16. He was a student in the music area of the Performing Arts Department, graduating in 1996. He has gone on to a successful international career in the world of classical opera.
Gonzalez recently sang in Vienna, Austria at Theater an der Wien in the role of Di Cosimo for the European premiere of Daniel Catán’s Il Postino. His European performances also include the operas I Puritani and La Traviata at the Nederlandse Opera, and at Amsterdam’s Concert Gebouw, concert versions of Donizetti’s Poliuto and Verdi’s Othello. When the BBC produced animated film versions in Spanish and Catalan of the opera The Cunning Little Vixen by Janacek, Gonzalez sang the part of Harasta. These performances were released on DVD and televised throughout Spain.
On the American continent Gonzalez has sung for Opera de Panamá to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Teatro Nacional. In his native México he has sung for Opera de Tijuana and the Vive La Magia Festival in Guanajuato.
Gonzalez has performed extensively throughout the United States. A three-season residency with Los Angeles Opera began in 2002. While there, Gonzalez created the roles of Count Obolenski and Avdeev in the world premiere of Nicholas and Alexandra, and also sang in more than a dozen productions including La Bohème, Carmen, Romeo et Juliette, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Fanciulla del West, Madama Butterfly, and Le Nozze di Figaro. Later invitations from LA Opera led to his performance in Luisa Fernanda in 2008 and his rendition of the role of Di Cosimo in the world premiere of Il Postino in 2010. He also sang along with Plácido Domingo at Los Angeles Opera’s 20th Anniversary Gala Concert in 2006.
Other U.S. performances include Lucia di Lammermoor at Virginia Opera and Street Scene at Opera Theatre of St. Louis. He has appeared with Connecticut Opera where he debuted as Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Des Moines Metro Opera, San Diego Opera, San Diego Comic Opera, Moonlight Amphitheatre, and at the Ojai International Festival under the direction of Maestro Kent Nagano. On the concert stage, Gonzalez has sung various repertories from Handel to Daniel Catán.
Gonzalez has been distinguished as a finalist in competitions such as Plácido Domingo’s Operalia World Singer Competition, The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and The Francisco Viñas Competition. He won the first place award at the Gerda Lissner, Violetta Dupont, Palm Springs Opera Guild, La Jolla Symphony and Chorus Young Artists, and Virginia Hawk competitions. He has received additional awards from The Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation, The Young Patronesses of the Opera Competition, The Loren L. Zachary Society, The San Diego Musical Merit Foundation, and The Leni FeBland Foundation.