FEATURED ARTISTS: WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

José Luis Maldonado, Jr. was born in Montebello, California and grew up in the city of Whittier. He began his musical studies at age 8 as a saxophonist. He did not begin singing until he was 19 years of age, when he studied Bel Canto with world class soprano, Ann Gresham. 

"It is more than singing; we present our souls to the world through our instrument with words, music and body language. As an artist, I always want to create beauty and profundity through my singing."

Maldonado has been awarded music scholarships at Cerritos and Rio Hondo College, as well as, California State University, Fullerton. José is a member of the Los Angeles Opera College Advisory Comittee and has performed in several LA Opera Masterclasses. He is a proud member of the professional ensemble, project ERANOS. He was recently the winner of the New Century Singers young Artist Competition and was in Boston as a finalist for Classical Singer Magazine's Audition Plus Competition. José has also toured for schools (k-12) across Southern California performing " Songscapes on Tour," under the direction of Ann Gresham. In the Vocal Performance program at CSUF along with his merit scholarship, he received the Jane Smith Rodriguez Memorial Scholarship Award and the Opera Award. At CSUF he performed as Dr. Falke in Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus in 2014. His second operatic role was as Baron Mirko Zeta in The Merry Widow, by Franz Lehar, in February, 2015. In March 2015, he presented his first professional recital in the city of Whittier titled: “Dulce et Decorum est...” alongside soprano, Kristin Kenaston. In April he performed the role of il Marito in G.C. Menotti’s Amelia Goes to the Ball. Mr. Maldonado went to Italy joining the Assisi Performing Arts Festival in June/July 2015 as a baritone soloist. In April 2016, he peformed the role of JJ Peachum in Kurt Weill's The Threepenny Opera. After his senior recital in May, Jose graduated with BM in Vocal Performance from the Cal State Fullerton School of Music. José completed his graduate studies at the Manhattan School of Music where he earned a Master's of Music degree under the tutlelage of Mailtand Peters. At the Manhattan School of Music he performed the role of Haraschta in Leoš Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen and the role of Kalmán Zsupán in the main stage production of Die Zigeunerbaron by Johann Strauss II in 2017. He recently has performed the roles of Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, by W.A. Mozart in March 2018 and the role of Don Magnifico in Rossini’s La Cenerentola in April 2018. In July he performed the title role of Falstaff in Falstaff, by Giuseppe Verdi for the Martina Arroyo Foundation’s Prelude to Performance Opera Festival in New York City. José has performed the role of Poncio Pilatos in the opera El Caminante de Nazaret by Rafael Grulloón with the Mimesis Ensemble in New York City. He has performed with OperaMaya in Cancun Mexico and the iSing Festival in China in the summer of 2019, where he also sang the role of Escamillo in Bizet's Carmen with the Missouri Symphony. In 2021, he reprised Cosî fan tutte with the Opera Next Door in Brooklyn. He then sang in the Napa Vallesy Music Festival as Betto Gianni Schicchi, alongside Lucas Meachem as the title role. Mr. Maldonado performed in Busseto in the Carlo Bergonzi academy as Sharpless in Madama Butterly and performed in recital in Castel Guelfo. This fall he is performing Don Giovanni’s Masetto with Mission Opera, Cendrillon (Viardot) ‘s Pictordu with Santa Monica College Opera Theatre and Papageno from Die Zauberflöte with Music On Site, Inc. in Witchita, Kansas. Maldonado has been reviewed by Opera News as a "seemingly unlimited baritone", and he is a recipient of the Opera Buffs Inc. Career grant and as well as the Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation. He was also a proud member of the Holland Community Opera Fellowship with Opera Omaha in the fall of 2018.