A soloist in the GRAMMY® Award-winning album Duruflé: The Complete Choral Works, Cecilia Duarte has been praised by The New York Times as “A creamy voiced mezzo-soprano.”
Cecilia created the role of Renata in Cruzar la Cara de la Luna with Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, commissioned by Houston Grand Opera (2010, 2013, 2018); Châtelet Theatre in Paris, France; Chicago Lyric Opera, San Diego Opera, Arizona Opera, The Fort Worth Opera, Teatro Nacional Sucre, in Quito, Ecuador, New York City Opera, El Paso Opera, Minnesota Opera, and Opera San Antonio. Other roles originated are Renata in El milagro del Recuerdo (Houston Grand Opera, 2019, and 2022; Arizona Opera, 2021); Dido in The Queen of Carthage (Early Music Vancouver and re: Naissance Opera); Jessie Lydell in A Coffin in Egypt, (Houston Grand Opera and the Wallis Annenberg Center in L.A.); Gracie in A Way Home (Houston Grand Opera and Opera Southwest); Harriet/First Responder in After the Storm (Houston Grand Opera); Alicia in Some Light Emerges (Houston Grand Opera); and Alma in “Boundless,” the first episode of Houston Grand Opera’s web opera series Star-cross’d.
Operatic roles: Linda Morales in Laura Kaminsky's Hometown to the World, Melissa in Alcina, Sarelda in The Inspector, Maria in Maria de Buenos Aires, and Loma Williams in Cold Sassy Tree, among others. Her experience in early music includes performances with Ars Lyrica Houston, Mercury Houston, Boston Early Music Festival, Bach Collegium San Diego, re: Naissance Opera, Early Music Vancouver, Pacific Music Works, Blue Heron, The Newberry Consort, and Tafelmusik. She is a vocalist in the Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble, performing early and contemporary music.
