Quick Facts
Biography
Ana María Martínez (born 1971) is a Puerto Rican-American soprano.
Early life
Martínez was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico; she is the daughter of Puerto Rican opera singer Evangelína Colón and Cuban psychoanalyst Ángel Martínez. Martínez' grandparents originated in Spain and France, and migrated to the Caribbean islands. Martínez grew up with a strict Catholic upbringing. She briefly attended the Boston Conservatory as a musical theater major, but dropped out and later received a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from the Juilliard School.
Personal life
Martínez met tenor Chad Shelton in 2000; they married and had one son. They divorced about seven years later.
Special performances
On March 11, 2016, Martínez sang Ave María and Pie Jesu Requiem during the private funeral services of First Lady Nancy Reagan. The services were meticulously planned and speakers and performers chosen by Mrs. Reagan herself.
Awards
Martínez has won prizes including the Pepita Embil Award, Operalia, and first prize at the Eleanor McCollum Awards. She won a Latin Grammy in 2001 for Classical Album for Isaac Albéniz's Merlin with Carlos Álvarez, Plácido Domingo, Jane Henschel and conductor José de Eusebio with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid.
Discography
- Glass: La Belle et la Bête, Nonesuch, 1995
- Sheng: The Song of Majnun – A Persian Romeo and Juliet, Delos, 1997
- Albéniz: Merlin, Decca, 2000
- Glass: Symphony No. 5, Nonesuch, 2000
- Bacalov: Misa Tango, Deutsche Grammophon, 2000
- American Dream: Andrea Bocelli's Statue of Liberty Concert, (TV/DVD) WNET/THIRTEEN, 2000
- Glass: Philip on Film, (Box Set) Nonesuch, 2001
- Rodrigo: 100 Años – La Obra Vocal, I y II, EMI, 2002
- Rodrigo: 100 Años – La Obra Vocal, IV y V, EMI, 2002
- Introducing the World of American Jewish Music for the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music, Naxos, 2003
- Castelnuovo – Tedesco: Naomi & Ruth, Naxos, 2003
- Spanish Night from the Berlin Waldbühne, (DVD) with Plácido Domingo and Sarah Chang, Naxos, 2003
- Albéniz: Henry Clifford, Decca, 2003
- Catan: Florencia en el Amazonas, Albany, 2003
- Levy: Masada (Canto de Los Marranos) for the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music, Naxos, 2004
- Weisgall: T’Kiatot Rituals for Rosh Hashana, Naxos, 2004
- Soprano Songs and Arias: Ana María Martínez, Naxos, 2005
- American Classics – Beveridge/Marriner for the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music, Naxos, 2005
- Mercurio: Many Voices, Sony, 2006
- Mozart: Così fan tutte, (DVD) Decca, 2007
- Leoncavallo: Pagliacci, Decca, 2007
- Amor, Vida de mi Vida, (DVD) with Plácido Domingo, Euroarts, 2009
- Dvorak: Rusalka, Glyndebourne, 2010
- One Night in Central Park with Andrea Bocelli (TV/DVD/CD) WNET / THIRTEEN, 2011
- Manon Lescaut with Andrea Bocelli, Plácido Domingo conducting, Decca 2014