Esteban Zúñiga Calderón

Tenor

Hailing from Cartago, Costa Rica, tenor Esteban Zúñiga Calderón is a passionate performer and dedicated voice instructor. Often praised for his high vocal range and stage expressiveness, Zúñiga has forged a distinguished path in vocal performance and andragogy, spanning from Latin America to the United States. After completing his undergraduate studies in Costa Rica, he earned a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of former Metropolitan Opera tenor Neil Rosenshein. Most recently, he received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree with a specialization in Historical Performance Practice from the University of Oregon and now resides in the Pacific Northwest.

Zúñiga has had the privilege of working with prestigious companies and organizations such as Seattle Opera, Eugene Opera, Eugene Symphony, Eugene Vocal Arts, Geneva Light Opera, Cascadia Chamber Opera, Uptown Classics NYC, Emerald Valley Voices, and the National Lyric Company of Costa Rica. His repertoire includes leading roles in operas by Rossini, Donizetti, Mozart, Bizet, García, and Handel, as well as performances in zarzuela, operetta, and musical theater. As a soloist, his repertoire spans works by Britten, Schubert, Schumann, Bach, Orff, Debussy, Liszt, Mozart, Handel, Saint-Saëns, and Mendelssohn. Zúñiga has performed in venues across the United States and on prestigious stages in Costa Rica.

In addition to performing and teaching, Zúñiga's research focuses on the technical development of the tenor voice throughout history and its role in the evolution of vocal music. He is also dedicated to refining the process of assigning repertoire to developing voices, ensuring accuracy, efficiency, and respect for diversity, ultimately helping singers achieve their individual goals.