The Costa Rican mezzo-soprano Karla Pineda is widely recognized as one of the most exciting emerging artists in the Americas. She won the Young Soloists Competition of the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica and has been awarded both the Bronze and Silver Orfeo prizes at the prestigious American Lyric Singing Competition ORFEO.

Karla Pineda began her vocal training under Guadalupe González Kreysa and pursued a Bachelor of Music Education at the University of Costa Rica (UCR). Alongside her degree, she was enrolled in the Singing Program at the university with a focus on vocal performance.

Currently, she is a member of the prestigious Operísima México Studio, directed by Maestro Rogelio Riojas-Nolasco, where she is amongst others preparing the roles of Gertrude in Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod and Amneris in Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida.

As part of the Costa Rica Opera Studio of the National Lyric Company, Karla Pineda made her debut in the official season of the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, performing Mozart’s Requiem and Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy.

She has since appeared as a soloist in a diverse repertoire, including Bruno Vlahek’s Stabat Mater with Vox Nova, Ariel Ramírez’s Misa Criolla, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the UCR Symphony Orchestra. Additional highlights include performances of La Bandada by Carlos Castro and Roxana Ávila, Marvin Camacho’s Cantata Negra with Coral UCR, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the National Institute of Music of Costa Rica.

In a recent milestone, Karla Pineda participated in Teatro del Bicentenario’s production of Wagner’s Parsifal in León, Guanajuato, covering the role of Kundry. Her operatic repertoire features a growing range of roles, including La Ciesca in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Flora and Annina in Verdi’s La Traviata, Maddalena in Verdi’s Rigoletto, Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Carmen in Bizet’s Carmen, and Azucena in Verdi’s Il Trovatore.

Karla Pineda has refined her artistry through master classes with distinguished instructors such as Massimo Pezzutti, Peter Mark, Michael Kraus, María Russo, and Giovanna Canetti.