Martín Solá (2012-13)
Martín Solá is a versatile artist who has gained notoriety in a wide array of idioms, including opera, musical theater, concerts, and film.
In 2007, he joined the prestigious New York film, theater, and television agency of Hartig Hilepo Ltd. headed by Paul Hilepo.
Professional engagements for the 2008 season included: Tenor Soloist for the Bernstein Festival at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops and Che in Evita at The Theater by the Sea. Last season Martín performed in: Coram Boy on Broadway; the New York City Opera productions of Margaret Garner and Cendrillon; his debut with the Queens Symphony in the world premiere of Carlos Franzetti’s childrens opera Gauchito and the Pony and the Opera Orchestra of New York production of Verdi’s I Due Foscari in Carnegie Hall. Martín also participated in the reading of the new musical Lizan by Bil Wright and Alden Terry.
In 2004, Martín appeared as Lun Tha in the National Tour of The King & I starring Sandy Duncan and Stefanie Powers. The tour was met with glowing reviews and ran through November of 2005 playing in over 40 major cities throughout the U.S.
Previously, Martín appeared on Broadway in Baz Luhrmann’s production of Puccini’s La Bohème, a show which the New York Times called “…a cascade of fireworks…ravishing…and a quintessential romantic dazzler…” Martín is no stranger to Broadway, having made his debut as Lun Tha in the 1996 revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I, a production which won the 1996 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival.
Martín also appeared as Escamillo in Peter Brook’s Le Tragedie de Carmen, an adaptation of the Bizet opera, Carmen, with the Two River Theater Company. The New York Times stated that “ …Solá sings with Latin Fervor.”
Martín also performed in 90 North at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., a production overseen by Academy Award winning songwriter and composer Stephen Schwartz. Sponsored by The Disney Musical Theater Workshop, 90 North was awarded the 1997 ASCAP Musical Theater Award.
Martín’s impressive and numerous stage credits extend beyond musical theater to include various opera companies and festivals, such as New York City Opera, The Spoleto Festival (Italy), and The Bregenz Festival (Austria).
Martín sang the role of Jake in Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess with the Living Arts World Tour; which included performances in conjunction with the Tel Aviv Opera, The Mann Center in Philadelphia, and many other stages in the UK, Singapore, China, Mexico, and throughout the United States. With the New York City Opera, Martín performed Porgy & Bess in a “Live from Lincoln Center” broadcast: an acclaimed production that continues to enjoy repeat performances on cable television.
In addition to performances on the lyric stage, Martín has been involved in a variety of exciting projects which demonstrate his unique versatility. He starred in the independent film short Sabado Morning, written and directed by the young Puerto Rican film maker Ramon Ricard and based on a work by the renowned writer and Spanish Harlem poet Piri Thomas. Sabado Morning has won First Prize for Story Telling within a Short Film at the 2003 Latin USA Festival which was presented at Madison Square Garden, NYC. It has also been inducted into The New Filmmakers Anthology and appeared in the 2002 New York Independent International Film and Video Film Festival.
Another unique channel of Martín’s talent and energy is his continuing commitment to perform songs from the Spanish and Latino repertoire. His first album, Amor y Desengaño (Love and Betrayal), is a collaboration with guitarist Oren Fader and is a tribute to the late Gilberto Monroig, one of the most cherished singers of Puerto Rico. The recording, created and produced by Martín, consists of a group of songs popularized by Monroig in the fifties and sixties, brought together in a modern adaptation to tell an impassioned story of love and betrayal.
Visit Martin’s website: http://martinsola.com/