About me
Nancy Fabiola Herrera’s constant presence on international stages makes her one of today’s great mezzo-sopranos . Her beautiful voice, wide range, and exquisite musical style, all combined with her great stage presence, have made this Spanish mezzo one of the most relevant artists on the opera scene.
“My main mission is to communicate through music, song, and words. I can only reach people’s hearts and move their emotions if I, in an honest way, live the story I’m trying to convey in first person, being faithful to the the composer´s guidance to transmit that story.”. NFH
Nancy was born in Caracas to parents from the Canary Islands, where she grew up. Today, she considers herself a citizen of the world.
After finishing her voice studies in Madrid, she moved to the United States to continue her training at The Juilliard School in New York and The Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. New York then became her official residence. It was here that her career took off after her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House, playing the role of “Carmen.”
The fates of “Carmen” and Nancy crossed, becoming inseparable. They toured emblematic theaters around the world such as Covent Garden, the Bolshoi, Caracalla, Verona, Sydney, Tokyo, Rome, Berlin, and Munich, among many others, under directors such as Michel Plasson, Daniel Oren, Philippe Jordan, Antonello Allemandi, Alain Guingal, and Emmanuel Villaume.
Specialized critics gave her the nickname “The Carmen of the 21st century,” and she was awarded the Los Angeles Opera prize for her interpretation.
Her repertoire ranges from Baroque to contemporary music. After performing more than sixty roles, she has a special predilection for Bel Canto and the French repertoire. Nancy is also a collaborator of the Zarzuela por el Mundo Association, as she is passionate about the genre and committed to its international diffusion.
Today, she enjoys the addition of new roles to her repertoire such as La Principessa de Bouillon in Adriana Lecouvreur, Azucena in Il Trovatore Amneris in Aida and Eboli in Don Carlos, not to mention some of her all-time favorites such as Adalgisa in Norma, Carmen, and Delilah.
Her versatility has led her to perform an extensive range of symphonic works, with a particular inclination towards French composers such as Ravel and Berlioz, although she is perhaps most passionate about Mahler, of whom she has performed almost all works, both for orchestra and voice.
Another facet of Nancy’s talents is that of recitalist, a genre she has cultivated since the beginning of her career and which she loves to combine with her operatic work, with special emphasis on the worldwide exposure of Spanish music.
Eager to innovate and experiment, she created Gitanas, her own show where she explores the world of Spanish gypsy women in opera, zarzuela, and symphonic repertoire. Alma mía is her most recent creation, with the Septeto de Solistas from Valencia, which came from her dream of singing the boleros and other Latin American songs she grew up with, as well as bringing audiences a new perspective of opera and zarzuela with a jazz fusion.
She especially enjoys giving Master Classes and working with young people, not only for training in music and acting, but she also imparts the importance of psychological and spiritual development.
In 2018, she received the Ópera Actual Award for her entire career and, in two occasions, she has been named an Adoptive Daughter by the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and by the Island of Gran Canaria.