Afro-Latina soprano Zuly Inirio has appeared as a soloist throughout the US and Europe. She actively pursues bringing awareness to Afro-Latinidad in classical music with her ‘Afro-Latinx Song and Opera Project’ whose goal is to commission musical works that tell the stories of the Afro-Latinx community in the US while creating performance opportunities for that community and diversifying the classical music canon. Through her artistry and activism, she works toward representation and equity for BIPOC.
She was a fellow with the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC)’s Advocacy Leadership Institute. With the support of faculty and staff, she participated in a series of preparatory webinars laying the groundwork for a virtual advocacy intensive where she met with congressional leaders and staff from federal agencies working in cultural policy and was part of a cohort that shares a commitment to building a more equitable arts field and upholds creativity as a powerful tool for social justice.
Ms. Inirio is also part of the leadership team in Latina Women in Opera (LWIO), a grassroots initiative dedicated to promoting and supporting femme-identifying Latina and gender non-conforming Latinx. LWIO operates on the philosophy of centering Black lives, Indigenous peoples, and LGBTQ+, who often are erased within our community. As a soloist, she has performed Jake Heggie’s Natural Selection where she worked with the composer directly and was the soprano soloist Verdi’s Requiem in Munich under the baton of Massimiliano Murrali. Most recently, she has sung the role of the High Priestess and covered the title role in Verdi’s Aida in Sicily, Italy.
Ms. Inirio holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts and a minor in 19th-Century French Literature. On social media, she manages her own platform to bring awareness and amplification to Afro-Latinidad, BIPOC artists, and body bias.
