On July 30, 2025, soprano Ana María Martínez returns to Ravinia for a special program with pianist Kevin Murphy.

The performance marks the soprano’s third appearance with the festival following two notable showcases, both headed by conductor James Conlon. In 2007, the soprano was featured in a gala alongside famed tenor Plácido Doming and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Three years later, she returned in a semi-staged performance of Mozart’s “Così fan tutte.”

Now she’s the headliner and the program she presents is fully in Spanish and features such composers as de Falla, Campos Parsi, Turina, Ferrer, Lecouna, and Marín.

OperaWire had an opportunity to speak once more with the world-renowned soprano about her return to Ravinia and what audiences can expect from the recital.

OperaWire: What excites you most about performing at the Ravinia Festival?

Ana María Martínez: I am thrilled to return to the Ravinia Festival. I have had the great privilege of performing there in the past and have always found the Chicago audience to be so welcoming and passionate about their arts. I have had the privilege of collaborating with Kevin Murphy in the past, but this is the first time that we are doing a recital together. I have always admired Kevin’s tremendous musicianship and beautiful artistry and I am so looking forward to performing with him and to offering our program to the Ravinia audience.

OW: Tell me about the program you will be performing. What is the story you are hoping to tell through the repertoire you selected?

AMM: I am offering an all-Spanish program, with repertoire from Spain and the Caribbean, which is my heritage. I grew up with this music and it excites me to bring this kind of programming to audiences throughout the United States and abroad and now finally to the Chicago-area. I’m thrilled to share the music of my heritage, in the language of my ancestors and my first language, and I hope that the audience enjoys the musical journey.

OW: You are performing alongside Kevin Murphy. Tell me about the experience of working with him and what makes him the perfect collaborator for this program.

AMM: We have worked together in the past on opera engagements, but never together just the two of us in a recital setting. I have always found Kevin to be deeply knowledgeable about repertoire, always supportive, and most sensitive to the classical singing voice.

OW: A day after the performance, you will be giving a masterclass. Looking back at your formative years, what were some of the most valuable masterclass experiences that you had?

AMM: As a student I participated in many masterclasses, but the one that was most instrumental, information and life-changing was one that I witnessed, which was during my first year while studying at the Juilliard School given by Leontyne Price. During that class, Ms. Price emphasized that the singer is already singing way before the first song note is emitted. That direction from her changed the way that I approached my presentations from that point forward. There was a gravitas to the mindset that until that moment I had not grasped.

OW: What is your approach in giving masterclasses, and what kind of value do you hope to provide to young artists?

AMM: My first priority is to establish a safe space for the singer to feel most comfortable in presenting their art. I then want to support them, through the tools that I share, to encourage them to take risks in front of an audience. The purpose of the technical tools is to make the singer’s life much easier and to help them feel more confident. This is also how I teach my vocal students at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.