Natal-Báez, Gabriel

Baritone
(Toa Alta, Puerto Rico)

Puerto Rican baritone Gabriel Natal-Báez is a first-year Adler Fellow at San Francisco Opera, where this season he performs Marcello in Bohème Out of the Box, Pietro in Simon Boccanegra, and Ambrogio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and covers Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Lescaut in Manon, Paolo in Simon Boccanegra, and James in Mary Queen of Scots. His blossoming career spans opera, art song, and concert work, with a repertoire ranging from the Baroque and Classical eras to contemporary works. He finds particular artistic expression in Romantic and Bel Canto repertoire, with an artistic mission to tell deeply human stories that resonate across time.

In spring 2026, Natal-Báez portrayed Marcello in San Francisco Opera’s touring production of Bohème Out of the Box. He has performed Marullo in Rigoletto with Teatro Lirico d’Europa and Le Podestat in Le Docteur Miracle. At the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, he appeared as Beaumarchais in The Ghosts of Versailles and Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas, and covered Tarquinius in The Rape of Lucretia. In May 2025, he premiered the role of the Explorer in Theo Chandler’s chamber opera Breathe in Light.

A participant in the 2025 Merola Opera Program, Natal-Báez covered Raimbaud in Le Comte Ory and performed in Songfest: A Grand Night for Singing. His artistry extends beyond opera to art song and zarzuela, including Paths of the Heart, a recital with pianist Tzu Kuang Tan, and multiple productions with Ópera de Puerto Rico. He also performed alongside renowned soprano Ana María Martínez in Noche Española, a concert celebrating Latino Heritage Month with zarzuela and Latin American repertoire, and made his debut with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra.

Natal-Báez is a 2026 winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. Previously, he won the Puerto Rico District of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, where he also received the La Zarzuela Prize, and went on to place third in the Gulf Coast Region. He was also a semifinalist in Houston Grand Opera’s Concert of Arias.

In addition to his work as a singer, Natal-Báez holds a bachelor’s degree in Humanities with a concentration in Painting. His lifelong passion for visual art continues to inform his artistic sensitivity and musical expression.