1. Nicole M. Rivera
Mezzo-Soprano
nriveram@stetson.edu - (407) 844-5376
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Artist Biography
Born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, mezzo-soprano Nicole M. Rivera is demonstrating her
artistic versatility on the operatic stage, as a member of premier chamber choirs, and as a
soloist.
Nicole’s pursuit of a professional music career began at the age of 14 under the vocal
training of Alicia Stagner. At Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Florida, she broadened her
musical education through the Visual and Performing Arts Magnet Program. There, she
participated in numerous ensembles, festivals, and conventions, including both the Florida and
the Southern Division American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) conventions and the
Florida All-State convention.
Nicole chose to continue her education at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, where
she earned both a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.
At Stetson’s School of Music, Nicole was a scholarship student of Russell Franks, Director of
Stetson Opera Theatre. She was a member of several ensembles including Stetson University’s
premier Concert Choir, under the direction of Timothy Peter, in which she performed in New
York City’s Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center in the spring of 2014. On the operatic stage, she was
cast as Friedericke in Stetson Opera Theatre's 2016 production of Straus's Ein Walzertraum. As
a soloist, Nicole has also had the opportunity to perform in a master class with Pulitzer Prize
and Grammy Award-winning composer WilliamBolcom and his wife, mezzo-soprano Joan
Morris. In April of 2015, she was named the third-place winner of Stetson University's
prestigious H.M. Giffin Vocal Competition
In addition to her involvement at Stetson University, Nicole has branched out with
performances in other Florida cities, as well as outside of the United States. She has been an
opera chorus member in Vero Beach Opera's productions of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana
and Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus. She also served as alto section leader at Ormond Beach
Presbyterian Church for two years. In the summer of 2015, she performed at the InterHarmony
International Music Festival in Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Germany, where she was described as
“undoubtedly, the most impressive talent at the festival” in a review in the local newspaper. In
addition, Ms. Rivera was a featured soloist in InterHarmony International Music Festival’s
Heartstrings in a Chord concert at Carnegie Hall in April of 2016.
Nicole excelled in both her music and academic careers, having received several
scholarships and awards including the WilliamE. Duckwitz Talent Scholarship and the Maris

2. Prize for Undergraduate Research for her senior research work in psychology. In addition, she
received membership into the some of the most prestigious societies in the country, including
Pi Kappa Lambda (National Music Honor Society) and Phi Beta Kappa (National Honor Society).