Eric Botto as Rodolfo in La bohème, Eklund Opera (2022)

Eric Botto, praised for his “warm-voiced” tenor (Stage and Cinema), is an Italian-American tenor known for his vocal and dramatic versatility across an expansive range of repertoire. He has earned acclaim for his compelling stage presence and technical polish, performing with esteemed companies including Chautauqua Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Central City Opera, Sarasota Opera, Opera San Antonio, Pacific Opera Project, and Opera Southwest.

The 2024–25 season marks a significant chapter in Eric’s career, with a series of exciting debuts and highly anticipated returns. He joins Opera Southwest as Federico in Carlo Coccia’s Matilde and appears with Pacific Opera Project as Il Conte di Belprato in Don Bucefalo. He debuts with Opera in the Heights to portray Lamplighter in Rachel Portman’s The Little Prince, joins Sarasota Opera as Don Basilio and Don Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro, and makes his debut with Indianapolis Opera as Tony in a new production of West Side Story. To close out the season, Eric will take on the role of Rodolfo in La bohème with Chautauqua Opera, following a Memorial Day concert performance of La bohème under the baton of Felix Jarrar in New York. He also performs with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra in their Opera Pops Concert, singing excerpts of Don José in Carmen, Alfredo in La Traviata, and Werther, and participates in the Chautauqua Opera workshop of Lincoln in the Bardo, the newest opera by Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek, commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera for its 2026 world premiere.

Eric’s additional repertoire includes a wide array of roles, such as Roméo, Alfredo in La Traviata, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Nadir in Les pêcheurs de perles, Prunier in La rondine, Pirelli in Sweeney Todd, and Henrik Egerman in A Little Night Music, among other leading roles. Eric has also performed notable excerpts in concert as Rodolfo in La bohème, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Il Duca di Mantua in Rigoletto, Faust, Werther, Des Grieux in both the Massenet and Puccini Manon, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Nadir in Les pêcheurs de Perles, Candide in Candide, and Alfredo in La Traviata with Central City Opera, Sarasota Opera, Opera on the James, First Coast Opera, Opera Theatre of the Rockies, Opera Mississippi, Opera Leggera, the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, and others.

Eric has been recognized in numerous vocal competitions, earning first prize in both the Arizona and Birmingham chapters of the Dorothy Lincoln-Smith Voice Awards, second prize in the Lyra New York International Vocal Competition, and a Career Advancement Award from the Pikes Peak Opera League. He has also been a finalist in the prestigious Lotte Lenya Competition, hosted by the Kurt Weill Foundation. Eric holds an Artist Diploma from the University of Colorado and earned degrees from Colorado State University and the University of Mobile.