Nancy Fabiola Herrera will make her LA Opera debut in the title role of Carmen (November 2008). A native of the Canary Islands, she is one of the most sought-after mezzo-sopranos in the world today. Acclaimed as much for her versatility as for her artistry, Miss Herrera's DVD of Torroba's Luisa Fernanda (on Opus Arte), in which she sings the title role opposite Plácido Domingo, was recently awarded the Diapason d'Or; the French equivalent of the Grammy Award.

During the 2007/08 season, Miss Herrera will perform the Verdi Requiem at the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, to be followed by the title role in Ruperto Chapí's La Bruja at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid. She will perform Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, and sing Il Barbiere di Siviglia in Oviedo. During the summer of 2007, Miss Herrera performed in Norma in Montpellier, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, at the Palacio Bellas Artes in Mexico, Carmen at the Cap Roig Festival in Spain and went to China on tour with the Filarmónica de Gran Canaria. During the 2006/07 season, Miss Herrera sang Carmen at Jeréz, La Coruña and Santander, Spain, after which she returned to the Metropolitan Opera for more performances in Rigoletto. These were followed by performances as Giulietta in Les Contes d'Hoffmann at the Opèra National de Paris and Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus in Las Palmas.

In the summer of 2006, Miss Herrera performed in a gala concert with Plácido Domingo in Puerto Rico, sang Maddalena in Rigoletto with the Metropolitan Opera in Central Park, Luisa Fernanda at the Teatro Real in Madrid, Charlotte in Werther in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and the Verdi Requiem at the Casals Festival. In the 2005/06 season, Miss Herrera sang Giulietta in a new production of Les Contes d'Hoffmann at the Seattle Opera, Rake's Progress in Las Palmas, Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera, and Dorabella in a new production of Così fan Tutte at the New National Theatre in Tokyo. She also appeared as Pauline in a new production of Pique Dame at the Teatro Real in Madrid and sang in Falla's La Vida Breve at the Dallas Opera. Prior career highlights for Miss Herrera include Carmen at the New National Theatre in Tokyo, her debut at the Royal Opera as Suzuki in a new production of Madama Butterfly, and her Italian debut at the Rome Opera as Carmen. Miss Herrera sang Romeo in the Tulsa Opera's production of I Capuleti e i Montecchi, and Carmen at the Bellas Artes in Mexico City, and with the Florentine and New Israeli Operas.

Additional performances of note include her debut at the Opèra National de Paris as Maddalena in a season-opening Rigoletto, Lecuona's Maria la O and El Barberillo de Lavapiés, and Piazzola's Maria de Buenos Aires, with Pablo Zinger in Town Hall in New York, Dorabella in Così fan Tutte in Toulon, the title role in L'Italiana in Algeri with the Lyric Opera of Kansas, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Sabadell in Barcelona, and Armillo in Provenzale's La Stellidaura Vendicante at La Monnaie. With the Connecticut Early Music Festival, Miss Herrera also sang Handel's Atlanta and Radamisto (Irene and Zenobia respectively).

A sought-after orchestral soloist and recitalist, Miss Herrera has performed with the New York Festival of Song at the 92nd Street Y in New York, and in recital at the Caramoor International Music Festival. She has sung Falla's El Amor Brujo with the Washington Opera Orchestra and the Montreal Symphony under the direction of Charles Dutoit, the Verdi Requiem with the Bilbao Symphony, Bach's St. Matthew's Passion with the Concordia College Orchestra, Les Nuits d'Êté with the Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra, and Mahler's Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen with the North Netherlands Orchestra.

On recordings, Miss Herrera has performed Dante by Granados for ASV Records, and was the featured soloist in both the Mahler Symphony Number Three with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria on the Arte Nova Label, and in Ricardo Llorca's Concierto Italiano on Columna Musica. She has recorded two versions of El Amor Brujo: one with Enrique Bátis for IMP Classics and a chamber version with the Cameristi di Trento e Verona for Naxos/Marco Polo. Miss Herrera is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, and the Royal Conservatory in Madrid.