Isaí Jess Muñoz
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Dr. Isaí Jess Muñoz is a nationally acclaimed tenor, voice educator, and executive arts leader serving as chair of the Vocal Arts Department at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where he leads one of the United States’ historic and influential programs in classical voice, opera, musical theater, vocal pedagogy, and choral studies. He oversees more than 50 faculty and 400 students, shaping the department’s artistic direction through curricular advancement, global partnerships, and a deep commitment to mentorship. Alumni of the program perform on the world’s most prestigious stages and hold faculty appointments at major conservatories and universities worldwide.
From 2023 to 2025, Dr. Muñoz served as interim dean of the Music Division at Boston Conservatory, overseeing 130 faculty and 900 students across 62 degree paths. His tenure focused on faculty development and support, curricular innovation, academic review, and major strategic collaborations with numerous domestic partners, including Silkroad Ensemble, National Sawdust, Boston Lyric Opera, and the Sphinx Organization. He also led the expansion of institutional partnerships across Europe and Asia, reinforcing the division’s international profile.
He is the founding artistic director of the Opera Innovators Series, a bold partnership with Boston Lyric Opera featuring student residencies with Yuval Sharon, Martin Katz, Anne Bogart, Sasha Cooke, Warren Jones, Jamie Barton, Lawrence Brownlee, and others. As president of the National Opera Association, he currently oversees the 2024–2029 Strategic Plan, focused on equity, innovation, and national service to the next generation of leaders and artists in the field of opera.
Dr. Muñoz previously held tenured positions at the University of Delaware and Indiana Wesleyan University, with additional faculty appointments at SUNY Stony Brook and the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Division. From 2018 to 2022, he served as associate artistic and executive director of Musiktheater Bavaria (Germany), where he continues to advise and mentor young international artists whose achievements include major competition wins and placements in the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Program and the Merola Opera Program. He continues to serve on the organization’s Advisory Board.
As a globally recognized tenor, he has performed with the New York, Los Angeles, and Israel philharmonics, the American Symphony Orchestra, New York City Opera, Bard Music Festival, Mostly Mozart Festival, and Verbier Festival, among others. On Broadway, he appeared with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. His discography includes recordings on Sony Classical, Decca Gold, Albany Records, and Bridge Records/Naxos. His solo album Visca L’Amor: Catalan Art Songs of the XX and XXI Centuries is a BBC Music Magazine five-star honoree (UK). His work on audio recording has been praised by Gramophone (UK), Limelight (Australia), Sonograma (Spain), Pro Ópera (Mexico), The Whole Note (Canada), and American Record Guide (USA).
A sought-after clinician and speaker, he presents at conservatories, universities, and festivals throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. He holds a DMA from SUNY Stony Brook, an MM from Manhattan School of Music, and a BM from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. His pedagogical lineage includes Richard Owens (founder of AIMS), W. Stephen Smith, Cynthia Hoffmann, Mary Henderson-Stucky, Barbara Honn, and Mark Oswald.
A committed advocate for equity and representation in the arts, Dr. Muñoz serves on the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Committee on Advocacy and formerly chaired NOA’s Sacred in Opera Initiative (2015–2021), exploring the intersection of opera and world religion through scholarship and performance. Additionally, Dr. Muñoz is a member of Actors’ Equity, SAG-AFTRA, OPERA America, CMS, and the Latin Recording Academy. With a career spanning continents and disciplines, he continues to empower artists to redefine the possibilities of the singing voice in the twenty-first century.