Boston Conservatory Announces Isaí Jess Muñoz as Chair of Voice

Boston Conservatory at Berklee is pleased to announce Isaí Jess Muñoz, D.M.A., as chair of voice, a position that oversees all voice and opera programs within the Conservatory’s Music Division, under the direction of Dean of Music Michael Shinn. Muñoz will begin as chair on August 1, 2022, joining esteemed Music Division colleagues Matthew Marsit, chair of instrumental studies, and Jonathan Bailey Holland, chair of composition, contemporary music, and core studies.

In his role as chair of voice at Boston Conservatory, Muñoz will oversee and support voice/opera faculty and students, and help to lead curricular change aligned with the Conservatory’s Strategic Plan. He will collaborate with the faculty and division leadership to plan for artistic programming that is both pedagogically sound and innovative in design. 

“Dr. Muñoz is an artist of the highest caliber,” said Shinn. “He is a deeply thoughtful leader, innovative in how he approaches the performing arts, and endlessly curious about those with whom he engages. I am truly thrilled to welcome him to the Boston Conservatory at Berklee community.”

Muñoz is an active performer who has collaborated with several of the world’s leading ensembles, including the Israel Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, American Symphony Orchestra, Mostly Mozart Festival (Lincoln Center), Voices of Ascension (New York), Verbier Festival (Switzerland), Bard Music Festival, New York City Opera, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater on Broadway. 

He is also a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing Committee on Advocacy, and is a respected champion of contemporary music and underrepresented works. Muñoz is featured on numerous audio recordings. His latest solo album, Visca L'Amor: Catalan Art Songs of the XX and XXI Centuries, is a 2021 BBC Music Magazine five-star honoree and has been lauded by Opera News Magazine for its “revelatory and passionate performances.” In addition, Muñoz has received several awards, including a career grant from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts for contributions to the dissemination of Iberian and Latin American art song, and he has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts, National Opera Association, American Prize, Delaware Division of the Arts, and others for his creative activities in interdisciplinary performances. 

Muñoz currently serves as president-elect of the National Opera Association, and is an associate professor of voice and opera at the University of Delaware. From 2015 to 2021, he served as chair and senior editor of the Sacred in Opera Initiative, which explores the interplay between music-drama and the ideologies of world religions through research and performance. 

Learn more about Isaí Jess Muñoz and Boston Conservatory’s music programs.