Natal-Báez, Gabriel

Baritone
(Toa Alta, Puerto Rico)

Gabriel Natal-Báez is a Puerto Rican baritone with a blossoming career in opera, art song and concert work. As a versatile singer with a repertoire that spans from the Baroque and Classical eras to contemporary works, Natal-Báez finds his greatest artistic expression in the Romantic and Bel Canto repertoire, where his artistic mission is to tell deeply human stories that resonate across time.

Natal-Báez has performed Marullo in Rigoletto with Teatro Lirico d’Europa and Le Podestat in Le Docteur Miracle. With the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, he has appeared as Beaumarchais in The Ghosts of Versailles, Aeneas in Dido & Aeneas, and Tarquinius (cover) in The Rape of Lucretia. In May 2025, he premiered the role of the Explorer in Theo Chandler’s new chamber opera, Breathe in Light.

Last summer, he joined the prestigious Merola Opera Program, covering the role of Raimbaud in Le Comte Ory and performing on the Songfest: A Grand Night for Singing. His versatility also extends to the vibrant world of Zarzuela, where he has performed in multiple productions with Ópera de Puerto Rico.

Recently, he sang alongside his teacher and renowned soprano Ana María Martínez in Noche Española, a concert celebrating Latino Heritage Month with Zarzuela and Latin American repertoire. In December, he made his debut with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra.

Last season, Natal-Báez was a semi-finalist in Houston Grand Opera’s Concert of Arias and a winner of the Puerto Rico District of the Laffont Met Opera Competition, where he also received the “La Zarzuela” Prize and went on to place third in the Gulf Coast Region.

In addition to his work as a singer, Natal-Báez holds a bachelor's degree in humanities with a concentration in painting, a lifelong passion that fosters his sensitivity toward the musical world.