Retired Principal Artist with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, Eduardo Valdes, ‘83 will return to his alma mater to present two evenings of masterclasses.  The masterclasses will be held on Friday, September 22 and Saturday, September 23 at 7:00 p.m. in Presser Recital Hall of the Cope Music Hall. Both are free and open to the public.

Valdes was a music major at Mount Union. He initially intended to follow a career in medicine in his native country of Puerto Rico, using music as a therapy. However, his life changed when he volunteered to help the Mount Union Concert Choir while they were on tour in Puerto Rico in 1979. There he met faculty, who heard him sing and encouraged him to audition.

At Mount Union, Valdes was a member of numerous vocal and instrumental ensembles but fell in love with opera when asked to sing the part of Guglielmo in Mozart's Così fan tutte for an Opera Workshop scene program.

After earning his Bachelor of Music degree from Mount Union, Valdes went to the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Israel Vocal Arts Institute and the Juilliard Opera Center. He made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera during the 1993-1994 season where he was a Principal Artist for 26 years. Valdes has performed on the Met stage in more than thirty-seven productions and 692 performances. He retired from the Met in 2020 and his picture hangs on the Met's Wall of Fame. 

"75% of those on The Met's Wall of Fame did not start their lives thinking they would be opera singers,” said Valdes. “They found this path because they had opportunities presented to them to realize their talent." 

Valdes is currently a teacher and technician at his own voice studio, the V-2 Studio in New York City and Puerto Rico. He has also taught at the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera House and The Bel Canto Institute in Florence, Italy.

In 2015, The University of Mount Union honored Valdes by presenting him with an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters.