FERNANDA SANTOYO, FOUNDER
Fernanda heard opera for the first time at the age of three when her grandfather played the aria “Quando me’n vo” from La Bohème on his old Victrola record player. She immediately asked, “Papá, what instrument is this that seems to speak?” Her grandfather replied, “It is not an instrument dear. It is the human voice. It is opera.” From that moment, learning to develop her own gift of this miraculous vocal instrument became Fernanda’s life passion.
Fernanda grew up surrounded by arias, boleros, and rancheras, which she sang along with her grandmother in a rocking chair in a small Mexican town called San Luis Potosí. At 17, she left her hometown to study opera singing after being accepted at the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City.
Initially categorized incorrectly as a soprano, Fernanda struggled at the Conservatory until her third year, when a brilliant professor who had been a top opera tenor in Europe recognized her as a mezzo soprano. This recognition of her natural register liberated Fernanda, and she graduated with honors 18 months later.
In 2019, Fernanda was offered scholarships at the Opera Sofia in Valencia, Spain and the Gran Teatro del Liceu in Barcelona. She chose the Liceu in Barcelona, but before the 2020 school year started, the world of opera was shutdown for three years due to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
During the global closures and quarantines of the pandemic, Fernanda joined the Mexican Navy to survive financially and in order to keep her voice active by becoming a member of the Mexican National Naval Choir.
During this historically unprecedented time, Fernanda combined her choral singing duties with the intense experience of military training for Naval Special Forces, participating in the “Operativo Correcaminos Brigade” for the duration of the pandemic.
During her three years in the Mexican Navy, Fernanda also enrolled in a Masters Program in singing at the College of Chinese and ASEAN Arts guided by an all star faculty from Western nations. She often had to take classes at 3 a.m. because of the time difference, then fulfill her military duties during the day.
In 2023, Fernanda was honorably discharged from the Navy and simultaneously awarded a Master of Arts in opera singing from ASEAN Arts. Fernanda’s Masters Thesis at ASEAN on the historical origins of the mezzo soprano voice is now a book that will be published in 2026.
In 2024, Fernanda moved to Amsterdam after winning a competitive scholarship to study at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, one of the world’s most prestigious conservatories.
Although she excelled in both singing and academic curricula, a vocal injury in 2025 forced Fernanda to pause her singing regimen in order to undergo surgery, followed by a months long rehabilitation process.
In the midst of her vocal recovery and rehabilitation, Fernanda gave birth to a beautiful son, Nicolas. The combined stresses and joys of motherhood while dealing with financial difficulties and vocal rehab were often heartbreakingly difficult to manage, but Fernanda persevered, managing to finish the Masters program, graduate, close life chapters, and rediscover her voice, stronger and more distinctive than ever.
During her varied career, Fernanda has performed in venues ranging from traditional Mexican cantinas to grand opera halls. Today, Fernanda’s unique voice embodies resilience, passion, resourcefulness and feminine freedom.
Fernanda is the founder of two new projects aimed at redefining genres and musical boundaries, Reimagining Mariachi and Óperachera.
She is also the author of a new book on the origins of the mezzo-soprano voice titled Gender, Politics, Ópera & Mariachi: My journey of discovery to my musical roots. The book is scheduled for release worldwide in 2026.
BOARD OF ADVISORS
A Board of Advisors for Fernanda’s projects is in formation but already includes highly accomplished and successful advisors from the worlds of music, business and marketing.
The common thread among Boardmembers is their passion for México, ópera and ranchera and a shared commitment with Fernanda to excellence, inclusivity and social responsibility in service to an elevated vision of our common heritage and future.
To learn more about Boardmembers, please use the Contact form below.