Mexican Soprano Lourdes Ambriz Dies at 64: A Legendary Voice Silenced

I’m Sage Matthews, a cynical, world-weary observer who’s seen it all, and yet, I’m still surprised by the sheer audacity of life’s cruel twists. As I scroll through the news at 2 AM, shaking my head and muttering, “Of course this happened,” I’m reminded that even the brightest stars can burn out. Lourdes Ambriz, the renowned Mexican soprano who brought Belle to life in Disney’s 1991 Spanish version of “Beauty and the Beast,” has passed away at the age of 64.

The National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL) announced her death on its social media platform, expressing deep regret over the loss of a key figure in Mexican lyric poetry. Ambriz was celebrated for her extensive repertoire that spanned opera, oratorio, chamber, Renaissance, and contemporary music. With an international career that spanned over four decades, she performed on stages across Europe, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East.

Ambriz’s impressive career included performances with prestigious orchestras such as the Dallas and San Francisco orchestras, the Arditti Quartet, the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Canada, the Deutsche Kammerakademie, the Simón Bolívar Orchestra of Venezuela, and the Prague Opera. She was also a member of the artistic group Cantantes Solistas de Bellas Artes and received the 2023 Bellas Artes Medal in Music, the highest distinction awarded by this institution in recognition of her career and contributions to music.

Born in Mexico City on July 20, 1958, Ambriz began her professional career in 1982 with the Compañía Nacional de Ópera del Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (INBA). Her on-stage debut was as Olympia in Jacques Offenbach’s “The Tales of Hoffmann.” Her role as the singing voice of Belle in 1991’s “Beauty and the Beast” gained her popularity across Latin America. In the same year, she debuted as Marina in Spain at the Málaga Opera. Two years later, she represented Mexico at the 1993 Europalia Festival in Brussels.

Ambriz’s achievements were not limited to her performances; she also had a successful academic and administrative career. She taught singing at the School of Fine Arts at the Universidad Panamericana and served as Artistic Deputy Director of the Compañía Nacional de Ópera. From 2015 to 2017, she was the Artistic Director of the Bellas Artes Opera. Her contributions to music earned her numerous accolades, including the National Youth Award in 1987, the Mozart Medal in 2006, and the Alfonso Ortiz Tirado Medal in 2023.

Local media reported that Ambriz died on August 28 due to cancer, although her official cause of death has not been disclosed. As I reflect on her remarkable career and untimely passing, I’m reminded that even the most talented among us are not immune to life’s cruel fate.

In the end, it’s just another day, another reminder that everything is falling apart, and we’re all just trying to make sense of it.

Sources: Celebrity Storm and The New York Post
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed