Roberto Perlas Gomez, who was born in Santa Rosa, Laguna, grew up in a household always filled with music.
Even though his mother was a doctor and his father an accountant, both parents instilled in him their love for music. He and his siblings—a brother and a sister—were exposed early in life to classical and opera music.
When the family moved to the United States in 1967, when Roberto was just five years old, they remained immersed in music.
Growing up, his family even formed a singing group called the Gomez Family Singers, performing across the Los Angeles area and other parts of Southern California.
A graduate of Cal State Northridge, where “they had a fantastic opera program,” Roberto is one of two in the family who pursued opera professionally.
“I am the oldest in the family, and my younger brother also sings opera,” he revealed. “He is based in New York and performs in supplemental productions at the MET. He also does a lot of directing on the East Coast, though he hasn’t had a solo opera singing career.”
Unlike typical Asian parents who might encourage careers in medicine or accounting, his parents supported their children in pursuing what they loved.
“They encouraged music, not necessarily a music career,” he said. “Everybody was doing it for the fun of it.”
While working as a cook in the dormitory during college, Roberto decided in 1986 to pursue opera professionally—and has never regretted it. “Wow. It’s been a long career!” he exclaimed.
Now, the baritone has more than 100 roles to his credit and has performed extensively throughout the United States.
He has taken on supporting roles with Michigan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, San Diego Opera, and San Francisco Opera, as well as multiple leading roles with regional companies across California.
Roberto made his international debut as Marcello in La bohème with the Shanghai Opera. He also traveled to Manila to create the title role of Jose Rizal in the opera Noli Me Tangere, honoring the final days of the Philippine national hero.
At the Kennedy Center, he sang the role of Elias in the Tagalog opera Noli Me Tangere.
He later made his Italian and European debut in 2008 with the Arena di Verona Foundation, portraying Chinese Premier Chou En-lai in the Italian premiere of John Adams’ Nixon in China, a role he reprised with Long Beach Opera.
An Opera San Jose resident artist, he has performed lead roles in Carmen, La traviata, and Il barbiere di Siviglia, and originated the role of Drosselmeier in The Tale of the Nutcracker. He has also performed his signature role of Figaro with Nevada Opera, Santa Barbara Opera, Accorde Opera in Mexico, Sacramento Opera, and Opera Idaho.
This coming weekend, April 18–19, Roberto will appear as a guest soloist with The Verdi Chorus in its 42nd season concert, Verdi in España, at the Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica.
Under the direction of artistic director Anne Marie Ketchum, the program features soprano Leela Subramaniam and award-winning mezzo-soprano Audrey Babcock.
The concert includes operatic selections from Verdi’s Don Carlo, Il Trovatore, La Traviata, and Ernani, as well as Bizet’s Carmen, alongside works by Spanish composers Catán, Granados, Giménez, Torroba, and de Falla.
In an exclusive virtual interview, Roberto shared that this marks his 25th concert with the Verdi Chorus.
“I’ve been singing solos with them since the early ’90s,” he said. “I’m by far the most frequent guest collaborator.”
Also a paid cantor at a church in Newport Beach, Roberto explained the distinction between choir and operatic singing.
“When you sing choir music, you aim for a refined, blended tone suited for the church,” he said. “With opera choruses, you project fully—you give everything. You sing with your whole being.”
When he performed Noli Me Tangere in the Philippines, it carried personal meaning. Jose Rizal was also from Laguna, where Roberto’s family originates.
“So, I have a special connection with him,” he said.
Asked when he first realized he wanted to become an opera singer, Roberto recalled his early exposure.
His parents volunteered with a local opera group in Santa Monica, participating in several productions each year.
“They would take us along on Saturdays,” he said. “We’d watch the opera, fall asleep after the overture, and wake up at the end. But we were immersed in it.”
His turning point came during a televised opera broadcast on PBS in the late 1970s.
“I heard this incredibly beautiful music and saw Pavarotti performing,” he said. “That moment stayed with me.”
From then on, he immersed himself in opera recordings—listening for hours each day.
“I fell in love with everything—the music, the drama, the emotion. Opera captures the full human experience. It’s one of the most incredible art forms.”
Of all the roles he has performed, Figaro in The Barber of Seville remains a favorite.
“I’ve done that role about 20 times in different opera houses across the U.S. and Mexico,” he said.
Still, he cites Nixon in China as the most meaningful production of his career.
“When I performed it in Italy, I truly fell in love with the score and the drama,” he said.
And his next dream project?
“Retirement,” he quipped. “I’m looking forward to that.”
