About Ariana [she/they]
From the first time she saw Annie, Ariana wanted to give 'the hard knock life' of theatre their best shot! In 1995, she auditioned for her dream role of an orphan, but Hartford Children's Theatre had different plans for her. Instead, at age nine, she was cast as Charlie Bucket's dad, Mr. Bucket, in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, beginning what would become a long standing trend of playing adults before even turning 18!
Growing up in the Greater Hartford area, Ariana was immersed in the performing arts, singing with choral groups and in vocal competitions, as well as acting and dancing in a variety of musicals at school and throughout the community. At sixteen, she was selected as one of the first six CT based young artists to be awarded the Ensign-Darling Vocal Fellowship at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford, CT, a full vocal scholarship program providing private vocal training, music theory, and piano lessons, along with monthly masterclasses and yearly recitals. Inspired by EDVF, Ariana continued pursuing music, specializing in Vocal Performance with an Opera Emphasis and studying with Chair of Voice & Opera, Patty Thom at The Boston Conservatory.
Ariana ultimately found roots in New York City while continuing a career as a professional singer and actor, working as a freelance soloist for special events and churches, and traveling to perform in theatrical productions throughout the country and abroad! Ariana has toured throughout the United States, Canada and Singapore with National and International Touring companies, as well as performed at several venues in New York CIty and across the country including Paper Mill Playhouse, STAGES St. Louis, City Theatre, The York Theatre, Prospect Theatre Company, Latiné Musical Theatre Lab, Feinstein's/54 Below, Green Room 42, The Producer's Club, TheatreWorksUSA, The Gateway Playhouse, The Palace Theatre, Arizona Broadway Theatre, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, Prather Entertainment, SpeakEasy Stage Company, Westchester Broadway Theatre, La Comedia Dinner Theatre, Theatre Three, White Plains Performing Arts Center, and the John W. Engeman Theater at Northport. Upon returning to NYC from performing all over North America with the NETworks National Tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music from 2017-2019, Ariana went on to make her Off Broadway debut as Divonne Bruder in the New York City premiere of The Green Room at the American Theatre of Actors. Soon after, Ariana was recognized as an honoree of "New York's Latinos 40 Under 40" in the inaugural New York City edition of the Chicago based publication Negocios Now magazine.
In the fall of 2023, Ariana was honored to be featured as a soloist to sing alongside Little Amal, a 12 foot puppet of a ten year old Syrian refugee child, on her journey for the Walk With Amal in Hartford, CT. Now, Ariana considers herself to be an active "professional auditioner" and especially seeks opportunities to be involved in new works, readings, and workshops, continuing her passion for collaborating, creating and developing new stories which highlight under repesented voices as much as possible. Ariana Valdes is represented by Gregg Baker Management and has been a proud union member of the Actors' Equity Association since 2022.
Ariana is an active director, guest teaching artist, private voice teacher, vocal coach, and vocal music director, having contributed to various special events, educational programs and productions at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the John W. Engeman Theater at Northport, Bayway Arts Center, Studio Theatre of Lindenhurst, Conard High School, George F. Baker High School, Take A Bow Playhouse, Black Rock Theater/Broadway Method Academy, and recently served as a private vocal coach for Seasons 1 and 2 of Hartford's Got Talent, which premiered at The Bushnell's Belding Theater. Ariana also serves as an adjudicator for Connecticut's Stephen Sondheim Awards, as well as a guest adjudicator and masterclass artist for the Hartt Community Division Vocal Honors program and Hartt Summer Vocal Intensive.
With The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, Ariana served as a guest teaching artist for the Bushnell's Musical Explorers program, created in conjunction with the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall. Additionally, after leading several virtual masterclasses with the Ensign-Darling Vocal Fellowship throughout the 2020-2021 season, Ariana was invited to make her directorial debut for EDVF's first ever virtual concert, conceptualizing a fully professionally filmed documentary style concert entitled Time, Dreams, and the Changes Between, available to stream on YouTube. Ariana went on to lead and oversee the next four graduating classes of emerging pre-collegiate vocalists from Connecticut as the Artistic Director of the Ensign-Darling Vocal Fellowship NEW VOICES program at The Bushnell from 2020 - 2024, directing, music supervising, private vocal coaching, leading monthly masterclasses, and creating in person showcase concerts including Raise Your Voice/Louder Than Words, Wanting More, Once Upon A Story, and Dynamics of Growing Up!
Ariana is especially passionate about arts education, talent development/management and is available for workshops, masterclasses, private voice lessons, college/competition/audition prep, and professional mentorship in New York City and the tri-state/New England area, as well as virtually through her studio, The Mixed Voice Initiative. To inquire, please reach out via the CONTACT tab above!