Faculty Bios

Malaika Sims Alvaro

Malaika Sims Alvaro holds a B.M. from The Juilliard School and a M.M. from The Manhattan School of Music. She began her training on the violin and piano at age six. By age fourteen, she was accepted into the National Symphony Orchestra Youth Fellowship Program for violin, and performed on the Concert Stage at the Kennedy Center. Her performance in Puccini’s La Boheme in the opera house at age eleven set the stage for her pursuit of voice. A soprano and international performer, Malaika made her New York Debut at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in 1999, winning critical acclaim. Continued highlights include roles as Maria in West Side Story, Clara in Porgy and Bess, Suzanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, First Lady in Zie Zaubteflote, Emmie in Albert Herring, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and Filia in Jephte. She has performed with the Mexican National Orchestra, the Hungarian National Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra and the Westchester Philharmonic. An experienced teacher, Malaika is the former director of the voice department at the Long Island Conservatory of Music and Arts. She is an advocate for educational outreach bringing opera to inner city schools. Prior to working at the Long Island Conservatory, she established her private voice studio in 1996 and, after closing the doors to perform for several years, reopened it in the fall of 2003. Currently, she is married and enjoying her children, 28-month-old George Carlo Alvaro and 10-month-old Jon Alessandro Alvaro.