Bolivian soprano Shelén Hughes Camacho began her artistic journey as a Bolivian folklore singer and dancer in Cochabamba before pursuing classical music. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music, and has quickly emerged as a compelling voice on both the operatic and concert stages.
 

Ms. Hughes Camacho is a winner of the 2025 George and Nora Foundation Competition, the 2024 Opera Index Competition, First Prize at the 2024 Gerda Lissner Zarzuela Competition, and Third Prize at the 2025 Gerda Lissner Opera Competition. She has been a finalist in the Renata Tebaldi and Ottavio Ziino International Competitions, and a semi-finalist in the Geneva Voice Competition and the Alfredo Kraus Competition. Additional distinctions include the 2024 Dorothy Lincoln Smith Vocal Competition (D.C. Chapter) and the 2023 Sankofa Awardfrom the SAS Competition.
 

Recent operatic highlights include Musetta (La bohème) with Opera Saratoga, where she returns in 2026 to sing Adina(L’elisir d’amore). She made debuts in 2025 with Oper Frankfurt as Morgana (Alcina) and with The Cleveland Orchestra in Carmina Burana. Other roles include Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) at the Teatro Nacional de Chile, Servilia(La clemenza di Tito) at Juilliard, and Private Sonia Gonzales in Huang Ruo’s An American Soldier at the Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York. 
 

Ms. Hughes Camacho made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2019 and debuted with the New York Festival of Song in 2022. She has participated in prestigious young artist programs including the Gstaad Menuhin Festival and the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, where she appeared in Carmen and the world premiere of Awakenings.
 

Beyond the stage, Shelén is the founder of Voices for Bolivia, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting elderly individuals living in extreme poverty through classical music and community-based initiatives.