Graciela Rivera (17 April 1921 – 17 July 2011[1]) was the first Puerto Rican to sing a lead role at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

She enrolled at Juilliard's and took voice classes with Lucia Dunham, piano lessons, music theory, harmony and composition, graduating in 1943.

That same year she made her operatic debut as Rosina in "The Barber of Seville" by Gioachino Rossini at the New Orleans Opera.

[4][5] She taught Puerto Rican music, Italian and Spanish at the Hostos Community College for 15 years before retiring in 1987.

[4][5] In 1993, Rivera earned her Doctorate Degree in Humanities from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico and in 1996 she was bestowed with a Honoris Causa from Lehman College.

Rivera died on 17 July 2011[7][8][9][10] at her home in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township, Atlantic County, New Jersey.

[11] The city of Ponce has a small park, Parque Graciela Rivera, in Barrio Primero, dedicated to her memory.