Ulises Espaillat's tenor voice has been described by the New York Times as a voice that "startles the listeners with its freshness and purity." He began his studies after the Tenor Luciano Pavarotti awarded him the first place in the Ezio Pinza voice competition. He was also a winner in the Beniamino Gigli and the Ismaele Voltolini singing contest, where he was awarded the gold medal in Mantova, Italy. In the US he has performed with various Opera companies including the Pittsburgh Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Chautauqua Opera and Westchester Opera.
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He made his European Recital debut in 1989 at the Salle Moliere in Lyons, France and has sung in many Italian theaters including Treviso, Mantova and Busseto.
In New York's Carnegie Hall, Ulises's Recital of Spanish Songs was highly praised by the New York Times. He has also performed at Town Hall and Merkin Hall where he sang the New York premier of Songs to Love and Death (Cantos al Amor y a la Muerte) op.8 for Tenor and string quartet by Chilean Composer Carlos Botto.
Ulises has performed in many Spanish Zaruelas in the US and abroad, including Puerto Rico where he was invited to sing at Bellas Artes Theater. Ulises's recording "Las Puertas de la Mañana" is a collection of songs by Argentinean composer Carlos Guastavino. This recording garnered excellent reviews by musical journals including Gramaphone and by media such as the Philadelphia Inquirer. Carlos Guastavino himself also complimented Ulises's singing and interpretation of his songs on this CD.
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Ulises's performances have received outstanding reviews in Opera News magazine, The New York Times, The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, The Arizona Daly Star and in Italy the Gazetta di Mantova among others.
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Ulises was a long time voice student of Claudia Pinza, he studied Operatic Repertoire with Enza Ferrari and attended the Accademia Verdiana in Busseto, Italy with Carlo Bergonzi