Serena Sáenz

Full Biography

The young Spanish soprano Serena Sáenz, praised by the press for her “musicality and radiant high notes” (Scherzo), has established herself within just a few years as one of the most versatile artists of her generation. Since her triple success at the prestigious Operalia Competition 2022 in Riga, she has been a regular guest at leading opera houses worldwide.

In the 2026/27 season, Serena Sáenz makes her role debut as Ophélie in Ambroise Thomas’ Hamlet at the Auditorio de Tenerife and debuts as Musetta in Puccini’s La bohème at the Gran Teatre del Liceu. She also appears at the Gran Teatre del Liceu as Francina in Cançó d’amor i de guerra and as the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. She returns to the Vienna State Opera as Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos and appears as Adina in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore with Munich’s Bavarian State Opera. On the concert stage, Sáenz performs Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 under Alondra de la Parra at the Festival de San Lorenzo de El Escorial as well as Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem at the Auditorio de Tenerife. She joins Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Orchestra for a tour featuring Beethoven’s Fidelio and Symphony No. 9, with performances in Caracas followed by Beijing, Hong Kong, Taipei and Tokyo. Further highlights include Mozart concert arias with the Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester, concerts with the Philharmonic Ensemble in Seville and Madrid, and a Baroque programme with Vespres d’Arnadí in Girona. During the Christmas season, she joins Daniel Hope for the festive programme Winter Fairytale: Stories and Songs at Christmas Time at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, in Stuttgart, and in Elmau. She also appears in Carmina Burana at Barcelona’s Palau de la Música Catalana.

Despite her youth, Serena Sáenz has already appeared in leading roles at many of the world’s top theaters. At the Staatsoper Berlin, where she was a member of the Opera Studio, she sang Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Nannetta (Falstaff) and Olympia (Les contes d’Hoffmann). With the Vienna State Opera, she debuted the roles of Konstanze (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) and Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro) and has been heard as Zerbinetta, the Queen of the Night, Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi) and in the double role of Olympia/Giulietta in Les contes d’Hoffmann. At the Bavarian State Opera, she made her role debut as Gilda (Rigoletto) and Marie (La fille du régiment), following her company debut in the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor. At the Gran Teatre del Liceu, where her career began, she has sung Nannetta, Lucia, Pamina, Adina, Norina (Don Pasquale), and the role of Angelus Novus in the world premiere of Antoni Ros-Marbà’s Benjamin a Portbou. Further highlights include appearances at Teatro Real de Madrid (Lisa in La sonnambula), at the Teatro de la Zarzuela (Marola in La tabernera del puerto), at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor, at Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia (Pamina), at Teatro Regio di Torino (the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte), as well as at the Auditorio de Tenerife and the Royal Danish Opera as Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos). In 2023 she made her U.S. debut at Festival Napa Valley as Norina in Don Pasquale.

As a sought-after concert soloist, Serena Sáenz has appeared worldwide alongside renowned artists such as Plácido Domingo, Elīna Garanča, Rolando Villazón and Daniel Hope. She made her debut at La Scala in Milan in concert performances of Luigi Nono’s Como una ola de fuerza y luz and appeared at Salzburg’s Mozart Week in Mozart’s Der Schauspieldirektor and Salieri’s Prima la musica e poi le parole. Further highlights include her debut at the Salzburg Festival as the soprano soloist in Mozart’s Mass in C minor with Camerata Salzburg under Thomas Hengelbrock, the international gala The New Divas: Live in Vienna (recorded for PBS), gala concerts in Barcelona, and recital appearances with guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas at venues including the Palau de la Música Catalana, Ithra in Saudi Arabia, and the National Theater of Santo Domingo.

In 2025 Serena Sáenz released her debut album BIRDS (EuroArts), recorded with the Transylvania State Philharmonic Orchestra – a lyrical coloratura programme inspired by the fascinating world of songbirds.

Serena Sáenz won first prize and the Audience Award at the Montserrat Caballé International Singing Competition in 2021 and received several distinctions at both the Paris Opera Competition and the Francisco Viñas Competition in Barcelona. In 2023 she was honoured with the Opera Actual Award as Most Promising Young Artist and the Opera XXI Award as Best Young Singer.

Born in Barcelona, she made her debut at the age of 13 as a soloist in Hans Krása’s children’s opera Brundibár at the Gran Teatre del Liceu. She studied initially with Prof. Anna Ollet, and later at the Conservatori Superior del Liceu with Prof. Dolors Aldea and Prof. Eduard Giménez, supported by two merit scholarships. She completed her Master’s and Konzertexamen degrees at the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin with Prof. Anna Samuil. Alongside her vocal training she studied ballet and modern dance and holds a professional qualification as a fitness and nutrition coach.