Full Biography
Spanish soprano Serena Sáenz has been praised for her “musicality, good taste in ornamentation and luminous high notes with a good arsenal of bel canto resources” (Scherzo).
She received three awards at Operalia 2022 in Riga: Second Prize in the Plácido Domingo World Opera Competition, the Pepita Embil Zarzuela Prize and the Birgit Nilsson Prize. Despite her young age, Sáenz is a frequent guest at many of the world’s most renowned opera houses.
In 2021 she won the First Prize and the Audience Award at the Montserrat Caballé International Singing Competition, the first Spaniard to win these awards. She also received multiple awards at the Paris Opera Competition, as well as at the Francesc Viñas International Competition. Opera Actual 2023 Award to the most promising young artist and Opera XXI Award to the best young singer, that same year.
The 2024/25 season showcases the soprano’s expanding repertoire and growing international presence with several major debuts. She kicks off the season making her house debut at Opera de Tenerife, returning to the role of Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos under Nicola Berloffa’s direction. Subsequently, she graces the stage of Deutsche Oper Berlin for the first time in the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor, directed by Filippo Sanjust and conducted by Ivan Repušić. Sáenz returns to Staatsoper Berlin as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte. Her much-anticipated return to the Vienna State Opera features a double appearance: first as Olympia in Les contes d’Hoffmann directed by Andrei Serban, followed by Königin der Nacht in a new production of Die Zauberflöte by Barbora Horáková, conducted by Bertrand de Billy. Amidst these engagements, she makes her debut with La tabernera del puerto at Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid. The season culminates with a return to Bayerische Staatsoper for her role debut as Marie in La fille du régiment.
On the concert stage, Serena Sáenz appears alongside guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas in a recital at the National Theater in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and at Palau de la Música de Barcelona where she later sings a baroque solo recital with the Vespres d’Arnadí orchestra. Sáenz then reunites with Plácido Domingo for a concert at Auditorio Victor Villegas de Murcia, joined by tenor Juan Noval and Coral Discantus under the baton of maestro Borja Quintas.
Serena Sáenz stars in a series of New Year’s concerts with the Tonkünstler Orchestra, performing at the prestigious Grafenegg Auditorium, Festspielhaus St. Pölten, and culminating at the iconic Wiener Musikverein. In Salzburg she joins the Jubilee concert of Mozart’s Il re pastore in the historic DomQuartier Rittersaal, 250 years after the premiere in the same venue.
This special performance is directed by Rolando Villazón, who also sings the role of Alessandro under the baton of Giovanni Guzzo.
Sáenz returns to Madrid’s Auditorio Nacional de Música to sing Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection” alongside mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk, conducted by Alondra de la Parra. The concert season concludes with a return to Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu for the world premiere of Marbà’s semi-staged opera Benjamin a Portbou where Sáenz sings the role of the Angelus Novus.
2023/24 season held Sáenz’s role debut as Lauretta in Puccini’s Il trittico, and a reprisal of Blonde in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, both with the Vienna State Opera. With the Staatsoper Berlin and the Palau Les Arts in Valencia, she sang Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. The soprano brought one of her signature roles, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, to her house debut at the Royal Danish Opera, and made her house debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper by jumping into the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor conducted by Antonino Fogliani. Sáenz also opened the 66th Vienna Opera Ball alongside Elīna Garanča and Piotr Beczała and sang the Queen of the Night with Rolando Villazón as Papageno in Die Zauberflöte for children in Vienna, traditionally held the day after the Vienna Opera Ball.
In 2023/24 season, on the concert stage, Serena Sáenz performed Luigi Nono’s Como una ola de fuerza y luz in concert version at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan and at the Teatri di Reggio Emilia. She gave a recital in Prague and traveled to Saudi Arabia’s Ithra for a recital performance alongside guitarist Pablo Sainz-Villegas. Sáenz made her debut with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Mozart Week, sang the soprano solo in Fauré’s Requiem with Orquestra Sinfônica de Porto Alegre (OSPA), and joined a concert in homage to Maria Callas in Barcelona at the Palau de la Música Catalana. She collaborated with Catalonia’s Orquesta Sinfónica Camerata XXI-Ciutat de Reus for several concerts and sang at Château Branaire-Ducru in France’s Saint-Julien-Beychevelle. Serena Sáenz enjoyed a prolific 2024 summer concert season performing across Europe with high-profile performances. She appeared alongside Plácido Domingo in two notable concerts: an open-air event at the International Music Festival Český Krumlov and at the Starlite Occident festival in Marbella, presenting Spanish zarzuela repertoire. Sáenz also collaborated with renowned mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča in Austria and Latvia, and delighted audiences in her hometown with an open-air gala concert on Barcelona’s Sant Sebastià beach.
In Ljubljana, she performed a selection of Bellini arias with the Orchestra Sinfonica del Conservatorio Vincenzo Bellini di Catania, conducted by Epifanio Comis, as part of the Ljubljana Festival. Additionally, Sáenz gave a concert in Trogir at the Fortress Kamerlengo, where she was joined by baritone Jaka Mihelac and the Acoustic Project ensemble.
In 2022/23 season, Serena Sáenz was heard as Norina in the Gran Teatre del Liceu’s new production of Don Pasquale. She then joined the Vienna State Opera’s production of Ariadne of Naxos conducted by Thomas Guggeis and celebrated her house debut as Zerbinetta. She made her role debut as Lisa in a new production of La sonnambula at the Teatro Real in Madrid and was heard as Frasquita in Carmen at the Staatsoper Berlin. In addition, Sáenz gave numerous concert appearances: as the Mater Gloriosa in Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 “Symphony of a Thousand” in Madrid, Mozart’s Requiem in Barcelona, and Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail in Granada. She also performed at the Easter edition of the Castell de Peralada Festival in Spain.
In 2019, as a member of the Internationales Opernstudio Staatsoper Berlin, Serena appeared as Pamina in the premiere Yuval Sharon’s production of Die Zauberflöte, conducted by Alondra de la Parra. Subsequent appearances for the house included further performances of Pamina, and notable role debuts: Frasquita in Carmen and Waldvogel in Siegfried, both conducted by Daniel Barenboim.
Serena Sáenz born in Barcelona, made her professional debut at the age of 13 in the children’s opera Brundibár by Hans Krása at the Gran Teatre del Liceu. She studied initially with Prof. Anna Ollet, then at the Conservatori Superior del Liceu in Barcelona with Prof. Dolors Aldea and Prof. Eduard Giménez, being awarded a scholarship for Excellence in two consecutive years. She graduated from Master and Konzertexam at the HfM Hanns Eisler in Berlin with Prof. Anna Samuil. Also she has participated in masterclasses with Raul Gimenez, Mariella Devia, Ana Luisa Chova, Niel Shicoff, Wolfram Rieger, Montserrat Caballé, Teresa Berganza, Dolora Zajick, Riccardo Frizza.
Alongside her musical studies, Serena trained in ballet and modern dance and has professional training as a fitness coach and nutrition.
© CSAM, March 2025
