Spanish Soprano Serena Sáenz has been lauded for her “musicality, good taste in ornamentation and luminous high notes with a good arsenal of bel canto resources” (Scherzo). She is the recipient of three prizes at the 2022 Operalia Competition in Riga, namely of the Second Prize of Plácido Domingo’s world opera competition, the Pepita Embil Prize of Zarzuela, and the Birgit Nilsson Prize.
Spanish Soprano Serena Sáenz has been lauded for her “musicality, good taste in ornamentation and luminous high notes with a good arsenal of bel canto resources” (Scherzo). She is the recipient of three prizes at the 2022 Operalia Competition in Riga, namely of the Second Prize of Plácido Domingo’s world opera competition, the Pepita Embil Prize of Zarzuela, and the Birgit Nilsson Prize.
Sáenz, despite her young age, is a frequent guest at many of the world’s renowned opera houses. She kicks off the 2023/24 season at the Vienna State Opera with a role debut as Lauretta in Puccini’s Il trittico, and a reprisal of Blonde in Die Entführung aus dem Serail. With the Berlin Staatsoper as well as with the Palau Les Arts in Valencia, she will sing Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, brings one of her signature roles, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, to her house debut at the Royal Danish Opera, and performs in Werther as Sophie at Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.
On the concert stage, Serena Sáenz is slated to perform 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 gives a recital in Prague, and travels to Saudi Arabia’s Ithra for further recital performance alongside guitarist Pablo Sainz-Villegas. She will be heard in a concert during Salzburg’s Mozartwoche, sings the soprano solo in Faure’s Requiem with Orquestra Sinfônica de Porto Alegre (OSPA), and joins a concert in homage to Maria Callas in Barcelona (Palau de la Música Catalana). To conclude her season, she collaborates with Catalonia’s Orquesta Sinfónica Camerata XXI-Ciutat de Reus for a concert performance, and sings at chateau Branaire-ducru in France’s Saint-Julien-Beychevelle.
Last season, Serena Sáenz graced the stage of the Gran Theatre del Liceu as Norina in a 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 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.
Highlights of past seasons include performances as Nannetta in Falstaff, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte and as Clorinda in La cenerentola. In 2021 the young artist made a phenomenal debut in the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor at the Gran Theatre del Liceu, where she returned later as Prilepa in The Queen of Spades and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with Gustavo Dudamel.
In 2021 Serena Sáenz won the 1st prize and the Audience Prize at the Montserrat Caballé International Singing Competition and was honored with multiple prizes at both the Paris Opera Competition and the Francisco Viñas Competition Barcelona.
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.
Concert highlights include her recital debut and Carmina Burana (under the baton of Simon Halsey and Esteve Nabona) at the Palau de la Música Catalana; a Scarlatti programme with Accademia Bizantina at the Pierre Boulez-Saal; Mozart Mass in c Minor with Orquesta Sinfónica y Coro de RTVE conducted by Antonio Méndez and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with Orquesta Sinfonica de Euskadi and Semyon Bychkov. In May 2022, she was the soprano soloist in John Rutter’s Magnificat with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester. The concert under the baton of Ivan Repušić was recorded for radio broadcast.
Serena Sáenz was born in 1994 in Barcelona. She made her professional debut at the age of 13 in the children’s opera Brundibár by Hans Krása at the Gran Theatre del Liceu. Sáenz studied at the Liceu Conservatoire in Barcelona with Prof. Dolores Aldea and at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin with Prof. Anna Samuil. She participated in masterclasses with Mariella Devia, Niel Shicoff, Wolfram Rieger, Montserrat Caballé, Teresa Berganza, Dolora Zajick, and Riccardo Frizza. Alongside her musical studies, Serena trained in ballet and modern dance and has professional training as a fitness coach.
© CSAM, September 2023
