"Elina Garancha and friends" Meet Soprano Serena Sáenz.

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.

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.

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 sings 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 makes her house debut at the Bavarian State Opera by jumping in as Lucia in a production of Lucia di Lammermoor conducted by Antonino Fogliani. The soprano also performs at the 66th Vienna Opera Ball alongside Elina Garanca and Piotr Beczal and sings 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. 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 makes her debut with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Mozart Week Salzburg, 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.