Sabina Puertolas Azara, soprano

Sabina Puertolas pursued her studies in music at the Conservatorio Superior de Música Pablo Sarasate in Pamplona (Spain).  She has also studied with Victoria de los Ángeles (Santander), Miguel Zanetti (Sevilla) and Dafne Evangelatos in Bonn where she recorded a CD with the Deutsche Welle.

She has won several awards, among which the studies award “Monserrat Caballé-Bernabé Martí” (1993), organized by the bank Ibercaja of Zaragoza; followed by the studies award by the Navarra Government (1994) which allowed her to continue her superior studies in Italy with Carlo Bergonzi for 4 years at the Accademia Chiggiana in Siena and the Accademia Verdiana in Busseto; as well as the awards of Ricardo Zandona in Rovereto,  the Concurso nacional de jóvenes interpretes from Juventudes Musicales, the Luis Mariano award in Irún,  the Júlian Gayarre award in Pamplona (2002), the Francisca Quart award in Palma de Mallorca, Manuel Ausensi award in Barcelona and the Zarzuela award at the Operalia contest (2003) in Constanza Lake.

Sabina Puertolas’ performances have included Las Tonadillas de Blas de la Serna, La Serva Padrona at Pergolesi, Marina / Arrieta, Misa de Coronación, Mozart’s Requiem, Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Jesucristo en la Cruz / Remacha in Pergolesi, Bach’s Christmas Oratorium, St. Matthews Passion and Magnificat,  Beethoven’s  Misa in C, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Maestro Luna’s El asombro de Damasco, A. Vives’ La Generala – many of them performed with the Pablo Sarasate orchestra at the Teatro Gayarre of Pamplona.

During her studies in Italy she was invited to sing in a tourney of the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano conducted by Othmar Trenner. Afterwards followed an engagement by the Theatre of Klagenfurt for the production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia with the Carinzia-KSO Orchestra conducted by Giovanni Pacor and a performance of Lucia di Lammermoor in Riva del Garda with the Philarmonic Orchestra of Rome.

Sabina Puertolas also worked with numerous theatres in Spain, performing the roles of Zerlina/ Don Giovanni (Mozart), Gilda/ Rigoletto (Verdi), Violetta/ La Traviata (Verdi), Rossina/ Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Zarzuela, the title role of  La del manojo de rosas from Sorozabal.

In May 2001 she made her debut at La Scala de Milán performing Oscar/ Ballo in Maschera (Verdi) conducted by Ricardo Muti. With the company of La Scala she also sang Rigoletto (Verdi) conducted by Maestro Montanari at the Theatre of Belgrad.

In January 2002 Sabina Puertolas performed Barbarina/ Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart) with the A.B.A.O. of Bilbao at the Euskalduna Auditorium and later on in the same year Sophie/ Werther of Massenet. In May she made her debut of Beethoven´s 9^th Symphony in Murcia, conducted by Pascual Osa and also at the Foyer in Liceo, singing La condesa in Rossini´s Il Comte Ory. In December she sang two concerts at the Auditoria Nacional in Madrid with the Philharmonic Orchestra.

In May 2003 she performed Oscar/ Ballo in Maschera with Franco Farina and Ana María Sánchez in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The following month she sang Rosita/ Luisa Fernanda together with Placido Domingo in the main role at La Scala de Milan. As the winner of the Zarzuela award at the Operalia contest in Constanza Lake she sang once again with Placido Domingo during the final concert. Next she performed Carmina Burana (Carl Orff) in Palma de Mallorca conducted by Daniel Lipton; Frasquita/ Carmen (Bizet) in Bilbao and Lisette/ La Rondine at the Teatro Campoamor in Oviedo.

In the year 2004 Sabina Puertolas performed La contessa/ Le Comte Ory (Rossini) in Palma de Mallorca and sang a concert with Rolando Villazon in Bordeaux (France). The same year in November she made her debut at Washington National Opera performing Carolina/ Luisa Fernanda (Zarzuela) and also sang once again with Placido Domingo in La Rondine in Utrecht.

Her most recent performances include: Lisette/ La Rondine with the Radio Netherlands Orchestra, conducted by M. A. Gomez Martínez; Zerlina/ Don Giovanni at the Opera Festival in Teneriffa; Micaela/ Carmen in Jerez de la Frontera, La Clemenza di Tito (Servilia); L´incoronazione di Popea (Drusilla) at the National Opera of Toulose and Luisa Fernanda at the Teatro Real in Madrid together with Placido Domingo; Gilda/ Rigoletto in Nantes and Angers (France), Händel´s Ariodante at the Teatro Real in Madrid; Katiustka in Pamplona and San Sebastian, Musetta/ La Bohéme in Arena di Verona, La Generala at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid and in Oviedo; Micaela/ Carmen in Cap Roig (Gerona), concerts in Santiago de Compostela and at the Teatro Filarmónico in Verona as well as The regiment’s dauther at Jerez de la Frontera.

In the recent past she has sung a concert together with the tenor Ismael Jordi  in Segovia, Carmen in Gijón, Oscar/ Un Ballo in Maschera at Teatro Real Madrid, La Bohème in Pamplona and San Sebastian, La Sonnanbula in Valladolid as well as Il barbiere di Siviglia in Lausanne. These performances were followed by a Pergolesi-concert under the baton of C. Rousset in St. Denis. In the second half of 2009 Sabina Puertolas performed Nannetta/Falstaff with Ruggero Raimondi in Liège (including a CD).

In 2010 she sings Poppea in Oviedo and Bilbao with the new production of Emilio Sagi, Gilade/Il farnace at Theater an der Wien, Satirino/La Calisto at Théâtre des Champs- Elyseés, Cleopatra/Giulio Cesare and Gilda/Rigoletto at Teatro Argentina/La Plata as well as Susanna/Le Nozze di Figaro at Baluarte Auditorio in Pamplona.

She will also return to Scala di Milano for a gala concert in October 2010. On top of this she has already been re-invited for 2012 as Ismene/Mitridate by La Monnaie/Brussels and as Poppea by Jerez and Valladolid. Finally, in 2013 she will debut as Lisette/La Rondine at Royal Opera House Covent Garden. In the concert sector she will – amongst others – give duo recitals with Kristin Jepson under the baton of Alan Curtis.

 

- kr 11/10 -