From the moment her debut at La Scala di Milano in the opening season night on December 7th as Odabella in Verdi’s Attila was announced, Saioa Hernandez has emer- ged as a new opera star. She has appeared at such theaters as the Opera National du Rhin, Teatro Massimo di Catania, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Teatro Giuseppe Verdi di Trieste, Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro and Greek National Opera, as well as in Asia, where she appeared as Tosca and both Georgetta and Nedda in a double bill of Il Tabarro and Pagliacci with the Korean National Opera in Seoul. Last season, she added the title role in Catalani’s La Wally to her repertoire in a production mounted by the Teatro Municipal of Piacenza, which was also performed in Modena and Reggio Emilia. Hernandez’s performance received the highest of public and critical praise, and she was subsequently invited to make her debut at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples as Leonora in Il Trovatore.
Recently, Saioa Hernandez will make several role debuts. She began the season with her first Amelia in Un ballo in maschera in La Coruña, after which she made her first appearance as the title role in Verdi’s Aida with the Teatro Regio of Torino on tour in Oman (Royal Opera House of Muscat). Hernandez will next make her French operatic debut in another new role: Francesca Da Rimini in Zandonai’s masterpiece at the Opé- ra national du Rhin in Strasbourg. Later in the season, the artist will return to Piacenza as the title role in Ponchielli’s La Gioconda and will debut at the Teatro Reggio di Par- ma as Tosca.

Saioa Hernandez has also won high praise in the dramatic bel canto repertoire, having appeared as Norma at the Teatro Giuseppe Verdi in Trieste as well as in Catania, Teatro Giuseppe Verdi di Padova and her debut in Australia at the Melbourne Recital Center, and singing Imogene in the Brazilian premiere of Il Pirata in Rio de Janeiro. Hernandez made her debut in Geneva as Mathilde in Guillaume Tell and starred as the title role in the Festival of Martina Franca’s revival of Bellini’s infrequently performed Zaira. She has also appeared as Luisa in Luisa Miller in Trieste, Violetta in La Traviata in Savona, and the title roles in Suor Angelica, Mimí, and Madama Butterfly, Rosalinde in Madrid, Fiordiligi in Malaga, and Gilda in Catalonia.

Her next debuts included Imogene (Il Pirata) at La Coruña Opera Palace (Spain), the prestigious opening season at the Teatro alla Scala of Milano (Italy) as Odabella (Attila) with conductor Riccardo Chailly, Maddalena (Andrea Chenier) in Piacenza, Modena, Reggio Emilia and Ravenna, Leonora (Forza del destino) at the National Center of Performing Arts of Beijing (China) and Abigaille (Nabucco) at the Semperoper of Dresden (Germany).

On the concert stage, Hernandez has performed Verdi’s Messa di Requiem, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Rossini’s Petite Messe and Stabat Mater, as well as Mozart’s Requiem, Krönungsmesse and Vespri so- llenni di confessione. She recently debuted Wagner’s Wesendonk Lieder for Spanish Classical Radio and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at the Palau de la Música in Bar- celona. Hernandez has also sings at the Teatro de la Zarzuela of Madrid and debuted the principal roles of El Gato Montés, La Marsellesa, La del soto del parral and Curro Vargas.

Saioa Hernandez was born in Madrid and has studied with Santiago Calderón, Borja Mariño, Francesco Pio Galasso (actually), Vicenzo Scalera, Renata Scotto and Monserrat Caballé. In 2009, she won first prize in the Manuel Ausensi competition at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona after winning second prize the previous year. In December of 2010, Hernandez won first prize in the Jaume Aragall International Singing Com- petition at the Teatro Principal de Sabadell. That same year, she was awarded the se- cond prize in the International Vicenzo Bellini Bel Canto Competition, which was held at the Thèatre des Hauts de Seine in France. Hernandez was also awarded third prize in the 2011 Logroño International Singing Competition.

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May 2020

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