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The Spanish soprano, Isabel Álvarez Azcune, studied at Colegio Jauregui Ansola in Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain. She studied Singing with Rita Streich and Dramatic Art with D. Bulter-Marel at the Folkwang-Hochschule in Essen (Germany) and in Milan (Italy) with Carla Castellani. She also attended specialized courses with Lucia Mewsen (Renaissance), Marius van Altena (Baroque) and Alfredo Kraus (opera).
Isabel Álvarez has developed a great activity in the world of Baroque, classical and contemporary opera, with titles such as Acis and Galatea by A. de Literes; Lo Frate'nnamurato, La Serva Padrona and Flaminio by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi; Il Trionfo Dell'onore by Alessandro Scarlatti (Doralice); Zauberflöte by W.A. Mozart (Pamina); Orfeo and Euridice by Johann Joseph Fux (Euridice); Ulisse in Campania by anonymous author of 18th centory; La Púrpura de la Rosa by T. de Torrejón y Velasco (Venus and Amor), Amor Aumenta el Valor by J. Nebra, San Ignacio by Zippoli, Iziar by M. de Oñate (Artadi) and Zapatos de Mujer (world premiere) by A. Illarramendi (Woman), performing in theaters such as the Baraccano in Bologna, Vittorio Emmanuele in Messina, Arriaga in Bilbao or the Opera in Bordeaux. She has recently sung the La Fenice production of Cavalli's opera La Didone at the Malibran Theater in Venice, the Stabile theater in Torino and Teatro Alla Scala in Milan.
Isabel Álvarez has performed oratorios, early music and recitals, in various international festivals such as Granada, Canary Islands, Guanajuato, Budapest, Antwerp, Liège, San Sebastián, Paris, Santander, Utrecht, and in prestigious venues and auditoriums such as the Nacional de Madrid , Auditorium of Zaragoza, Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, Châtelet de Paris, Konzerthaus of Vienna, Auditori of Barcelona, Schloss Eggenberg of Graz, Steinway Hall and Metropolitan Museum of New York, Pushkin Museum of Moscow, Royal Theater of Madrid or Auditorio Alfredo Kraus of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Isabel Álvarez has sung under thae baton of Jordi Savall, Pierre Dervaux, José Rada, José Ramón Encinar, Michel Plasson, Gabriel Garrido, Carmelo A. Bernaola, Juanjo Mena, Fabio Bonizzoni, Kees Boeke, Emilio Moreno, Eduardo López Banzo, Fabio Biondi and Claudio Astronio, among others. She has given concerts with the most prestigious early music groups, such as Hespèrion XX (Director: Jordi Savall), La Capella Reial de Catalunya (Director: Jordi Savall), Al Ayre Español, Axivil, Capilla Peñaflorida, El Concierto Español, Accentus- Vienna, La Colombina, Sour Cream or Europa Galante (Director: Fabio Biondi).
In the field of contemporary music Isabel Álvarez has premiered and recorded CD's various works, such as the cantatas Euskadi by Carmelo Bernaola, with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi, Lainoa by Anton Larrauri, with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao, or the opera Zapatos de Mujer by Ángel Illarramendi. In the world of operas production she translated into Spanish and collaborated in the staging of La Flauta Mágica and Bastián y Bastiana (by W.A. Mozart), El Amor Enamorado, Flaminio and La Serva Padrona (by G.B. Pergolesi) and El Triunfo del Honor (by A. Scarlatti). Soon she will do it with El Empresario de las Canarias (by G.B.Martini) and El Carnaval del Conde (by Conde de Peñaflorida).
Isabel Álvarez founded, along with Antxón Ayestarán, and directed the Escuela de Canto del Orfeón Donostiarra (until 1989). She was Professor of Voice and Head of Studies of the Escuela Oficial de Actores del Gobierno Vasco (Antzerti) as well as singing teacher of the Conservatorio Municipal de Vitoria and of the Federación de Coros del País Vasco. Se has also taught specialized courses in Baroque singing at the Conservatorio de Música de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the Coro de la Orquesta Sinfónica de Extremadura. She is the founder and director of the MAGIOS group. She currently lives in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Isabel Álvarez has recorded for EMI, Astree, Philips, Fidelio-Holland, Naxos, Elkar, NB-Records, Glossa an K 617, as well as Radio Nacional de España (RNE), Radio France, ETB and Televisión Española (TVE). |
