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The Colombian soprano, Alexandra Zabala, began to study singing at the age of 16 at the National University (Music Department) of Colombia. At age 19, she was granted a scholarship by the Colombian government to study in Bologna with Geneviève Ians, a professional member of the U.S. Voice Foundation; this was followed by studies (until January 2001) with Maestra Luisella Ciaffi. In September 2001, she graduated with honours (highest distinction, External Commissioner Magda Oliviero) from the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of Turin. At the moment, she is perfecting her repertoire with Maestro Paolo Washington. She has won the following awards and competitions: Mazda Competition as most promising Colombian talent; Award of the National University of Colombia - Place of Honour; Finalist at the Luciano Pavarotti Competition of Philadelphia (1995); Winner of the International Competition for young opera singers “Casale Monferrato Giovani Voci per l´Opera” (november 2000); Finalist at the Zandonai Competition; semi-finalist at the International singing Competition “Neue Stimmen 2001”. She was moreover awarded as most interesting voice for CD recordings at the Concorso Tita Ruffo in Pisa (2003).
Following her successful debut in Lehár´s The Merry Widow, Alexandra Zabala has performed in Donizetti´s L´Elisir D´Amore, Verdi´s Rigoletto, Puccini´s La Bohème, Purcell´s Dido and Aeneas, Antonio Vivaldi´s Il Giustino, to mention the best-known works.
From 1998 to 1999, Alexandra Zabala took part to everal stages, one of them with Maestro Gian Piero Taverna under the direction of Pier Luigi Pizzi at Teatro Dovizi in Arezzo, where she had the opportunity of singing the following main roles: Die Schöne Galatèe by Von Suppé, Il Tamerlano by George Frideric Handel, Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda and Il Ballo delle Ingrate by Monteverdi, and various opera and camera concerts as well. She interpreted the role of Venere in Orfeo all’inferno by Offenbach at Teatro Coccia di Novara, Musetta in La Bohème by Puccini at Teatro Colón di Bogota, the role of Costanza in Griselda by A Vivaldi at the Theatres of Perugia and Bibbiena, Anaide in Mosè by Rossini and Amenaide in Tancredi at the Opernhaus in Bayreuth, Elisa in Il Re Pastore, conducted by Claudio Desderi at Festival di Kufstein, Tamiri in La Semiramide (2003) and Galatea in Polifemo by Nicola Porpora (2004) at Teatro di Bibbiena, both operas conducted by Massimiliano Carraro; Contessa in Nozze di Figaro at Teatro di Merano, Il Viaggio a Reims at the Rossini Opera Festival 2004 conducted by Lanfranco Marcelletti, the Stabat Mater at Todi Festival 2004 conducted by Alberto Zedda, Mosè by Rossini at the Tiroler Festspiele 2005 under the baton of Wilhem Keitel, Il Trovatore at the Festival di Lavagna 2005, Mitridate by Nicola Porpora (Worldwide première) at Gran Teatro la Fenice in Venice and at Teatro Malibran (2005 season), the Messa in Do. Minore by Mozart with the Symphonic Orchestra of Sanremo under the baton of Piero Bellugi, which has also been produced in Lyon in the Fourvier´s Basilica, Andrè Bernard conducting, the Giulio Cesare by G.F. Handel in a Gran Galà in Savona, Luca Franco Ferrari conducting and with Ms Renata Scotto as Supervisor, Mitridate by Mozart at Festival di Rovereto, 2006-season, the Recital ”Vissi d’arte” together with Fiorenza Cedolins and Andrea Bocelli at Teatro Comunale di Pisa, Ademira by Lucchesi at Festival Arcadia in Musica with the Orchestra I Virtuosi delle Muse di Cremona (December 2006). She also interpreted Mitridate by Nicola Porpora at the Festival of Valladolid in Spain (March-April 2007), partecipated in a concert for the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (May 2007) and rafterwards she was Dama in Macbeth at the Macerata Opera Festival, Arena Sferisterio.
Recent engagements include the Recital Lirico at Teatro Verdi in Pisa (October 2007), La Traviata in Malta (December 2007), Petite Messe Solemnelle by Rossini (March 2008), Zarzuela Luisa Fernanda at Teatro of Valladolid together with maestro Plácido Domingo (May-June 2008), the Recital Lirico in Luxemburg for the Academy of Montegral (July 2008), the worldwide première of Cleopatra by Lauro Rossi at the Macerata Opera Festival 2008.
Recordings: Venite Pueri Oratorio by Luigi D’onora (Velut Luna); Il Canto degli Italiani Patronato della Presidenza della Repubblica Italiana; Il Ricimero by Giacomino Calderara (Nuova Era); “Duetti Mozart e Haendel” Gustav Kuhn directing (BMG & Sony); Tancredi from Festival Bayreuth (NEF GmbH); L’Empietà Delusa Oratorio, worldwide première (Nuova Era); Don Giovanni by Mozart (Mondadori); Giulio Cesare by G.F. Handel (Bongiovanni); Mitridate by Nicola Porpora, worldwide première (DVD, Teatro la
Fenice, Rubelli). |
