BIOGRAPHY
Spanish Soprano Amaia Azcona captivates audiences throughout the UK and Europe with her “voice of liquid velvet” and “emphatic interpretations”. She was recently critically acclaimed by Opera Now Magazine for her “remarkable performance” given in Teatro Echegaray (Malaga, Spain).
Amaia studied at the Conservatorio Superior de Navarra and Guildhall School of Music & Drama and was a winner of numerous awards including the coveted ‘Becas Artísticas de Navarra’ and won first prize in the Lillian Ash French Song Competition.
Amaia is in demand as a recitalist, performing in prestigious festivals and venues that include Beaminster Festival, Roman River Festival, Leamington Festival, Festival of Chichester, North Nolfolk Festival, Festival de St-Savin, Pamplona Acción Musical, Arriaga´s Theatre, Gayarre Theatre, Baluarte Hall, Palacio del Condestable, Parliament of Navarra, Cultural Centre Nicolás Salmerón, Teatro Echegaray, The National Gallery, Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, LSO St Luke´s, The Globe Theatre, Milton Court and Wigmore Hall as well as being invited to perform on BBC Radio 3 ´In Tune´ amoungst many others.
Amaia´s operatic roles have included Cleopatra in 'Giulio Cesare', Barbarina in ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’ with María Bayo (Countess) as well as Susanna in a seperate production, Pamina in ´Die Zauberflöte´, Despina in 'Cosi fan Tutte', Adina in 'L'elisir d'amore', Gretel in ‘Hänsel und Gretel’, Micaela in ‘Carmen’, which prompted reviews for her “beautiful soprano that rang out pure and clear”. Rosita in ‘Luisa Fernanda’ by Torroba, Ariadna in ‘El Guardián de los Cuentos’ by M. Ortega and Zulema in ‘Alí Babá y los Cuarenta Ladrones’ by I. Casalí.
Often invited to sing in Oratorio concerts, Amaia has been soloist in ‘Gloria’ by Vivaldi, ‘Stabat Mater’ by Pergolesi, ‘The Creation’ and ‘Stabat Mater’ by Haydn, ‘Mass in C’ and 'Laudate Dominum' by Mozart, ‘The Spirit of England’ by Elgar, and 'Magnificat' by Rutter.
Amaia has recently collaborated with Melvyn Tan (Piano), The Benyounes String Quartet, Danish ensemble Via Artis Konsort, Vida Guitar Quartet, Morgan Szymanski (Guitar), and Iñaki Fresan (Baritone).
Exciting new collaborations and projects will be announced soon!
REVIEWS
"Amaia shows us her skills as a performer in the Spanish repertoire of Granados, de Falla and Montesalvatge. These received a lot of applause, but the climax was with ´Canción de Cuna para dormir a un Negrito´ from Cinco Canciones Negras by Montsalvatge; the intimacy, intensity and simplicity of her interpretation was impeccable. She also offered a penetrating version of ´In uomini, in soldati´ (Despina) from Cosi fan Tutte by Mozart, and Zarzuela fragments, with special mention to the hometown speciality, Mitentxu by Guridi."
'Público entregado': Xabier Armendariz, Diario de Navarra
Palacio del Condestable, Pamplona
"With the Mozart and Zarzuela arias, Amaia Azcona is splendid...Amaia's luminous voice and exact precision is highly suitable for the selected arias from the operas by Da Ponte. The soprano (Amaia) resolved Mozart's demanding high notes with sensational ease...With the Zarzuela, Amaia also shines. She is joyful and vibrant in the well known aria sung by Paloma in 'El Barberillo de Lavapies'. She also offers the complex and less known Romanza from Mirentxu by Guridi; her attacts are precise with perfect tuning and a well executed soft final high note."
'Two Mozartian Voices' - Teobaldos, Diario de Noticias
Palacio del Condestable, Pamplona
"One of the highlights of the evening for me, however, was the set of Granados 'Tonadillas' performed by soprano Amaia Azcona, who treated us to authoritative and emotive interpretations of exceptional polish — I don't mind admitting that 'La maja dolorosa No. 2' brought a tear to my eye. Billed as 'a unique voice amongst the new generation of Spanish sopranos' Azcona combines solid technique with a rare expressive aptitude of disarming sincerity."
'Music in the Time of Goya' - Derek Murray
The National Gallery, London
"...suited to the exquisite purity of Amaia’s soprano. She perfectly portrayed the melancholy of the lyrics."
'Spanish and Latin American Songs in St Martins' - Celia Crossley
Roman River Festival, Colchester
"Amaia Azcona, who already showed her magnificent skills in a recital at Cultur Festival in Puente la Reina last summer, today presented a completely new programme with diverse song styles in four different languages...she offered freshness and luminosity as well as two absolutely essential ingredients in this repertoire: the clarity of diction, specially clear in the French repertoire, and purity of phrasing."
Xabier Armendariz, Diario de Navarra
Palacio del Condestable, Pamplona
"With a voice of liquid velvet, Azcona revealed herself to be a consummate exponent of this sultry Latin American repertoire."
Paul Wiffen, Classical Music Daily Magazine
Steiner Theatre, London
CONTACT
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