Ainhoa Garmendia

Biography

Ainhoa Garmendia was born in San Sebastian. She studied accordion and piano at the Music Conservatory in San Sebastien and started her singing studies at the Orfeon Donostiarra School. She went on with singing studies at the Music University in Madrid (class of Manuel Cid) and at the Universität für Musik in Vienna (class of Helena Lazarska). Prize winner of several national and international singing competitions, she attended the Opera Studio CNIPAL in Marseille from 1999 through 200. She is currently coached by Josef Frakstein.

From 2001 through 2009, she was a soloist at the Leipzig Opera, performing roles such as Aspasia (Temistocle by J. C. Bach), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Marzelline (Fidelio), Ännchen (Freischütz), Adina (L'elisir d'amore), Lisa (La Sonnambula), Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), Valencienne (Die lustige Witwe), Musetta (La Boheme), Micaela (Carmen). At the same time, she performed as a guest at the Marseille Opera (Zaide in Il turco in Italia, Marzelline in Fidelio), at the Lausanne Opera (Micaela in Carmen), at the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse (Aspasia in Temistocle), at the Deutsche Oper Berlin (Lisa in La Sonnambula), at the Irun Festival (Norina in Don Pasquale) and at the San Sebastian Festival (Marzelline in Fidelio).

In 2006, she made her debut at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera (Despina in Cosi fan tutte) and took part in the revival of the production one year later. She subsequently performed Servilia (La Clemenza di Tito) and Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) at the Liceu in Barcelona, Eurydice (Orphée et Eurydice alongside Juan Diego Flórez) at the Teatro Real Madrid, Susanna at the Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp and Micaela at the San Sebastian Festival.

Her plans for 2009/10 include L'Arbore di Diana (Britomarte) in Barcelona and Madrid, Don Giovanni (Zerlina) in Oviedo, Le Nozze di Figaro (Susanna) in Toulon and Bilbao. Further plans include Don Pasquale (Norina) at Glyndebourne as well as Micaela and Musetta in Barcelona.

She has taken part in the recordings of Cosi fan tutte at Glyndebourne (DVD) and Orphée et Eurydice in Madrid (CD for Decca).

Ainhoa Garmendia has been nominated "revelation of the year 2006" from the Spanish music critics.

June 2010

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