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Ainhoa Garmendia Biography

Ainhoa Garmendia was born in San Sebastian, Spain . She studied accordion and piano at the Music Conservatory of San Sebastien and started her singing studies at the Orfeon Donostiarras Singing 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 until 2001. She is currently coached by Josef Frakstein.

From 2001 until 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), 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 Amaya Theater in Irun (Norina in Don Pasquale) and at the San Sebastian 15ª Musical (Marzelline in Fidelio and Micaela in Carmen).

In 2006, she made her debut at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera (Despina in Così fan tutte) and in the proms of Royal Albert Hall in London. She also 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.

In summer 2009, she did a Triumph jumping at the last moment in the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, where she sung Adina in the Opening night of L’elisir d’amore.

In 2010/11, she sung in the opera L’Arbore di Diana – Martin y Soler  in Barcelona and Madrid, Don Giovanni (Zerlina) in Oviedo, Le Nozze di Figaro (Susanna) in Toulon and Bilbao.

In 2011/12, she sung in Don Pasquale (Norina) at Glyndebourne on tour as well as Micaela in Jerez de la Frontera, Susanna and Musetta in Gran Teatro del Liceo de Barcelona. She participated in the Missa Solemnis of Beethoven in Padova (Italy) with the conductor Szolt Hamar.

Between 2013 and 2015 she debutated new roles like Violetta (La Traviata) and Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte). She sung at Auditorio Nacional de Madrid with Christophe Rousset at Manuel Garcias “Quien porfia mucho alcanza” with the Orquestra Nacional de España. She sung Adina at the Auditorio Kursaal de San Sebastian and Teatro Principal de Zaragoza with the new opera company Opus Lirica.

She has taken part in the recordings of Cosi fan tutte at Glyndebourne (DVD for the BBC), Orphée et Eurydice in Madrid (CD for Decca), L’arobre di Diana at the Gran Teatro del  Liceo de Barcelona (DVD) and Bihotzeko Amalur (Basque melodies – Elkar)

She has been conducted by Jesús López Cobos, Maurizio Benini, Christophe Rousset, Ottavio Dantone, Ros Marbá, Julia Jones, Herbert Blomstedt, Ivan Fischer, Giuliano Carella, Frank Beerman, Fisher Fish, Pablo González, Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez, Víctor Pablo Pérez, Alvaro Albiach, Miquel Ortega, Antonello Allemandi, Robin Ticciati, Enrique Mazolla,  etc.

Ainhoa Garmendia has been nominated «revelation voice of the year 2006» from the Spanish music critics.

As next, She’ll be Violetta (La Traviata) again at the Auditorio Kursaal de San Sebastian at the Festival Kursaal Eszena and Norina (Don Pasquale) at the Teatro Victoria Eugenia at Donostia Kultura festival.