Biography

SAIOA LÓPEZ-SÁNCHEZ, born at the shores of the Cantabric sea, in the capital of Guipuzcoa, San Sebastián, starts soon her Music studies, in the "Musikabi" School under the supervision of Javier Santacana, as well as in the Superior School of Music of San Sebastián, where she achieved the best quailifications and Honor Award in singing. She graduates with top scores in Turistic Business Administration at Deusto Univeristy and inmmediately she moves to Berlin to start her Music studies in the Superior Music School "Hanns Eisler", where she receives classes, among others, from Julia Varady and Prof. Wolfram Rieger.

She received scholarships from the Diputación Foral de Guipúzcoa and the AIE and complemented her music universitary studies, participating in magistral classes from Enedina Lloris, Kriemhild Martens and Montserrat Caballé. She perfectioned her singing tecnique in Berlin with the tenor Rafael A. Ortiz, former student of María Callas.

Saioa López Sánchez has participated in tours in Japan and South America and performed in Spain, France and Germany. Among her highlighted representations we should mention the roles of Norina in "Don Pasquale"; Osasa in "Tríptico" from Hindemith or Susana in "La Verbena de la Paloma" at Hebbel-Theater of Berlin. She has been invited by UdK of Berlin to interpret the role of Zerlina in "Don Giovanni" and she has performed as main character as Mari Pepa in the zarzuela "Adiós Julián", directed by the soprano and scenographer/scene director Marina Bollaín within the II Festival "Spanische – Klassik Sommer" of Berlin, where she has also offered zarzuela recitals and Spanish music concerts.

For the 100 anniversary of Joaquin Rogrido's birth, she interpreted his "Cuatro madrigales amatorios" in the Konzerthaus of Berlin.

In the Rheinsberg castle, she performed the main character in 2002 "Ein Fest bei Prinz Heinrich", musical montage produced to celebrate the 200 anniversary of the death of Prince Henry from Prussia, emitted by the german TV channel, ORB. She has participated in the recording of several LPs, as "Confluencias" for Several Records with music from JM Sánchez-Verdú and together with the "Escolanía San Ignacio", in the Japan tour.

She has also performed as main charater in the Chamber Opera "Cuerpos deshabitados" in memory of Rafael Alberti, with original idea and scene direction by Marina Bollaín and music by JM Sánchez-Verdú, interpreting the role of "el Alma". This Chamber Opera was first represented in the Students Residence of Madrid and posteriorly represented in Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, Lima, San José de Costa Rica, México DF and Berlín, within the modern music "Ultraschall" Festival.

Outside the music environment, Saioa López Sánchez has obtained several distinctions in diverse fields, such as a second position award in the dance contest "Premio Ciudad de San Sebastián" in 1991, a first award in Athletics at regional sub-16 level and a second position award in the I Haikus Contest organized by RENFE in 2006. Her interest for the dance has lead her in the last years to specialize in oriental dance.