Introducing Young Argentinian Coloratura Soprano Mercedes Arcuri

"Villanelle" (Dell'Acqua)

Born 1979 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, soprano Mercedes Arcuri began her vocal studies at age 15 with Inés Dupen and later worked with Horacio Amauri. She continued her musical training by studying conducting at the Universidad Católica Argentina and went on to study voice at the Instituto superior de arte del Teatro Colón. In Argentina she has sung on the most important stages of theaters such as Salon Dorado del Teatro Colón, Teatro Avenida, and Teatro San Martin, among others. She took part in several master classes with in several of Monique Zanetti’s master classes dedicated to French Baroque repertoire. In 2003, she

"Oh! Had I Jubal's Lyre" - Joshua (Händel)

moved to Madrid, Spain, where she participated in several master classes with Teresa Berganza, José Van Dam, Robin Bowman, Jean-Pierre Blivet, Ana Luisa Chova, and Ruben Fernandez Aguirre. In Spain, she performed at the Teatro Real in Tardes con Donizetti (2004) and Rossiniana alta en calorias (2007, 2009), both written and conducted by Enrique Viana. She has performed in Don Pasquale by Donizetti at El Círculo de Bellas Artes (Madrid), Cosí fan tutte by Mozart at the Teatro Principal (Castellón de la Plana), Marina by Emilio Arrieta at the Teatro Colón (La Coruña) and at the Festival Nacional de Zarzuela (Arnedo), La Infanta de los bucles de oro by José Serrano at the Palau de la música (Valencia), Die Zauberflöte at the Teatro Cervantes (Málaga), and more from Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice at Euskalduna Theatre (Bilbao). At the Auditorio Nacional of Madrid, she sang soprano soloist in Orff’s

"Durch Zärtlichkeit und Schmeicheln"
Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Mozart)

Carmina Burana with the Orfeon Donostiarra Chorus, participated at the Spanish première of The Magic Opal by Isaac Albeniz, sang in a concert organized by the Teatro Real in Madrid for European Opera Day and was soloist at the Opera and Zarzuela Gala 2009 in Spain with the Orquesta de Radiotelevisón Española conducted by Adrian Leaper. She has been a finalist in many singing competitions such as Luis Mariano (2007), Concours de Chant de Marmande (2008), won the 2nd prize in the International Singing Contest of Logroño in Spain, was awarded with two scholarships offered by Maestro Dalton Baldwin on the Francisco Viñas’ Competition (2008) and the 3rd Price on the International Singing Competiton in Zamora, Spain. In 2008 she won a Scholarship from the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares for a workshop in stage performance for opera singers with Gian Carlo del Monaco where she performed the "Mad Scene" from Lucia di Lammermoor. Her operatic repertoire includes

"Eccomi in lieta vesta"
I Capuletti e i Montecchi (Bellini)

Marie (La Fille du Régiment), Amore (Paride ed Elena), Madame Herz (Der Schauspieldirektor), Blondchen (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Adele (Die Fledermaus), Gilda (Rigoletto), as well as many sacred works such as Mozart’s Requiem, Saint-Saëns’ Messe de Noël, Bach’s Magnificat, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and more. Her interest in baroque music led to performances with La Capilla Real de Madrid, conducted by Oscar Gershenshon, whom she has performed Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, Charpentier`s Messe de Minuit, Händel´s Foundling Hospital Anthem at the Palau de la música (Barcelona) and a South American Tour in 2007 organized by the Mozarteum foundation (Brasil, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay). She performed with Sphera AntiQva, conducted by Javier Illán and Pablo Gutierrez, whom she toured with in April 2010 for the Festival de las Misiones de Chiquitos in Bolivia. She has given many recitals dedicated to bel canto repertoire at the Auditorio Conde Duque with

"Prendi per me sei libero"
L'Elisir d'Amore (Donizetti)

pianist Manuel Burgueras and has given concerts dedicated mainly to the French chamber music repertoire with pianist Laurence Verna. The soprano's 2011-12 season included her debut in L’enfant et les sortilèges (Ravel) with Teatro del Canal in Madrid and Teatro Arriaga in Bilbao, a co-production with the Atelyer Lyrique de L’opera de Paris and Teatro Liceu de Barcelona, conducted by Didier Puntos and Jean Liermier. She sang Gilda in Rigoletto with Théâtre Roger Barat d’Herbay in Paris under the baton of Jean-Luc Tingaud, Gerhilde in Die Walküre at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville with La Fura dels Baus conducted by Pedro Halffter. Her upcoming appearances will

"Wir beten zu dem Tempel an...
Höchster, mache deine Güte" 
Cantata BWV 51 (J.S. Bach)
[seen above with baritone Manuel Gorka]

include her debut at London's Händel Festival in Delirio Amoroso with The International Baroque Players conducted by Johannes Pramsholer, Ravel's L’enfant et les sortilèges and Zemlinsky’s Der Zwerg at the Opera de Lyon with Martyn Brabbins as a conductor and Grzegorz Jarzyna as stage director, and her debut at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence also with L’enfant et les sortilèges [a production that will be done in many music festivals around Europe including Les Jardin Musicaux in Cernier, Switzerland, and a European tour in 2013]. She will also appear in recitals around Spain accompanied by Maestro Borja Mariño. The 2012-2013 season will include her debut at the Wexford Opera Festival, as Minka in Le roi malgré lui by Chabrier, under the baton of Jean-Luc-Tingaud and stage conductor Thaddeus Strassberger.
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More videos of Mercedes Arcuri are after the jump!