The Dutch-Argentine soprano Ana-Carmen Balestra is praised for her quality of voice, matched by the elegance of her artistry. She graduated with distinction from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and then completed a one-year Master’s degree at the Opera Academy in Copenhagen, located at the Royal Danish Opera House. Currently, Ana-Carmen studies at the Opera Course at Guildhall, where she has won the Guildhall Wigmore Prize, winning a full evening recital at the Wigmore Hall. She has received recognition for her talent, being the 2024 Guildhall nominee for the Clonter Opera Awards and next season she will start as a Young Artist at the National Opera Studio in London. 

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Her recent operatic experiences have been diverse and impressive. She has performed as Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro and Dalinda in Ariodante at the Copenhagen Opera House. Frasquita in Carmen at the Waterperry Opera Festival. La Principessa in La bella dormente nel bosco by Respighi and Susanna in A star Next to the moon composed by Stephen McNeff at Guildhall. She has also taken on various roles in opera scenes including, Giulietta in i Capuleti e i Montecchi, Blanche in Dialogues de Carmelites, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Governess in Turn of the screw, and Adina in Elisir d’amore. In the summer of 2024 she will be performing Alcina by Handel at Guildhall in collaboration with the Ancient Academy of Music.

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In the Netherlands she has been performing regularly and had the honor of opening with a recital for Ian Bostridge and Julius Drake at the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ in Amsterdam. Furthermore, she made her debut in the Concertgebouw van Amsterdam in 2023 as part of the Masterclass with Nelly Miricioiu. 

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As a versatile and convincing musician she takes the responsibility to make innovative programs, bringing a full range of musical interest to repertoire choices, colliding musical worlds, geography and style in programmes that are both personal and playful. She performed at various festivals like the Rotterdam Opera Festival, the Tête-à-tête- and the Copenhagen Opera Festival. She recently appeared on the BBC Radio 3 with mysterious songs by Kaija Saariaho and appeared on Dutch television, Podium klassiek, a prestigious program about classical music.

 

Ana-Carmen won several awards including the Miluška Duffková scholarship, Kathleen Trust, first prize in the Opera Viva competition, the Sinfonia Rotterdam award and is a Josephine Baker Trust Artist.  

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