RECOGNITION FOR THE SABADELL OPERA SCHOOL AT THE 7TH EDITION OF THE ÓPERA XXI AWARDS, THE NATIONAL OPERA PRIZES

Mirna Lacambra accepted the award on behalf of the Sabadell Opera School, which was recognised as the Best Initiative or Project Contributing to the Promotion of Opera Activity by Ópera XXI, the association of Spain’s opera houses, festivals, and permanent opera seasons.

The award ceremony was held yesterday at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, under the creative direction of Valencian Emilio López and hosted by writer and music communicator Ramon Gener.

Around 400 people attended the event, which was a celebration of opera and a meeting point for the main companies, organisations, festivals, and opera houses from Spain and Latin America.

The Sabadell Opera School, founded in 1996 by Mirna Lacambra and managed since 2025 by the Òpera a Catalunya Foundation, aims to support and promote young national singers.

On July 2, 3 and 4, the Mirna Lacambra Competition will take place in Sabadell — the gateway to the Opera School’s courses — which this year will focus on Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro.

On June 17, the 7th edition of the Ópera XXI Awards took place in Valencia — the national opera prizes granted by this association of opera houses, festivals, and permanent seasons in Spain, of which the Fundació Òpera a Catalunya is a member.The awards gala was held at the Teatre Martín i Soler of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, under the creative direction of Valencian stage director Emilio López — a prestigious figure who will make his debut with Òpera a Catalunya in the 2025–26 season with a new production of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman (November–December 2025). The event was hosted by writer and music communicator Ramon Gener.

Coinciding with the annual meeting of the 27 member theatres and seasons of Ópera XXI and of OLA Latinoamérica — a network of 40 opera organisations, companies, festivals and theatres from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela — the event was a celebration of opera that brought together nearly 400 people, including representatives from opera seasons and theatres from more than 30 countries.

During the gala, a total of 18 awards were presented, celebrating the achievements, creativity, and talent of Spain’s opera and zarzuela stages during the 2023–24 season. Among the winners were artists and creators such as Pablo Heras-Casado, Calixto Bieito, Jan Antem, Simón Orfila, Gerald Finley, and Alfons Flores, along with the recipients of the Honorary Awards: Núria Espert (lifetime achievement), the Tenor Viñas Singing Competition (cultural institution), and the Fundació Damm (best patronage initiative).

The Escola d’Òpera de Sabadell received the award for Best Initiative or Project Contributing to the Promotion of Operatic Activity, in recognition of its long-standing support for young national singers since its founding in 1996.A heartfelt ovation from fellow colleagues, programmers, and artists welcomed Mirna Lacambra, the driving force and soul of the Escola d’Òpera, who received the award from baritone Celestino Varela, current General and Artistic Director of the Ópera de Oviedo Foundation, and was accompanied by Oscar Lanuza, General Director of the Fundació Òpera a Catalunya.Both Celestino Varela and Ramon Gener, former students of the Escola, gave moving speeches of appreciation and tribute to the project and to Mirna Lacambra, praising her unwavering support and guidance for young singers.

The Ópera XXI AwardsThe awards represent the commitment of the Ópera XXI Association, currently made up of 27 theatres, seasons and festivals, to recognising the intense operatic activity in Spain and the artistic and creative talent that enriches its stages season after season.

The jury was composed of Fernando Sans Riviere, Pablo Meléndez-Haddad, Javier Pérez Senz, Maricel Chavarría Espuny, Alejandro Martínez Rodríguez, Ana Vega Toscà, Pablo L. Rodríguez, Gonzalo Alonso, Justo Romero, Victoria Stapells, Richard Martet, and Ricardo Mujer Rocha (Portugal). The deliberations were also attended by Ópera XXI President Isamay Benavente, awards coordinator Miriam Perandones, and the association’s secretary Jorge Culla.

Escola d’Òpera de SabadellThe Associació d’Amics de l’Òpera de Sabadell (AAOS) created the Eugenio Marco Competition in 1986 as a biennial contest, which later evolved into the Mirna Lacambra Competition, the gateway to the Escola d’Òpera de Sabadell, founded in 1996 by soprano Mirna Lacambra, founder and president of the AAOS.The Escola’s mission has always been to support and promote young national singers.

Students receive comprehensive training in all aspects of opera performance, both musically and theatrically. Each edition culminates with the performance of a full opera production, sharing the stage with professionals from the Òpera a Catalunya cycle — bringing together emerging and established talent.

The 29th edition of the Escola d’Òpera de Sabadell will take place between August and October 2025 and will focus on preparing Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. The cast will include the winners of the Mirna Lacambra Competition, to be held in Sabadell on July 2, 3 and 4.

Singers such as Carles Pachón, Laura Brasó, Toni Marsol, Núria Rial, Enric Martínez-Castignani and Sara Blanch are just some of the notable alumni of the Escola d’Òpera de Sabadell, whose careers have been strongly shaped by the programme and who now enjoy international recognition and success.

Other former participants — including Alejandro Baliñas, Jeroboám Tejera, Eugènia Montenegro, Roberto Redondo-Sainz and Pau Armengol — are now regular soloists in the Òpera a Catalunya season.

In its early years, the Escola was managed by the Associació per a la Formació de Joves Cantants d’Òpera. It was later taken over by the Mirna Lacambra–Xavier Gondolbeu Foundation, established in 2013 by Ms. Lacambra and her husband Dr. Xavier Gondolbeu to ensure the continuation of the AAOS’s project, safeguard its legacy and guide it into the future.In 2025, management of the Escola passes to the Fundació Òpera a Catalunya (FOC), which continues the vision launched by the AAOS in 1982. This transition ensures stronger integration across all areas of the organisation and provides a solid foundation for the Escola’s future.

The Mirna Lacambra Competition and the Escola d’Òpera de Sabadell are supported by the Catalan Government’s Department of Culture, the Sabadell City Council, and the Fundació Banc Sabadell, Fundació Fluidra, and the Mirna Lacambra–Xavier Gondolbeu Foundation.