Biography

Ana-Carmen Balestra is a Dutch-Argentine soprano. In May 2021, she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Classical Singing from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. She then completed a one-year Master’s degree at the Opera Academy in Copenhagen, located at the Royal Danish Opera House. There, she sang various roles including, Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro and Dalinda in Handel’s Ariodante.

Currently, Ana is pursuing her two-year Opera Course studies at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, with the support of a full scholarship. Next season she will be singing the role of La Principessa in La bella dormente nel bosco by Respighi, Susanna, in the newly composed piece A star Next to the moon composed by Stephen McNeff, and the title role in Alcina. After winning the prestigious Guildhall Wigmore Prize, she is granted a carte blanche and will be performing a full recital in April 2024 at the Wigmore Hall in Londen.

Ana enjoys performing regularly in the Netherlands and has participated in the program Jonge Grote Zangers, where she had the honor of working with Ian Bostridge and Julius Drake at the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ in Amsterdam. Furthermore, she made her debut in the Concertgebouw van Amsterdam in the end of summer 2023.

She has performed at various festivals like the Rotterdam Opera Festival, the Tête-à-tête Festival in London and the Copenhagen Opera Festival. She recently appeared on the BBC Radio 3 with songs by Kaija Saariaho as part of the Total Immersion program. Additionally, Ana sang the role of Frasquita in Carmen for the Waterperry Opera Festival in Oxford during the summer of 2023.

Ana has won several awards, including the Miluška Duffková scholarship, the first prize in the Opera Viva competition, the Sinfonia Rotterdam award and is part of the Josephine Baker Trust.

Award: Silver Medal 2023