Susana Gaspar - Soprano
Portuguese soprano Susana Gaspar's current season engagements include Gilda, Rigoletto for Nevill Holt Opera, Teatro São Carlos Season Opening Gala in Lisbon, Mimì, La Boheme for Grange Park Opera, First Nymph, Rusalka, Opera de Valladolid, Mozart's Coronation Mass and Handel's Dettingen Te Deum at the Cadogan Hall, a CD recording of Mendelssohn songs with Malcolm Martineau, a CD of arias and duets under Renato Balsadonna with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, a recording of Semiramide with Opera Rara and a return to the Royal Albert Hall (BBC Proms Festival 2016).
Her recent appearances include a concert performance of Rigoletto with the London Symphony Orchestra under Noseda, a recording of Mendelssohn songs with Malcolm Martineau, Haydn’s Die Schöpfung with the Símon Bolívar Symphony Orchestra under Gustavo Dudamel and recitals with Gary Matthewman, Beethoven’s Mass in C with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Stephen Cleobury, Cesar Franck's Les Béatitudes and Elgar's The Spirit of England in Lisbon and concerts in Porto under Martin André.
Susana represented Portugal in the 2013 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World.
She joined the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme (JPYAP) in September 2011 and made her Covent Garden debut as Barbarina, Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart), followed by Contessa di Ceprano, Rigoletto (Verdi), Giannetta, L’Elisir d’amore (Donizetti), First Innocent Minotaur (Birtwistle), Papagena, Die Zauberflöte, and Voice from Heaven, Don Carlo (Verdi). Also at the ROH, she covered Susanna, Le Nozze di Figaro, Gilda, Rigoletto, Mimì, La Bohème, Waldvogel, Siegfried, Adina, L’Elisir d’amore, Magda, La Rondine and Corinna, Il viaggio a Reims (JPYAP 10th Anniversary Summer Performance). During Meet the Young Artists Week, at the Linbury Theatre, she sang and recorded – for Opera Rara – a staged production of Les Nuits d’été (Berlioz) and Aurore, Le Portrait de Manon (Massenet).
Opera roles include Violetta, La Traviata (Verdi) for Hawke’s Bay Opera (New Zealand), Josephine, Comedy on the Bridge (Martinu), Lauretta, Gianni Schicchi (Puccini) and Vi, Blue Monday (Gershwin) at Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, Paride, Paride ed Elena (Gluck) at Centro Cultural de Belém, Mimì, La Bohème (Puccini) for British Youth Opera, Dircea/Mochila, Iphigenia en Tracia (José de Nebra) at Zürich’s Grossmünster, title role The Little Prince (Daniel Schvetz) at Teatro da Trindade, Euridice, Orfeo ed Euridice at Convento de Mafra. She has appeared in concert and recital in London (St Martin-in-the-Fields, St Olave’s Church, Barbican Centre, Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall), Winchester, Cambridge, Birmingham, Cardiff, Lisbon (Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Centro Cultural de Belém), Porto (Casa da Música), Zürich, France, Malaysia and Mexico.
Competition awards include the Basil Turner Prize (BYO), First Prize, Best Lied/Mélodie, Best Portuguese Song and Associação Musical do Algarve prizes in the 4th edition of the Portuguese
Rotary Foundation Singing Competition (2010). She was a finalist in the Richard Tauber Competition at Wigmore Hall (2010) and the GSMD Gold Medal Singing Competition (2009).
Susana studied at Lisbon’s Music Conservatory, Guildhall School of Music & Drama (MMus), and The National Opera Studio in London (supported by the Royal Opera House).
