Nerea Berraondo

Nerea Berraondo, a native of Pamplona, has appeared on some of the world’s leading stages, performing a wide range of principal roles. Her repertoire includes Adrasto and Creusa in the premiere of Demofonte by C. W. Gluck at the Theater an der Wien (Vienna); Lucio in Catone in Utica by A. Vivaldi at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Paris); Malika in Lakmé by L. Delibes at the Teatro Municipal in Santiago de Chile; Messagiera in L’Orfeo by C. Monteverdi at Teatro Real (Madrid); Venus in Vendado es Amor, no es Ciego by José de Nebra at the Teatro Municipal of Juiz de Fora (Brazil); Fulvio in Tito Manlio by A. Vivaldi at the Auditorio Nacional (Madrid) and Centro Cultural de Belém (Lisbon); Amore in Il Ballo delle Ingrate by Monteverdi at the Teatro Municipal of Juiz de Fora (Brazil); Lemede in Il Califfo di Bagdad by M. García at the Seville Opera Festival; Anita in West Side Story by L. Bernstein at the San Sebastián Musical Fortnight; Arminda in Selva Encantada de Amor by A. Durón at L’Auditori (Barcelona); and Dido in Dido and Aeneas at Teatro Arriaga (Bilbao).

Alongside her operatic career, she is a highly regarded interpreter of oratorio and symphonic repertoire. Highlights include Mendelssohn’s Elijah at the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao conducted by Juanjo Mena; Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Bridgeport Symphony under Eric Jacobsen; Falla’s El Amor Brujo with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra conducted by Tito Muñoz; Handel’s Messiah with the Navarra Symphony Orchestra under Manuel Hernández Silva; Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis at Teatro Arriaga (Bilbao); and Bach’s Ascension Oratorio and St John Passion, performed in Indianapolis, Montreal, and Minneapolis with Ensemble Caprice under Matthias Maute.

She has also toured and performed with leading early music ensembles such as La Ritirata, Harmonia del Parnàs, Complesso Barocco, The Kingsbury Ensemble, Lyra Baroque, Ensemble Caprice, Concerto di Cavalieri, Aldatu, Alqvimia Musicae, and Favola d’Argò. These collaborations have brought her to major international festivals, including the Seville Early Music Festival, the Diamantina Early Music Festival (Brazil), the Montreal Early Music Festival (Canada), Universo Barroco at the Auditorio Nacional (Madrid), the León International Organ Festival, the Juiz de Fora Early Music Festival (Brazil), the Twin Cities Early Music Festival (Minneapolis), the Saint-Savin Early Music Festival (France), and Indianapolis Early Music Festival.

Alberto Plaza

He began his musical studies at the Albacete Conservatory, completing his Intermediate Level with the concert guitarist and composer Marco Smaili, earning top honors in all courses and the End-of-Degree Prize. He then moved to the Alicante Higher Conservatory after achieving a perfect score of 10 on the entrance exam, completing his Advanced Level with the renowned maestro José Tomás and graduating with the highest marks. He has participated in advanced courses with Narciso Yepes, José Tomás, Carles Trepat, David Russell, Manuel Barrueco, Marcos Socías, Antonio Duro, Miguel Trápaga, Miguel García, Carmen María Ros, Álex Garrobé, and José Luis Rodrigo. He also completed postgraduate studies at the Madrid Higher Conservatory with maestro Miguel Ángel Jiménez, focusing on Classical-Romantic music, and for two years received instruction from the concert guitarist Álex Garrobé at the Barcelona School of Music – Autonomous University of Barcelona.

He has performed with the Madrid Community Orchestra at the Teatro de La Zarzuela and with the Chamartín Orchestra at the National Auditorium as part of the Andrés Segovia International Guitar Festival in Madrid, alongside the Antares Quartet, performing F. Moreno-Torroba’s “Ibérico” concerto. He has also been conducted by renowned conductors such as José Ramón Encinar and Juan Manuel Alonso. He was awarded First Prize at the Francisco Tárrega International Competition for Young Guitarists in Vila-real, and was a finalist in the Permanent Competition for Young Guitarists and the Cantabria International Competition.

As a teacher, he is frequently invited to give masterclasses both in Spain and abroad, notably at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, Denmark, and the Conservatories of Monopoli and Pesaro in Italy. He has also served as a jury member for the Francisco Tárrega Competition in Vila-real and the Petrer International Guitar Festival. He is part of the duo Icarús, along with saxophonist Alfonso Padilla. This group specializes in original contemporary music for the saxophone. They have performed concerts throughout Spain and Europe, including at the Scandinavian Saxophone Festival (Denmark 2013), the 17th World Saxophone Congress in Strasbourg (France 2015), the 6th Figures Sonores Festival in Algiers (Algeria 2018), and the 18th World Saxophone Congress in Zagreb (Croatia 2018).

In 2025, they completed a successful tour of Japan, performing six concerts in Osaka and at various venues of the “Music in the Forest” Festival in Kyoto.

In 2002 he passed the competitive examinations for the Corps of Music and Performing Arts Teachers of the Junta de Andalucía, during the 2004/05 academic year he held a professorship at the Higher Conservatory of Córdoba and for 8 years he held a professorship at the C.S.M. “Manuel Castillo” of Seville, currently he is a professor at the CPM “Francisco Guerrero” of Seville.