Loved as much abroad as she is in her native country Spain, Sabina Puértolas is a soprano who has triumphed from the United States to China, from Chile to Japan, and most of all in Europe. She is acclaimed for her interpretations of opera roles such as Manon (Massenet), Violetta (La Traviata), Gilda (Rigoletto), Norina (Don Pasquale), Fiorilla (Il Turco in Italia), and Rodelinda (Händel).
In the 2024/25 season, she takes on two new leading roles: she debuts as Anna Bolena (title role, Donizetti) at the Ópera de Oviedo, and as Marina (title role, Arrieta) at the Teatro de la Zarzuela and the Zarzuela Festival in Oviedo. She also returns to the Teatro Real as Ismene in Mitridate and is invited by Daniel Oren to sing the role of Gilda in Rigoletto at the Teatro Verdi in Trieste.
Highlights of the 2023/24 season included Violetta (La Traviata) at the Teatro Villamarta in Jerez de la Frontera, Gilda (Rigoletto) at the ABAO Bilbao Opera, Musetta (La Bohème) at the Teatro Verdi in Salerno, her role debut as Norina (Don Pasquale) at the Teatro Municipal of Santiago de Chile, Doña Francisquita at the Teatro de la Zarzuela, and the Centennial Gala Concert for Victoria de los Ángeles at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.
Recently, Sabina Puértolas has experienced one triumph after another as Manon (Massenet), one of her signature roles, debuting at the Teatro Villamarta in 2021 and performing it since then at the Teatro Municipal de Santiago de Chile, the Ópera de Oviedo, and the Ópera de Tenerife. Other recent successes include her Carnegie Hall debut in New York in September 2022, in a gala concert of Spanish music. La Vanguardia wrote, “Sabina Puértolas sets Carnegie Hall on fire” and “the soprano sparkled with her zarzuelas, bringing the audience to their feet.” She also continues to sing baroque repertoire, with performances as Teagene in Corselli’s rediscovered opera Achille in Sciro at the Teatro Real and as Angelica in Händel’s Orlando at the Festival de Peralada.
Sabina Puértolas began her singing studies at the "Pablo Sarasate" conservatory in Pamplona, later studying at the prestigious Accademia Chiggiana in Siena and the Accademia Verdiana in Busetto under the tutelage of Carlo Bergonzi. She also received master classes from Miguel Zanetti and Victoria de los Ángeles. She is a prize winner of the Operalia singing competition (2003) in the category of Zarzuela, and also won prizes at the Riccardo Zandonai, Julián Gayarre, Francisca Quart, and Manuel Ausensi competitions.
In 2001, her career took flight after her debut as Oscar in Un ballo in maschera at the Teatro alla Scala, under the baton of Riccardo Muti. Since then, she has developed an intense international career, working with conductors such as David Curtis, Christophe Rousset, Alain Guingal, Gianluca Capuano, Jesús López-Cobos, Paolo Arrivabeni, Jean-Christophe Spinosi, and Antonino Fogliani. In recent years, she has sung Gilda (Rigoletto) at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and Teatro Municipal de Santiago de Chile; Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) at the Seattle Opera; Fiorilla (Il Turco in Italia) and Servilia (La clemenza di Tito) at the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse; Marie (La fille du régiment), directed by Laurent Pelly, and Contessa di Folleville (Il viaggio a Reims) at the Gran Teatre del Liceu; the title role in Claus Guth’s production of Rodelinda for the Teatro Real conducted by Ivor Bolton; and Despina (Così fan tutte) in Jan Philipp Gloger’s new production for the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, under the baton of Semyon Bychkov. Other highlights include the roles of Princesse Eudoxie in Olivier Py’s production of Halévy’s La Juive, conducted by Daniele Rustioni for the Opéra national de Lyon; Morgana (Alcina) for La Monnaie (Brussels) and Dutch National Opera with Christophe Rousset and Pierre Audi; Despina (Così fan tutte) with the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia di Roma, under the baton of Semyon Bychkov; and Drusilla (L’incoronazione di Poppea), directed by Claus Guth, as well as Satirone and Minerva/Amore in Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria, both at the Theater an der Wien.
From the zarzuela repertoire, Sabina Puértolas has premiered new productions of La tabernera del puerto and Doña Francisquita, at the Teatro de la Zarzuela, and has starred in Luisa Fernanda, La Generala or La del manojo de rosas, directed by Emilio Sagi. She has sung also in Marina, La Generala and La Gran Vía.
Her discography includes Così fan tutte (OpusArte), Alcina (Alpha Classics), Ariodante (Virgin Classics) and La Llama by the Spanish composer José María Usandizaga (Deutsche Grammophon). In 2023, IBS Classical released her solo album Cisnes en palacio with songs by Emilio Arrieta with Ruben Fernandez Aguirre on the piano.