It happened on July 21, 2021. The Liceu was about to go on vacation when a prodigious event occurred. Serena Sáenz, the substitute soprano of the Lucia di Lammermoor that was performed those days, was called on stage due to the indisposition of the principal. She would debut at the Gran Teatre. Many things could go wrong, but the 27-year-old took advantage of the opportunity. Her personality and her luminous voice captivated the audience, who had the sensation of witnessing a before and after in the singer's career. Two years later, Sáenz is an established artist. Today we interviewed her in the Culture section.
Although it is true that talent must be brought from home, artistic teachings help. Sáenz began his studies at the Conservatori del Liceu, to later continue them in Berlin. He is an example of a top-level artist emerging from the public-private circuit of music schools in Barcelona. In the same group we should include his colleague Sara Blanch, another splendid soprano called to star in great nights of opera. Or, opening the range of styles, to Rosalía herself, trained in the classrooms of the Taller de Músics (private center) and Esmuc (public). The combination of the higher schools, the municipal centers – there is the Escola de Sant Andreu –, the private academies and the grassroots community with its choirs, orchestras and various combos turns Barcelona into a privileged city in the training of musical talents. It is not a unique case. Madrid and other cities also have prestigious schools. But it is regrettable that Barcelona's diminished art scene is incapable of absorbing the classes of students leaving its educational system. There is a lack of stages, especially for rock, pop, urban music or jazz. The shortage of this last genre is especially serious: if no one remedies it, this week Milano will close, a club expelled from the premises it occupied for the galactic rentals of Ciutat Vella.
Opera and classical are another matter. High-level artists are nomads by necessity. Supported by the Liceu in this initial phase of her career, Serena Sáenz is going to travel around the world several times in her professional life. Her next stop is the Vienna Opera. Lauretta, a character from Puccini's Il Trittico, is waiting for her.
