BIO
Praised for her 'bright timbre and beautiful low tones' by Camila Fresca in Concerto Magazine (2023), 24-year-old lyric soprano and music researcher Lorena Pires is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Singing under the guidance of bass-baritone Licio Bruno at the College of Music of Espírito Santo (FAMES).
Lorena is the 2nd place winner in the 18 to 25-year-old category at the 2nd Natércia Lopes Singing Competition in Vitória (2023) and the 1st place winner in the 'Female Voice' category, awarded with the 'Maria D'Apparecida' Prize, at the 2nd Joaquina Lapinha Singing Competition (2023) in São Paulo.
Her upcoming operatic roles include Arbace (Catone in Utica by A. Vivaldi) with the A Trupe Barroca ensemble, Sylvia (L'isola Disabitata by J. Haydn) at FAMES, Contessa di Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro by Mozart) with Ópera Studio Coletivo das Artes, and a soloist in the 2024 Season at Theatro Municipal de São Paulo.
At the Ópera Studio Coletivo das Artes in 2021, she played the role of Zweite Dame in a concert format production of Die Zauberflöte by W. A. Mozart. In 2019, she participated as a member of the ensemble in the opera La Fille du Régiment (G. Donizetti), marking her debut in professional opera.
She has actively participated in masterclasses with renowned singers and musicians from both the Brazilian and international lyrical scenes, including Atalla Ayan, Adriane Queiroz, Gabriella Pace, Kismara Pezzati, Luisa Francesconi, Luciana Bueno, Sávio Sperandio, pianist Fábio Bezuti, and conductors Tamás Salgó (HUN), Guilherme Bernstein, Mateus Araújo, Priscila Bomfim, and Silvio Viegas.
Between 2018 and 2023, she was a member of the Symphonic Choir of FAMES, where she shared the stage with prominent figures in the music scene and performed a wide repertoire.
As a researcher, she has been conducting investigations into Black Brazilian lyrical singers, having issued an article on lyrical singer Maria D'Apparecida at the XXXIII ANPPOM Congress in São João del Rei (October/23). In 2022, she performed her first solo recital, "The Voices of the Afro-Diaspora: Negro Spirituals and Afro-Brazilian Songs." The product of bibliographic research for the recital was presented at the II Forum of the Center for Research in Music and Musicology at FAMES.
reviews
"At the age of 23, Lorena Pires from Espírito Santo received applause and cheers from the audience as she displayed great stage presence and dramatic flair, along with a brilliant tone and beautiful low notes. Her powerful voice closed the evening by performing the Aria from the Letter, from Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin."
Theatro Municipal de São Paulo, 2023
Camila Fresca, Concerto.com