VOICE 2023 : Laureate
Sílvia Sequeira, laureate of the 2023 Queen Elisabeth Competition and winner of the Canvas-Klara Audience Prize,
performs a vast repertoire that ranges from classical music to nineteenth-and twentieth-century Italian verismo. The Portuguese soprano studied at the Conservatorium Maastricht, where she was taught by Yvonne Schiffelers, and honed her skills under the guidance of Chelsea Bonagura. In November 2022, she won the ARIA competition for opera singers, which earned her an opportunity to train at the Opera Studio of the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam. In May 2023, she made her debut there in the role of Anna Kennedy in Donizetti’s
Maria Stuarda. She is still based in The Netherlands and has since debuted two other roles at the National Opera ; Donna Elvira in Mozart’s
Don Giovanni and Suor Angelica in
Suor Angelica by Puccini.
Earlier awards include the Third Prize at the Vincerò competition, the Audience Prize at the Concurso International de Canto Lírico de Lousada, and the Wagner Prize and the Audience Prize at the International Vocal Competition ’s-Hertogenbosch. Beginning of 2024, she won the Third prize, the Wagner prize, and the Publico prize, amongst others, at the Tenor Viñas competition in Barcelona. Next up, she will be touring with a contemporary opera in Portuguese that talks about the dictatorship in Portugal as this year Portugal celebrates the 50th anniversary of its end. In the summer she is going to tour in Italy.
Teachers
2022 - : Chelsea Bonagura
2020 - 2022 : Yvonne Schiffelers
Degrees
2020 - 2022 : Master in Opera, Conservatorium Maastricht
Concerts
2022 : Theatre aan het Vrijthof - Poéme de l'amour et de la mer - Chausson, Conservatorium Maastricht, Conservatorium Maastricht orchestra, Federico Santi
2016 : Coliseu do Porto - Wesendonklieder - R. Wagner, ESMAE, ESMAE sinfonic orchestra, António Saiote
Competitions
2022 : Wagner prize and Audience prize, International Vocal Competition - Netherlands
2022 : Audience prize, Ciclo Lousada
2022 : 3rd prize, Vinceró Competition - Italy
2022 : 2nd prize, best dramatic voice, audience prize and special prize, Ebe Stignani competition - Italy
2022 : 1st Prize, ARIA - Netherlands
2021 : 2nd prize, Concurso de canto lirico da fundação Rotários Portuguesa