Photo: Tatiana Villaseñor
"Singing is the voice of the soul "
- Graciela Rivera-Quiroz
Graciela Rivera-Quiroz was born in Mexico City. She began her early musical experience at home with her father, singing the traditional mexican music of mariachi and boleros. Later, she decided to focus on classical music. She attended the Mexican National Conservatory where she studied with the soprano Minerva Hernandez, graduating with honors in 2012.
Benefitting from a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Programme, she studied singing with Prof. Monika Bürgener, and successfully completed a Masters degree in Music Performance at the Music University in Würzburg, Germany, where she now lives and works.
She has been scholarship holder of the Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now Foundation, and of the Richard Wagner Association.
She has broadened her training by taking Masterclasses with Mariella Devia, Brigitte Fassbaender, Juliane Banse, Hedwig Fassbender, Cheryl Studer, Irwin Gage, Emma Kirkby, Anne Elgar Kopta, Francisco Araiza, Roberto Abbondanza and Yi-Man-Chuan.
In 2015 she won the International Singing Competition Rheinsberg in Berlin and in 2017 she won the International Singing Competition Haldenstein in Switzerland. She was also finalist of the Lions International Singing Competition in Gut Immling on this year.
2018 Graciela became mother and founded the R&OLiedDuo with pianist Tatiana Orlova, as part of the Exzellenz-Labor Gesang at the Académie de Villecroze (France), where they began their collaboration with songs by Richard Strauss and Claude Debussy.
2019 they won the first prize at the International Feurich Competition for piano, singing and chamber music in Vienna.
As young lyric soprano with coloratura, she has had the opportunity to sing on many stages in Mexico, the USA and Europe and to work with important artists like John Rutter, David Marlow, Sibylle Wagner, Holger Berndsen, Andrew Beall, Frank Matthus, André Dos Santos, Digna Guerra, and Horacio Franco.
Dancing and acting have been a serious part of her training. The mastery of her vocal technique gives her voice the ability to sing classical and contemporary music.
She defines herself as a perfectionist and multifaceted artist.
.
Photo: Henry Mundt
2010 With the Chamber Orchestra of Fine Arts Mexico, she sang under the baton of John Rutter the solo in his MAGNIFICAT, and with the Youth Camerata of Veracruz she sang in Mexico Premiere of SONG OF ALMAH' by Andrew Beall. She performed this part also in New York (USA) at the Frederick Loewe Theater.
In 2008, 2009 and 2010 she sang with the opera studio of the Conservatory of Mexico, Leila in Les Pêcheurs de Perles by G. Bizet, Norina in Don Pasquale by G. Donizetti and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni by W. A. Mozart.
In 2012 she sang with the Opera de México Company Adina in L'elisir d'amore by G. Donizetti.
2013 she received a scholarship of Offenbach Operetta Studio under the direction of André Dos Santos and sang the role of Catherine in Le mariage aux lanternes by J. Offenbach and the role of Lucia in The Rape of Lucretia by Benjamin Britten.
2014 as part of the Opera Studio of the University of Music Würzburg, she sang the title role in The cunning little vixen by L. Janacek, the role of Diane in Hippolyte et Aricie by Jean-Philippe Rameau and 2015 the role of Governess in Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw and the role of Sandrina in La Finta Giardiniera by Mozart.
2015 she sang also at the Rheinsberg Festival for Young Opera Singers the role of Violetta Valery in La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi with the Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sibylle Wagner. She was also soloist with the Frankfurt Symphony Orchestra under the baton of David Marlow.
2017 she made debut as Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail von Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at Schlossoper Haldenstein Festival in Switzerland under the direction of Philippe Bach and Anthony Pilavachi.
Photo: Marco Hartmann