Plácido Domingo Foundation Launches First Zarzuela Residence in Madrid

The Plácido Domingo Foundation has launched its first training project dedicated to zarzuela. The inaugural Zarzuela Residence ran from Sept. 21 to 26 at the Escuela Superior de Canto de Madrid.

Nine singers from seven countries took part in the week of intensive work on Spanish repertoire: Davide Battiniello, Ekaterine Buachidze, Aleksandra Domashchuk, Oleh Lebedyev, Jack Lee, Sarah Saturnino, Shine Lee, Yosif Slavov, and Yuliia Zasimova. All had competed in the zarzuela category at recent editions of Operalia, the international competition founded by Plácido Domingo.

Two participants arrived with major Operalia distinctions. Buachidze won first prize, the audience prize, and the zarzuela prize in 2025. Jack Lee received the audience prize in 2024.

Óliver Díaz, the foundation's artistic director, led the program. Mezzo soprano Nancy Herrera, baritone Carlos Álvarez, and stage director Emilio Sagi served as mentors. Repetiteurs Borja Mariño and Carlos Sanchis also participated.

The curriculum focused on core Spanish works. The singers prepared arias and duets from Moreno Torroba's "Luisa Fernanda," Vives' "Doña Francisquita," and Sorozábal's "La tabernera del puerto."

The residence extended beyond the selected cohort. It included master classes open to students of the Escuela Superior de Canto, among them a session led by Álvarez with baritone Alonso Cano, a student at the institution.

The project marks a new direction for the foundation, which until now had not run a training program specifically devoted to zarzuela. Its inaugural edition suggests the genre will remain central to the foundation's educational mission in future seasons.