Elionor Martínez (1996, Barcelona) is the winner of the Official Oratorio-Lied Prize and the sixth prize at the recently held 63rd Tenor Viñas Competition.

She thus becomes the first winner of the Oratorio-Lied category, which this year was held independently for the first time within the competition, with its own official prize, dedicated pianist, and a specialized jury.

In addition, Elionor was also awarded the special prize for Best Spanish Singer, along with several other special awards: Best Mozart Interpreter, the Victoria de los Ángeles Prize, Best Schubert Interpretation, Best Catalan Singer, and the Castell de Peralada Festival Prize.

— Now that the Competition has finished, how do you feel?

I’m very happy; I still can’t quite believe I’ve made it this far and all the prizes I’ve received. It’s been a very intense few days, and now it’s time to fully take it all in and enjoy this happiness.

— How did you begin in the world of oratorio and lied, and when did you decide you wanted to pursue it professionally?

I started at the conservatory when I was five and studied piano for many years, until adolescence, when I told my family I no longer wanted to play the piano and wanted to quit music. But my parents said, “Wait, you’ve been doing it for many years and it’s something you really enjoy — try another instrument.” And I said: singing — almost like saying accordion — and that’s how I began to sing.

I started by performing a lot of Bach’s music and won the Bach Scholarship when I was very young. All of this naturally led me toward the world of oratorio and, more recently, lied, through the Schubertiade and other experiences. It’s a repertoire in which I feel very comfortable. I find it very difficult to strike the balance between expressing the music with simplicity while also conveying all its depth, since it is very “bare,” without scenery or artifice — just you and the pianist.

Even so, I always keep the door open to new genres and composers, to everything that involves learning. I would love one day to step onto an opera stage and discover that world as well.

— Which piece from the oratorio or lied repertoire would you especially love to sing?

One day I would love to perform Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. I’ve sung it many times in a choir, and I’ve always thought it would be wonderful to one day stand at the front and perform that extraordinary quartet.

— What advice would you give to future participants in the Oratorio-Lied category?

I would tell them to apply without fear, because in competitions you never know how things will turn out. To choose a repertoire they feel comfortable with and can defend confidently in their own interpretation. To stay open to whatever may happen — nerves, unexpected situations — because it’s an experience you always take with you.

It’s true that you have very little time to prepare the lied or oratorio aria, work that you normally do with your regular duo partner, the pianist you usually work with. In this case it’s a challenge, and a very different experience from what we’re used to.

— With which three words would you define the Tenor Viñas Competition, and how has your personal experience been?

Emotion, learning, and a great opportunity.