Summer concerts of the winners of the Tenor Viñas Contest on the Costa Brava💖

Marcela Rahal and Ian Castro join their voces in a recital at Cadaqués Festival

The Brazilian mezzo-soprano Marcela Rahal, winner of the Concurs Tenor Viñas 2024, one of the most important competitions in the lyric world, and the Puerto Rican-American tenor Ian Castro, who was a finalist last year, will join their voices in a concert this Saturday, at midnight, in the church of Santa Maria de Cadaqués, as part of the 51st music festival.

We interview Brazilian Marcela Rahal, mezzo-soprano, winner of the Tenor Viñas Competition 2024!🎼.

“The best of the Concurs is to know that other singers can become friends.”

How do you feel about singing in this spectacular place?
I feel incredible to be here because it is such a historic church. I have seen the video of Montserrat Cavaller singing here. And I have also felt Felipe Carreras giving a recital here. Therefore, it is a privilege and an honor to sing also in such a place.

And what have you done since the end of the contest?
Since the end of the contest, I've been very busy, which is great, exactly what I wanted. So I've been attending the theater where I work, the theater of Lucerne, and now I've been attending the Teatro La Scala for my debut with the opera Capello di pala di Firenze.

And what do you remember as the best and the worst of that competition?
The best part of the contest is really getting to know other people, other singers, who can also become friends in the future, and getting to know myself better. Because now I know much more about myself, about how I face certain situations, in this kind of situations. And now I know how to face and treat myself better in situations where I'm stressed or when maybe it's not the best day to sing. And the worst thing is also that, because sometimes you get to know yourself better, and you see that I don't cope so well with these kinds of situations. I got stressed out a lot... Therefore, as a learning experience it would be to be kinder to yourself and, unfortunately, a less nice part is to have to compete with your colleagues.

Can you describe the contest in three words?
I would describe the Tenor Vinyas Competition as: courage, experience and bravery.

And what advice would you give to the next participants?
For the next participants, I would say, go for it. Don't be afraid. You have to laugh. There is a moment in life when you have to laugh. You have to make a leap of faith. And if you do your work, your daily life, and you try the right repertoire at that moment, you can let go and let the magic pass

We interviewed Ian Castro, the Puerto Rican-American tenor, who was a finalist in the 2023 Tenor Viñas 2024 Competition! 🎼

“The best thing about the contest was having the opportunity to perform and showcase my act in front of all these wonderful and well-connected people who are watching us, as well as the people behind the scenes”.

How do you feel about singing in this spectacular place?

I feel great. Honestly, it's a beautiful city, a beautiful audience, and to be singing in a place like this that has such a rich history, not only the history of Spain, but also the history of music is incredible, and I'm glad to be part of it now.

And what have you done since the end of the contest?

Since the end of the competition, I've finished my time at the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam. And now I'm going to my second year at the Bühnen Bern Theater in Switzerland, and I've had the good fortune and I'm lucky to have done very exciting roles, especially for this year, so I'm excited and nervous, but everything will be amazing, and I'm very excited about that.

What do you remember as the best and the worst of the contest?

The best of the contest was to have the opportunity to perform and make my name known to all these wonderful and well-connected people, as well as the people behind the scenes. Because really, that's what we are trying to do more here, is to be able to present ourselves in the best possible light. And I believe that the Tenor Viñas Competition fosters a very, very safe and useful environment for young singers.

And the best... the best of the competition will always be the competition... to feel comfortable in this kind of situation. It will always be different to do a real production, to be able to go on for the equivalent of five or six minutes of singing. It is difficult, but it is also a very, very important training for us, because it is the same as the auditions. So maybe it's not a fun part of the competition, but it's a very important part of the competition.

And if you have to describe the contest in three words, what words do you use?

A challenge, rewarding and simply fun. It was a fun competition to participate.

And to finish this interview, what advice would you give to the next participants?

Don't worry about being like trying to figure out what the judges want. That's not that it doesn't help you at all, when you are really there, all the judges want you to do well, and that's the most important thing to remember, is that they want everyone to do well. They also want to be able to go home and say: This is the person and this is the person to whom I want to give this opportunity. So you just have to present yourself correctly in the right way. Do the repertoire that suits you best. Don't try, like now, to make a show of something that maybe you are not at this moment, and just, just enjoy the moment.