About members or performers
National and international aware winners, their performances are based on musical rigour, a unified criterion, a unique treatment of the sound and a careful selection of their repertoires. National and international award winners, their performances are based on musical rigour, a unified criterion, a unique treatment of sound and a careful selection of their repertoire.
VokalArs is a vital and creative artistic community that develops an honest work able to favour the closeness and the connection to the audience.
VokalArs is an energetic and creative artistic community which has honed/perfected the skill of connecting and engaging with its audience.
BELÉN ALHAMA ALAMILLO
She qualified as Transversal Flute Professor at the Royal Conservatory of Music of Madrid and got bachelor’s degree in Science Information at the Complutense University of Madrid, in Visual and Auditory Image branch. Since 1999 to date, she has been a music teacher in Secondary Education and has formed teenage choirs in many of the centers in which she has worked. In 2004 she begins studies of Music Therapy in the School of Music Therapy of Madrid and in 2008 starts the Master in Music Therapy in the University of Alcalá de Henares.
In 2010 she carries out the training in Sound Therapy, endorsed by the International Association in Sound Therapy. She has worked as a music therapist in the Association of Parents of under-capacitated children of Alcorcón (A.P.A.N.S.A.) for two years. In January 2012 she carried out Choral Conducting course at Carlos III University and joined VokalArs. Since November 2017, she conducts Earus children’s choir, Antara Korai vocal group’s voice feeder.
SOLEDAD FERRERAS MENCÍA
Born in Talavera de la Reina, Soledad has a degree in Biological Sciences from the Complutense University and a PhD from the Universidad Pontificia Comillas de Madrid, where she is a professor of Basic Biomedical Sciences in the Department of Health Sciences. She develops teaching and research projects and is Coordinator of Statistics and Research Tools and Biochemistry for Nursing and Physiotherapy Degrees. She is also the Director of a Vocational College for health and social care qualifications. She has studied music, guitar and piano in her hometown and has collaborated with several groups in which music is used as a medium to improve, make sense of and normalize the lives of people who have been totally or partially excluded from full participation in society. In addition, she has formed part of the Carlos III University Choir in Madrid since 2007 and studies voice under Professor Bridget Clark. She joined VokalArs in 2009.
MELANIA SUÁREZ PÉREZ
Diploma in Teaching, specializing in Musical Education, from the University
of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Professional degree in singing from the
Professional Music Conservatories of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Canary
Islands, Spain) and Valencia. She has studied saxophone music and is a
member of different municipal brass bands on her native island.
She has trained in musical pedagogy and choral conducting in the following
institutions: Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid (Royal Advanced
Conservatory of Music in Madrid), Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Carlos III
University, Madrid), Orff Association Spain, Federation of Choirs of the Basque
Country, Camerata Impromptu, Sevillian Federation of Choirs, Federation of
Choirs of the Valencian Community, Willems Association, University of Las
Palmas de Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain) etc.
She has been a member of the following choirs: VokalArs, Carlos III
University Choir of Madrid, Joven Coro de España (Spain Youth Choir),
Chamber Choir of the Professional Conservatory of Music of Valencia, Orfeó
Valencià Navarro Reverter, Chamber Choir of the Professional Conservatory of
Music of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain) and Asociación
Coral Cantabile (Cantabile Choral Association).
Her professional life has been focused towards musical pedagogy, mainly
through vocal education, having worked in school choirs, adult choirs, music
schools, colleges, associations, etc.
ÁNGELA ÚBEDA CUADRADO
She also has studies of singing at the “Teresa Berganza” Music Conservatory in Madrid, having as teachers, Mario Valdivielso and Bridget Clark.
It is at the Music School “Manuel Rodríguez Sales” where she begins her interest in the choral world as part of the Municipal choir. During more than ten years as a member, she passes through different directors: Agustín Lucas, Manuel Dimbwadyo, Asunción Paniagua and Nuria Fernández Herranz.
This last director is who in 2013 invites her to join Vokalars, where until now she sings as second sopran.
ARAIZ ZUBIMENDI ALBERDI
Born in San Sebastian, she began her musical studies at an early age at the Conservatory of this city and studied accordion.
Born in San Sebastian, she began her musical studies at an early age at the Conservatory of this city and studied accordion.
She graduated in Social Work by the Diocesan University School of Social Work.
In 1988 she joined Orfeón Donostiarra choir until 1997 and studied in its Singing school. During years 1995-96 she performed the musical comedy “Las Bellas de EasO” produced by Hika theatre company.
Between 1996 and 1999 she was member of the choir of Calderón Theatre in Madrid, in the opera and zarzuela seasons.
In 1999 she was part of the company Antología de la Zarzuela directed by José Tamayo, highlighting the performances in the National Auditorium of Mexico DF and the National Theatre of Aguas Calientes (Mexico).
She graduated in Singing at the professional Conservatory of music Teresa Berganza, finishing her studies in 2002.
Member of Vox Aurea choir since 2002 where she was deputy conductor until 2012.
She studied Choral Conducting at Carlos III University with Nuria Fernández Herranz and has been part of VokalArs since 2005
Currently she works as a Support Engineer in the financial area of an important international software company.
CARMEN MONTOYA GUTIERREZ
aimed at caring for the voice, as well as the development of an aesthetic and musical capacity at this stage.
He obtained a professional degree in piano at the Ceuta Conservatory and a Master's Degree in Choral Conducting at the International University of La
Rioja.
A great lover of choral music and singing, he has received numerous courses in choir conducting, choral pedagogy and singing.
JULIA MONK ALFARO
Professionally, he studies Teaching in the specialty of English Philology at the Complutense University of Madrid. She, already as a teacher, is selected to carry out the first Musical Specialization Course for teachers implemented by the Ministry of Education.
He has attended different Music History courses and seminars related to musical pedagogy and didactics. Her vocal training has been carried out by teachers Linda Mirabal, Lola Bosom and Laura Fernández.
He has been a stable member of the choirs Juan del Encina in Madrid, Coro de Rivas Vaciamadrid; as well as in the chamber choirs ArteSonado and Hispánico Modo, in addition to being part of larger choral projects from time to time.
She is currently a soprano in the choir of the Madrid Choral Society and since May 2022 in VokalArs.
Both from her personal facet as a teacher, or as director of a public center for early childhood and primary education, she has always transmitted the love for music and singing as an expressive resource to students.
CRISTINA LÓPEZ FRAILE
Born in Madrid, she studied music theory and violin at the Rodolfo Halfter
Professional Conservatory in Móstoles. She also studied Spanish Classical
Dance and Classical Ballet with Esther Escudero, an activity that she developed
until 2001.
In 1988 she joined the Francisco Piquer Choir in Madrid, directed by Jose
Vicente Alcérreca, having the opportunity to sing in the National Auditorium
under the baton of Mercedes Padilla, director of the Chamber Orchestra of
Madrid.
In 1988 she joined the Francisco Piquer Choir in Madrid, directed by Jose
Vicente Alcérreca, having the opportunity to sing in the National Auditorium
under the baton of Mercedes Padilla, director of the Chamber Orchestra of
Madrid.
She has received vocal technique classes with Amaya Añúa and Alfredo
García, among others.
Since 2000 she has been a member of the Guido D`Arezzo de Móstoles
Chamber Choir, in which she combines the work of singer with being the
Deputy Director.
She combines musical activity with her professional activity in Banking, where
she has been working since 1988, and has been certified by CUNEF as a
Specialist in Banking and Financial Advice.
She has been a member of Vokalars since 2013.
Mª JOSÉ ÁLVAREZ BORONDO
Born in Madrid, she has a degree in Latin and Ancient Greek, graduated with honors in Universidad Autónoma of Madrid. Moreover, she studied Singing with Mª José Sánchez, Paquita Parriego and Bridget Clark, becoming graduated at conservatory “Teresa Berganza” (Madrid). Right there, she studied Composition with Gabriel Fernández Álvez, completing the specialty with honors.
She is a member of VokalArs since 2004, the very beginning of the group, after studying Choral Conducting at Carlos III University (Madrid) with Nuria Fernández Herranz. He has also been part of different vocal groups, such as Leteica Music, Andanza, Jerónimo de Carrión Ensemble and, occasionally, she collaborated with other choirs, such as Mater Saule or the Chamber Choir of Madrid.
As choral conductor, she currently leads the municipal choir of El Álamo (Madrid) and another two chamber choirs, The Find and Hispánico Mode, both focused on ancient music.
Concerned about popularization of traditionally so-called classical music, she has developed educational projects for adults or children, scripts for stage music shows by opera singers, and frequently is in charge of dramatized concert presentations.
She combines music activities with teaching in a Secondary School, where she works as Music teacher.
ARACELI SALAZAR NICOLÁS
Born in Madrid. He studied the career of Senior Professor of Choir Conducting with Mr. Adrián Cobo and Senior Professor of Solfeggio, Music History and Transposition with Ms. Ana María Navarrete and Mr. César Ausejo at the Superior Conservatory of Music of Madrid. Likewise, he obtained the title of Professor of Composition, Counterpoint and Fugue and Harmony, and that of Professor of Piano at the Professional Conservatory of Getafe.
He has carried out numerous choral singing workshops with prestigious teachers, such as Josu Elberdin, Javier Corcuera or Nuria Fernández Herranz, among others.
Currently, he combines teaching with various musical activities, among which is his collaboration as a singer in the choral group VokalArs.
MYRIAM RAMÍREZ CUESTA
He began to study music at his school in Madrid and several years passed until he continued his studies at the Arturo Soria Conservatory and later at the CSMA, Conservatorio Superior de Música de Aragón with Iván Cítera as a soloist and with the Casals Quartet in Chamber Music. Later she does a postgraduate course with Josep Maria Colom.
In 2012 he began to discover the choral world thanks to his work as a pianist in the Coro Maravillas. Later, from 2015 to 2018, he is fortunate to be able to accompany the Children and Youth Choirs of the Community of Madrid. In 2016 he obtained the Willems Pedagogical Diploma after three years of training with Christophe Voidey, where the experience of voice and singing as expressive resources represents a turning point.
He has been a member of VokalArs since January 2020.
BELÉN DOLADO MORENO
He was born in Madrid, where he began his musical training with the guitar at the age of 8 and singing in the school and parish choir. But it was not until a few years later that he began middle-grade piano studies and then oboe.
Having grown up in a multicultural environment, she learned several languages from an early age such as English, French, Italian and German, which allowed her to train as a Tourist Guide and work as such for the Madrid City Council and as an interpreter for various companies at different events and fairs in the International Fair of Madrid (IFEMA), while continuing his musical studies. She later graduated in Musicology at the Madrid Royal Conservatory of Music with Honors and an Extraordinary End of Degree Award for her research work on the oboe in the Archive of the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. She studied Gregorian Chant at the Royal Monastery of Las Huelgas in Burgos. She began her choral career in the Choir of the Church of San Jerónimo el Real, singing as a soprano and collaborating as assistant director with Mª Ángeles Calahorra. In 2004 she took the Choir Conducting Course at the Carlos III University of Madrid, where she met Nuria Fernández, joining VokalArs ever since. She was a member of the Symphonic Band of La Lira de Pozuelo playing the oboe and participating in various national and international music band competitions. She has worked as an organist in various parishes in Madrid and is currently an organist in the parish of Ntra. Sra. De Guadalupe, where she directs the retired choir. For several years she has been working as a teacher in schools and Municipal Schools of Music, teaching piano and musical language classes, disciplines in which she currently focuses her work activity.
MÓNICA RODRÍGUEZ LORANCA
She focuses her work activity on the education of the youngest, so she also studies the specialty of early childhood teaching in 2008 at the University School of La Salle in Madrid, as well as various training courses focused on the field of children (early attention, stimulation techniques, animation workshop or children's songbook, among others). She is responsible for developing and incorporating a specific music program in the different nursery schools where she has been teaching since 2002. In 2006, she attended the pedagogy and direction of children’s choirs taught by the choir confederation of the Basque Country. He was a member of the Santa María Chamber Choir, directed by José Javier Astrain, and since the end of 2010 he has been part of the Vokalars belonging to the contraltos string.
ELOÍSA COTOBAL COLLADO
She is also a graphologist by SOESPGRAF and Bircham University, graphic re-educator and specialist in the diagnosis of students with learning high capacities. Since she was a girl her musical training has been with Jose de Felipe, Irina Shirokij, Carmen Verdura, and Delimira Olivera among others. She has sung in different choir groups since the age of six: Virgen de Mirasierra Choir, Universidad Politecnica choir, Voxa Nova, Don Bosco choir, Universidad Carlos III choir, and VokalArts in which she has participated since its foundation.
In 2005 she participated in a choir director program with Nuria Fernandez and she has directed the FEM choir, and the students and teachers choir in Colegio Virgen de Mirasierra where she currently works at the Department of Spanish language and literature in Secondary school.
NURIA AVENDAÑO GARCÍA
Nuria has performed several "zarzuelas" with "Compañía Ópera Cómica de Madrid" such as "Mis dos Mujeres” (F.A. Barbieri), “El Dominó Azul” (E. Arrieta),”El Conjuro” (E. Arrieta) and “Agua, Azucarillos y Aguardiente” (F. Chueca). In 2003 she worked in the production "This is Zarzuela" by Producciones Guridi. She has also sung with “Voces para la paz” (Músicos solidarios) and "Orfeón Donostiarra" in different concerts.
TAMARA MARTÍNEZ VALCÁRCEL
Autonomous University of Madrid and Master in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology from Mount Sinai in New York. He is R&D Manager of a major company
Pharmaceutical, where it develops Industrial Research for drug development. Despite dedicating himself professionally to Science, he has always
has had a vital connection with the arts, both painting and music and uses it as an expressive and personal encounter resource. His relationship with the choral world begins with the Vox Aurea choir, under the direction of Javier Corcuera and later of Nacho Rodriguez and Rodrigo Guerrero. During this time, Tamara tackles different styles such as ancient music, Renaissance, Baroque, Classicism and contemporary music. During this time, he has occasion to participate in large-scale montages such as The Messiah or Carmina Burana at the National Auditorium and at the Teatro Real in Madrid, the Requiems of Mozart and Verdi or the Seven Last Words of Christ, Haydn, and Membra Jesu Nostri, of Buxtehude, Rossini's Petite Messe Sollenelle, Thomas Louis of Victoria's Officium Defunctorum among others. He has worked with directors of the stature of Richard Egarr, Paul McCreesh or Pierre
Cao. He has sung with important orchestras such as the National Orchestra of Spain, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the European Royal
Ensemble or the Baroque Orchestra of Seville. During this time he has also learned from the best teachers with his participation in Seminars at the
Student Residence and the Tomás Luis de Victoria Study Center. Among others, Josep Vila, Albert Alcaraz, Javier Busto, Fidel Calalang, Lluís
Villamajo, Marco Berrini, Miguel Angel Garcia, Mireia Barrera, Xabier Sarasola, Stephe Conolly, Barbora Kabatkova, Hana Blažíkova and Marco
Antonio García de Paz among others. During this time he also sang in Chamber Choirs such as ArteSonado, Cantart and Coro de Cámara Amadís.
(both specialized in Ancient Music), and in the Arsys female choir. She studies singing with the baritone Alfredo García and currently with the soprano
Laura Fernandez Mayor. Currently, she sings in El Coro de la Sociedad Coral de Madrid, in the Ensemble La Abadesa and in VokalArs since June 2022.
ELENA DÍAZ MARTÍ
His relationship with the choral world began in the choir conducting courses at the Carlos III University with Nuria Fernández, a fact that had a decisive influence on his training and firm conviction that singing and listening training should be basic pillars of Language classes. Musical, specialty that he is passionate about. Since then she has not stopped training through seminars and workshops with important pedagogues and choir directors in Spain and Europe. He has received vocal training from Santiago Calderón and Lola Bossom. She has been a teacher at the Municipal School of Music and Dance of Talavera de la Reina from 1997 to 2004, a music reading teacher for the Children's Program of Stage Music at the Carlos III University of Madrid and has been part of the Carlos III University choir. from Madrid. She is currently a professor of Musical Language and Choir at the Professional Conservatory of Music of Alcalá de Henares and a member of VokalArs.
MARÍA ANTONIA MUÑOZ RODRÍGUEZ (TONY)
Born in Madrid where his choral singing career began as contralto in the UNED Choir, directed by Pilar Lake and then by Adrian Cobo (1994- 1996-2000). In 2000 he moved to Coro Via Magna where he sings until its dissolution in 2014 and was directed by Oscar Gershenshon. Between 2014 and 2017 is part of Koiné Ensemble, directed by Ignacio Yepes and subsequently in Vox Femina Choir School of Madrid until January 2019, date on which he joined VokalArs.
She made his musical training at the Municipal School of Music in Las Rozas (Madrid), specializing in viola and piano. She also studied for two years at the Escuela de Música Creativa in Madrid, since 2006 to 2008.
She has received vocal technique classes from Sara Matarranz, Gudrún Ólafsdóttir and, at present, from Virginia Wagner. In addition, she has participated in choral seminars, workshops and joint vocal technique classes (Celia Alcedo and Francesca Calero), working in several choral projects and monographic courses about History of Music in general and specially in Baroque period and Opera.
ROSARIO SÁNCHEZ MONSÁLVEZ
Born in Madrid. She has a degree in Pharmacy from the Complutense University. She started in music, motivated by her parents at an early age and she studied music and choir singing at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid and until now she has not stopped participating in different choirs. She has been a member of VokalArs since 2016, expanding her training under the direction of Nuria Fernández.
Interested in the therapeutic aspect of music, she has done, among others, courses such as "Physiology and mechanics of singing" with Jesús Lumbreras and Lidia de La Fuente, as well as "Vocal technique and Health and voice hygiene with Sara Matarranz at the School Coral of Madrid.
SARA RODRÍGUEZ GALLEGO
I also have a degree in the History and Science of Music. I studied this degree at the University of Logroño ( La Rioja).
I went to college to study singing in the Professional Conservatory of Music Marcos Redondo.
Currently, I am studying singing with the soprano Milagros Poblador.
I am studying a choir conducting course at the University Carlos III in Madrid with Nuria Fernández Herranz and I have carried out several choir conducting courses with conductors such as Maite Oca, Javier Busto and Basilio Astúlez.
As being so dedicated to music eduacation I continue to attend courses of music pedagogy.
I was a member of the Cámara Oretania choir (Ciudad Real), where we got important prizes, such as, the first prize in the XL Choir Contest of Ejea de los Caballeros (Zaragoza) and the winner of the International Tournament of Music (TIM) in Verona (Italy).
I have been a member of VokalArs since March 2011.
CRISTINA HERNANDEZ SAINZ-HAMMER
Since 2002 she has worked as a piano teacher, repertorist and teacher of Music and Movement at the Municipal School of Music Manuel Rodríguez Sales of Leganés, where she started her musical studies. She has participated as accompanist pianist in many concerts, and has organized several festivals of Music and Movement together with teachers of the same subject of several music schools in the Community of Madrid.
Her affinity with the choral world develops from the choir classes in the conservatory, and after that, forming part of the choir of the Faculty of Education during her studies in the University. At the beginning of 2011 he took the course of Choir Direction held by the Carlos III University of Madrid and taught by Nuria Fernández; at this time, she began to be part of Vokalars, participating in choral competitions such as the International Contest “Professor Georgi Dimitrov” (Varna , Bulgaria), Marktoberdorf International Contest (Bavaria, Germany) and Habaneras and Polyphony International Contest (Torrevieja, Spain).
PAQUI CÉSAR BENAVIDES
She was born in Madrid. She is a Primary School English teacher. She is
accredited as a bilingual teacher by Comunidad de Madrid. Nowadays she
Works in SAED (the Spanish acronym for “Home Educational Support Service”)
in which she teaches ill pupils (at their homes) that cannot attend lessons at
their own schools.
Paqui’s love for music started, especially, in Education (her degree), at
university. There she met Regina Leal, her Music teacher. She taught her the
importance of Music in a person’s life. For that reason, Paqui started Music
studies at Escuela Municipal de Música in Leganés, where she finished Music
Theory.
As her love for musical knowledge evolved throughout those studies, she
realized singing was going to have a far greater impact on her life, than she
anticipated. Then, in 1992, she began singing in Santo Tomás de Aquino choir
(it belonged to the Universidad Complutense de Madrid). She took part in
Europa Cantat, for several times: Herning, Denmark; Linz, Austria…
She sings currently in Universidad Carlos III de Madrid choir (from 1998) and VokalArs (from 2015) where both she gets the most out of the conducting of Nuria Fernández Herranz.
LUZ PRIETO ALONSO
She combined her profession as a luthier and singing in choirs: Coro Universitario de León, Coro de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Vox Aurea, Coro y Orquesta Vía Magna, Europa Cantat, Setmana Cantant de Tarragona, El Mesías in a sharing choir by La Caixa in the Teatro Real, Teatro Monumental and in the Auditorio Nacional of Madrid.
CRISTINA MARTINEZ FRAGA
Her connection with the choral world began with choir lessons at the conservatory of Ferrol. In 2006 she joined Ferrol's choir "Proxecto Vocal Concerto Tempo". In 2008 she moved to San Sebastián. During the course of her professional piano studies in the Basque Country she pursued Vocal Studies at the Conservatorio Profesional Escudero of San Sebastián, Singing as an optional subject at Musikene and joined the chamber choir "Lut". In 2014 she established herself in Madrid where she teaches piano and piano musical ensemble at the Escuela de Música of Las Rozas. That same 2014 she joined the equal voices choir "VokalArs".
CARMEN PÉREZ GONZÁLEZ
She was born in Madrid, where she studied a degree in Geography at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, she graduated in Piano from Conservatorio Profesional de Música Arturo Soria and studied Singing with Virginia Prieto, at Conservatorio Profesional de Música Arturo Soria and Escuela Superior de Canto de Madrid.In her professional career she has combined roles as a singer with teaching in the Municipal Schools of Music in Madrid, teaching in Secondary Education and musical representation.
Her research in areas such as music, art and pedagogy is one of her most characteristic features. Her training in choir conduction at Universidad Carlos III, directed by Nuria Fernández, is remarkable. She has been a member of VokalArs since April 2017.