There are several of them, from different generations—Franco Fagioli, Bruno de Sá, Maximiliano Danta, Dennis Orellana and Samuel Mariño—all originating from South America and now pursuing careers on European stages. How and why did they cross the oceans?
From Honduras to Europe’s leading stages, Dennis Orellana found his voice almost by chance, somewhere between trombone, choir, and symphonic metal. Fascinated by Bach and Handel and revealed by a visionary teacher, he recounts his meteoric journey—from his beginnings in Madrid to his discovery of Europe—and that overwhelming sensation of finally feeling “at home” on stage.
Trained in Uruguay and then in Italy, countertenor Maximiliano Danta explores early music as both singer and multi-instrumentalist, while continuing, whenever possible, his commitment to working with underprivileged children.
A sopranist since childhood, Bruno de Sá first stepped onto the stage at the age of two. He now tells us how, by defying gender stereotypes, he designs his own stage outfits and became the first man to sing many roles traditionally assigned to women.
Trained in his native city of San Miguel de Tucumán in Argentina, then at the theatre school in Buenos Aires, countertenor Franco Fagioli now lives in Madrid. He speaks about his favourite opera houses, the unexpected discovery of his voice, and that persistent childhood dream: to become Mozart’s friend!
Trained in Caracas and then at the Conservatoire de Paris, the sopranist Samuel Mariño, with his crystal-clear, high-pitched voice, recounts how he failed his diploma because he was not a countertenor, how he sources his flamboyant stage costumes in thrift shops, and why he dreams of a kinder and more benevolent world than the one in which he spent his childhood.
