Sopranos Zayra Ruiz and Arantxa Cooper will perform celebrated arias by Mozart, Puccini, Verdi and Bretón, among others
Auditorio de Tenerife is launching ‘Ópera de cerca’, a programme of operatic recitals to be held in several towns across the island. On this occasion, the first two recitals feature Ruiz and Arantxa Cooper, who will perform on Wednesday 7 October at 8.00 in Cine Viejo Espacio Cultural in Candelaria and on Saturday 10 October at the Sala Magdalena in the Municipal Library in Icod de los Vinos.
Accompanied by pianist Carlo Manganaro, the sopranos will perform celebrated arias by Mozart, Puccini, Verdi, Bretón, Vives, Roig and Delibes. Admission to the Icod de los Vinos recital is free, while tickets for the Candelaria performance cost €1; tickets can be purchased via the websites of Auditorio de Tenerife and the relevant town council.
Zayra Ruiz is a leading Mexican soprano who has performed on several occasions in Ópera de Tenerife’s opera seasons. She is renowned for her stage presence, distinctive vocal timbre and artistic versatility. She has received awards in countries like Spain, Italy, Canada, Mexico and Japan, establishing herself as one of the most promising emerging voices on the international music scene.
Her vocal technique and expressive sensitivity have enabled her to build a wide-ranging repertoire encompassing opera, zarzuela, oratorio and art songs from different traditions, moving with ease from the Baroque to contemporary music. She has been invited to perform at leading venues in Italy, Spain, France, Austria, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal, Japan, Guatemala, Colombia, the United States and Canada. She received the Arts Merit Award for her contribution to the arts in Mexico.
The Tenerife-born soprano Arantxa Cooper made her debut in 2024 as a soloist with the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Víctor Pablo Pérez. In 2025, she joined the Teatro de la Zarzuela’s Proyecto Zarza, appearing as a soloist in the production of La Gran Vía by Chueca and Valverde, conducted by Néstor Bayona and Enrique Viana. That same year, she made her debut at Ópera de Tenerife in Adiós a la bohemia by Pablo Sorozábal, once again conducted by Víctor Pablo Pérez.
In 2026, she was selected as the soprano soloist for Julio Navarro Grau’s Mass in D minor to mark the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Tenerife. She has also taken part in notable concerts, including the closing concert of the 20th Villa de La Orotava Chamber Music Festival, the 6th ‘Concierto en Vela’ with the Lanzarote Classical Orchestra, and the ‘Les veus del Monestir’ recital series.
The programme begins with ‘Una donna a quindici anni’ from Mozart’s Così fan tutte, followed by two arias by Puccini: ‘Signore, ascolta!’ from Turandot and ‘O mio babbino caro’ from Gianni Schicchi. Verdi features with ‘Ah, fors’è lui’ from La traviata, before a piano solo with the prelude from Bretón’s La verbena de la Paloma. The recital will continue with La niña de los ojos azules from Bohemios (Vives) and Cecilia’s entrance aria from Cecilia Valdés (Roig). The final section, dedicated to Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, features the overture as a piano solo, along with ‘E Susanna non vien!… Dove sono i bei momenti’, ‘Sull’aria… Che soave zeffiretto’, ‘Deh vieni, non tardar’ and ‘Via, resti servita’.