Lorena Paz Nieto, soprano

Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in music and who or what have been the most
important influences on your musical life and career?

I always loved music; as a child, my older sister would play a recording of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker and Swan Lake and I would get lost in the melodies and the sound world. I remember creating a dance routine with my middle sister to the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy! I was 4 years old and was already doing ‘Lorena’s Show’ every Saturday at home, of course my audience was not voluntary back then! I can’t pinpoint one thing that inspired me, I think music and performing was something I just needed to do to live.

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?

This career presents many challenges. Today most individuals and organisations are dealing with
the reality of a different financial landscape, and it requires a certain mental fortitude and resilience to keep going. From a practical point of view, we have to believe in ourselves and what we’re doing, and to be consistent and dedicated with our work, but personally I also have to believe that art, music and theatre are even more essential at times like this.

Which performances/recordings are you most proud of?

This is a tricky one! I am very lucky to have been part of some really fantastic projects that I have
loved very much. Recently I recorded my first solo CD with Spanish pianist Albert Nieto (despite
the surname we are not related!). It was a lovely project with mostly new compositions based on
the poetry of two remarkable women, Carmen Conde and Angela Figuera Aymerich, two friends
who chose inland exile during the Francoist Regime in Spain. To bring such inspiring words to life
and particularly with brand new music that no-one had sung before was an incredibly fascinating
and liberating experience.

Currently, I am in the process of recording a new CD with pianist Helen Glaisher-Hernández. This is the programme that we will present for this year’s Song Easel festival (22nd May 2026). It is called “Mujeres Presentes!/ Women Present!” and is an all Latin American and Spanish female composers programme. There are some incredible songs and it feels like a perfect next recording to make.

Which particular works/composers do you think you perform best?

It is difficult to answer this about myself! I do enjoy playing feisty characters on stage (Susanna,
Norina, Despina…), I find their bubbly personality and the inevitable scheming gives me so much
energy and I love it! However, I also love the world of song – there is something quite magical
about that closeness to an audience, and the special line of communication that is opened up. It’s
an amazing thing to be able to share these stories without needing a set, costume, orchestra etc,
and the simplicity of it makes it so effective.

What do you do off stage that provides inspiration on stage?

Life! Walks, coffees and conversations with friends, painting (I am not good at it but I love it!), and
recently, time with my little girl! She is not even four months old yet, but she has changed my world and I love seeing the spark of curiosity in her eyes. I want to look at the world and all my work with that newness and freshness, as if I had never seen it before.

How do you make your repertoire choices from season to season?

Really it depends on what work is offered, and on what operas or concert programmes are planned by companies and organisations. With song recitals of course I have more input over what I sing, but mainly it’s about seeing what’s out there and being adaptable, whilst trying to make choices that suit me as a singer and an artist.

Do you have a favourite concert venue to perform in and why?

Honestly not really! I love discovering new venues and exploring how that might change or impact a performance.

What do you feel needs to be done to grow classical music’s audiences?

I think we need to keep bringing music into schools to develop our future audiences! Every year I
work with a company called Jackdaws and we do an opera with schools in Wiltshire and Somerset
with involvement of around 1000 children. The children just love it and there is nothing better than seeing how excited by it all they are. I want these children to know that opera and classical music belongs to them, to listen, to like and even to dislike.

Another great idea from Song Easel has been to organise relaxed song performances in pubs and
cafes, again showing that this wonderful music is for everyone.

What is your most memorable concert experience?

Again, this is very hard. So many are memorable in different ways, and as I continue to work new
experiences always seem to top the last one! In recent times I think it has to be three Christmas
song recitals I did with Shout Kynoch. We did one in London, one in Oxford and one in
Birmingham. I was 9 months pregnant and little did I know my little girl would be born fewer than
10 days later! I was singing all these songs about little infants and feeling my little one kicking and
wriggling inside! I am sure even the audience could see her moving at times…! I don’t think I will
ever forget that.

As a musician, what is your definition of success?

I think success is to be working as a musician and performing amazing music, making a living from it. To be able to survive in this day and age by doing something that you love and believe in seems like a success to me.

What advice would you give to young/aspiring musicians?

Find your way and what works for you, be extremely well-prepared, and be proud of your work.
Avoid trying to please everyone or do things their way.

What’s the one thing in the music industry we’re not talking about which you think we
should be?

Music is definitely a vocational job and a passion BUT that doesn’t mean we do not deserve to be
paid and treated like in any other job! The fact that we love it doesn’t take away that we are real
people with real costs and responsibilities (mortgages, families, etc). In a world where everyone is
feeling the pinch, the arts need more help than ever.

Lorena Paz Nieto appears in this year’s Song Easel series, which runs from 21 to 24 May. Find out more

lorenapaznieto.com