Discover Spanish Zarzuela

In this overview of the unique lyric-dramatic genre, rising star mezzo-soprano Julia Merino and acclaimed pianist Ricardo Gosalbo embark on a musical journey to sunlit Spain to explore Zarzuela’s vast riches. In collaboration with Instituto Cervantes Leeds, this recital will feature Zarzuela highlights by masters of the genre such as Rupert Chapí, Gerónimo Giménez, Pablo Luna, and José Serrano.

José Serrano – Canción de la gitana, from La alegría del batallón
Ruperto Chapí – Romanza de Socorro, from El barquillero
Vicente Lleó – Cuplés babilónicos, from La corte de faraón
José Serrano – Canción de Rosina, from La canción del olvido
Pablo Luna – Canción española, from El niño judío
Ruperto Chapí – Canción de Pastora, from La patria chica
Gerónimo Giménez – Sierras de Granada, from La tempranica
José Serrano – Palomica aragonesa, from Los de Aragón
Ruperto Chapí – Carceleras, from Las hijas del Zebedeo

Julia Merino began her piano and singing studies in her hometown, Málaga (Spain). Awarded with the “Elizabeth Sweeting” scholarship, she is currently finishing the opera course programme at Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London) with professors Janice Chapman and Marcus van den Akker.
As a soloist, she has worked with various national and international orchestras. Some of her notable performances in Spain include oratorios with the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra and the University of Jaén Orchestra, as well as participations with the Málaga Symphony Orchestra in projects such as Amor Brujo (Falla) or the Metalírica Festival at the Echegaray Theatre (Málaga). She also participated in the “Encuentro de Música y Academia de Santader” during the summer of 2024.
Julia made her operatic debut with Northen Opera Group (Leeds) in the production of the opera Frida in the summer of 2023. Upcoming operatic projects include the debut of the role of Fanny Price in Mansfield Park (Jonathan Dove), as well as the debut of the role of Dido in Dido and Aeneas (Purcell), both productions taking place in London. Upcoming projects include a piano and singing recital at the Sociedad Económica de El País (Jaén, Spain) and mezzo soloist debut in Mendelssohn’s Elijah next March 2025.

Ricardo Gosalbo is a Spanish-French collaborative pianist, musical director and researcher. He works as a vocal coach at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and City Lit where he also teaches piano and harmony. A devoted champion of Spanish and Hispano-American music, Ricardo combines his duties as director of the Hispanic Music Series with his research on Spanish vocal music.
Ricardo works regularly with singers and has appeared at venues such as the Barbican, Wigmore Hall, the Purcell Room, St Martin-in-the-Fields and Kings Place in London, the Chapelle Royale in Brussels, the Salle Cortot in Paris, the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the Kulturpalast in Dresden and the Filharmonia Narodowa in Warsaw. He has also been featured on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune programme and several Spanish national broadcasters.
A multifaceted music collaborator, Ricardo is a founding member of the Deco Ensemble, praised as ‘one of the UK’s foremost tango ensembles’, with whom he has released two albums. He has also worked extensively with contemporary dancers and choreographers, having performed with the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch and the Polish Dance Theatre.
Ricardo trained at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and at Guildhall School of Music & Drama. His mentors have included Eugene Asti, Iain Burnside, Graham Johnson, Martin Katz, Malcolm Martineau, Peter Schreier and Roger Vignoles. He has won several prizes, including the ‘Prix de Lied’ at the Concours International de chant-piano Nadia et Lili Boulanger, the Oxford Lieder Young Artist Platform and the Paul Hamburger Prize for voice and piano duo.