Isabel Palacios, Mezzo-Soprano
Isabel Palacios, musical director and singer, was born in Caracas, Venezuela. Founder and artistic director of the Foundation Camerata de Caracas, has devoted her talent and knowledge to develop artistic ensembles with a high level of musical interpretation, a principle that has also led her career as a singer and teacher. Camerata de Caracas is the leading school for training professional musicians in Venezuela, as evidenced by the large number of musicians who have graduated and now perform in Venezuela and abroad.
Her professional life began in 1967, when she graduated from the School of Music "Juan Manuel Olivares" with the highest honors. Among her teachers were Gerty Haas, Fedora German, Gonzalo Castellanos, Modesta Bor, Angel Willow, Ruth Gosewinkel and Alberto Grau among others. She completed her post-graduate studies and the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. She received her masters in interpretation in Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music, studying with renowned teachers including Rene Clemencic, Reinhardt Goebel, Philip Pickett and David Roblou. She has also studied with Vera Rózsa and Raquel Adonaylo.
As a professional singer her repertoire is very extensive and varied, ranging from medieval music to cabaret songs, and "Orpheus" by Gluck to Kindertotenlieder of Mahler and Folk Songs of Luciano Berio. However, it is in early music, orotorios and recitals where she has focused and is considered one of the outstanding soloists in her country.
She has also sung under the baton of renowned directors in Venezuela and abroad including Gonzalo Castellanos, Carlos Riazuelo, Alfredo Rugeles, Eduardo Marturet, Juan Carlos Nunez, Rodolfo Saglimbeni, Odon Alonso, James Judd, Maximiano Valdes, George Cleve, Theo Alcantara, Vittorio Negri, Manuel Galduff, Manuel Hernandez-Silva, Eugene Colomer, Helmunt Rilling, Giuseppe Sinopoli and Sir Simon Rattle.
She has appeared in Rome, Wigmore Hall in London, throughout Scotland, the Teatro Colón de Buenos Aires, and has performed as a soloist the Baroque Orchestra of the European Community under the direction of the famous Dutch harpsichordist Ton Koopman in his tour of Latin America. Additionally, she was invited to appear as soloist with the English early music group The New London Consort conducted by Philip Pickett in a tour of Spain and a final performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. She also recorded the repertoire for this tour with New London Consort on the Decca label. She has also recorded “Songs from the Moulin Rouge in Paris and a CD dedicated to the works of Kurt Weill. Currently she is preparing a new solo tour of Europe, where she will perform at the Music Festival Noto, Italy and the Bolivar Hall in London along with pianist, Carlos Urbaneja.