Belén Castillo
Belén Castillo Mena, rođena u Méridi, završila je visoko obrazovanje s odličnim uspjehom na Visokom konzervatoriju Castilla y León pod mentorstvom Sophije Hase. Svoje je obrazovanje nastavila na Kraljevskom visokom konzervatoriju za glazbu u Madridu, gdje je završila studij u sklopu poslijediplomskog programa za klavirsku pratnju i specijalizaciju u repertoaru, kao i poslijediplomski studij izvedbe i istraživanja španjolskog vokalnog repertoara na Visokoj školi pjevanja u Madridu, pod mentorstvom Irene Alfageme i Aurelia Viribaya.
Od 2017. godine djeluje i kao vokalna korepetitorica na tečaju pjevanja i scenske izvedbe Carmen Solís i Davida Garcíje, gdje je otkrila svoju posebnu strast prema vokalnoj pratnji.
Godine 2023. primljena je u program Crescendo III pri Teatro Realu, gdje je nastavila usavršavanje u ulozi operne korepetitorice (répétiteur) pod mentorstvom Patricije Barton, prateći majstorske tečajeve koje su vodili Carmen Santoro, Sabina Puértolas, Leigh Melrose, Jacques Imbrailo i Martin Winkler.
Nakon završetka programa, Teatro Real ponudio joj je različite profesionalne angažmane, među kojima i rad korepetitorice na brojnim koncertima diljem Španjolske te suradnju na Talent Touru Zaklade princeze od Girone 2024. godine.
Djelovala je kao operna korepetitorica i pijanistica u izvedbama nove produkcije Rossinijeva Seviljskog brijača u Real Teatro de Retiro i Teatro de la Maestranza u Sevilli, pod umjetničkim vodstvom glazbenog ravnatelja Rubéna Sánchez-Vieca.
Također je radila kao korepetitorica i voditeljica proba Komornog zbora Extremadure u produkciji Medeje na Međunarodnom festivalu klasičnog kazališta u Méridi.
Kao glazbena ravnateljica i pijanistica sudjelovala je u produkciji opere Amahl i noćni posjetitelji Gian Carla Menottija u sklopu programa Badajoz Young Opera, kao i u produkciji L’elisir d’amore u okviru programa festivala Clàssic Pals.
Nastupala je na pozornicama uglednih institucija kao što su Teatro Real, Teatro de la Maestranza, Auditorio Municipal Enrique Granados u Lleidi, Kongresna palača u Salamanci, Teatro Auditorio San Lorenzo de El Escorial, kao i u dvorani Verdi Konzervatorija u Milanu (Italija) te u dvorani Das Zentrum u Bayreuthu (Njemačka).
Godine 2024. dobila je stipendiju Wagnerijanske udruge Madrida za sudjelovanje na Festivalu u Bayreuthu, gdje je odabrana za opernu korepetitoricu na završnom koncertu stipendista.
Nakon toga završila je jednogodišnje usavršavanje za opernu korepetitoricu kod maestra Umberta Finazzija i Stefana Gianninija na Konzervatoriju Giuseppe Verdi u Milanu.
Dobitnica je i Nagrade Miguel Huertas za najbolju pijanisticu-korepetitoricu na 4. međunarodnom pjevačkom natjecanju AMAO.
Od 2027. godine nastavlja suradnju s Teatro Realom na različitim projektima, istodobno održavajući vokalne recitale diljem Španjolske sa solistima kao što su Santiago Ballerini, Manuel Lanza, Carmen Solís, Enrique Ferrer, Mar Morán, Ruth Terán, Anna Gomà i Begoña Gómez, među ostalima, te sudjelujući kao korepetitorica u različitim opernim produkcijama.
U akademskoj godini 2025./2026. predaje predmet Repertoar uz klavir za pjevače, u suradnji s profesoricom pjevanja Victorijom Manso.
Belén Castillo Mena, a native of Mérida, completed her higher studies with honors at the Higher Conservatory of Castilla y León under the tutelage of Sophia Hase, completing her training in the Master of Accompanying Pianist and Repertoire Specialist of the Royal Higher Conservatory of Music of Madrid, as well as in the Master of Performance and Research of the Spanish Vocal Repertoire at the Higher School of Singing of the same town, under the tutelage of Irene Alfageme and Aurelio Viribay.
Since 2017, she has also been a vocal accompanist in the Singing and Performance Course of Carmen Solís and David García, where she discovered her passion for vocal accompaniment. In 2023, she was accepted into the Crescendo III program at the Teatro Real, where she continued her training as a répétiteur with Patricia Barton, accompanying classes taught by Carmen Santoro, Sabina Puértolas, Leigh Melrose, Jacques Imbrailo, and Martin Winkler. After completing the program, the Teatro Real offered her various opportunities, including working as an accompanist for numerous concerts throughout Spain, and collaborating with the Princess of Girona Foundation’s 2024 Talent Tour.
She has served as répétiteur and pianist for performances of the new production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville at the Real Teatro de Retiro and at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, with Rubén Sánchez-Vieco as musical director. She has also worked as a rehearsal teacher for the Extremadura Chamber Choir for the production of Medea at the Mérida International Classical Theater Festival and as musical director and pianist for the production of Amahl and the Night Visitors by Menotti in the Badajoz Young Opera program and for L’elisir d’amore in the Clàssic Pals Festival program.
He has performed on stages such as the Teatro Real, Teatro de la Maestranza, Auditorio Municipal Enrique Granados (Lleida), Palacio de Congresos de Salamanca, Teatro Auditorio San Lorenzo de El Escorial, the Sala Verdi of the Conservatorio de Milan (Italy) and the Das Zemtrum in Bayreuth (Germany).
She received a scholarship from the Wagnerian Association of Madrid to attend the Bayreuth Festival in the summer of 2024, where she was selected as a répétiteur for the final concert of scholarship recipients. Following this, she completed a year-long répétiteurship with maestro Umberto Finazzi and Stefano Giannini at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan. She has also been awarded the Miguel Huertas Prize for best accompanying pianist at the 4th AMAO International Singing Competition.
On 27, she continues to collaborate with the Teatro Real on various projects while performing lyrical recitals throughout Spain with singers such as Santiago Ballerini, Manuel Lanza, Carmen Solís, Enrique Ferrer, Mar Morán, Ruth Terán, Anna Gomà and Begoña Gómez, among others, and accompanies in various operatic productions.
She is a professor of Repertoire with piano for voice, alongside the Singing chair of Victoria Manso, in the 2025-2026 course.