The Spanish mezzo-soprano Alicia Nafé of Argentinian origin, began her musical studies in Buenos Aires, where she won the first prize in national competitions, including Promociones Musicales, Harmonicus and the Sociedad Hebraica. A scholarship took her to Madrid to continue her studies at the Escuela Superior de Canto. Here she won the first prize in the Madrid María Ros de Lauri Volpi competition and the Francisco Viñas prize in Barcelona. She made her debut in Toledo Cathedral in Verdi’s Requiem, under the direction of Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, appearing thereafter in the same work in London, Philadelphia, the Verona Arena, Hong Kong, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and in Spanish music festivals in Granada, Seville and Barcelona. She devoted her earlier career to concert and recital appearances, causing a sensation with her first Carmen at Darmstadt, followed by performances throughout Germany, and then in the United States, culminating at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. She appeared for two seasons at Bayreuth, and for five years was associated with the Hamburg Opera, singing principal French and bel canto mezzo-soprano rôles. Her highly successful international career has taken her to musical centres throughout the world. She sang La vida breve at the inaugural gala of the Teatro Real de Madrid, and the work is among her many recordings in a repertoire ranging from Monteverdi to Debussy.