Biography

The young tenor and Samling foundation scholar studied singing at The Guildhall School of Music in London and the Flemish Opera Young Artists Program Studio, also attending master classes with, Graham Clark and the team of the Samling foundation.

He has performed the roles of Riccardo/Un ballo in Maschera, Manrico/Il Trovatore , Rodolfo/La Boheme, Macduff/Macbeth, Duca/Rigoletto, Pollione/Norma, Malcolm/McBeth, Xerxes/Xerxes, Wilhem Meister/Mignon, Gonsalve/L’heure espagnole, Don Jose/Carmen, Ferrando/Cosi fan tutte, Nemorino/L’elisir d’amore and Tamino/ Die Zaüberflute as well as the Verdi Requiem and Rossini’s Messe Solenelle. Rafael has also performed opera highlights as: Fritz/L’Amico Fritz, Cavaradossi/Tosca, , Tebaldo/I Capuletti e I Montecchi, as well as countless lyric concerts around the globe.

His later roles have been Rodolfo in La Boheme and Riccardo in Un Ballo in Maschera for Theater Hagen in Germany, Manrico in “Il Trovatore” for Burry Port Opera in Wales, Rodolfo in la Boheme in Ibiza/Spain, Duca in Rigoletto for Clonter Opera U.K, Macduff in Macbeth in Bergem/Norway , Malcolm in MacBeth in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and Pollione in Norma in Monnickendam.

Rafael is currently performing the role of Rodolfo in La Boheme in Hagen Germany until february next year.  Future plans include Pollione in Norma in Burry Port South Wlaes in 2012.