Lina Mendes is a distinguished Brazilian soprano with a strong presence in major theaters and concert halls in Brazil and Europe. She is recognized for her musical and expressive refinement, stage presence, and versatility of repertoire.
In Europe, she has appeared at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía (Valencia) as Musetta in La Bohème (Puccini) and Ilia in Idomeneo (Mozart), and at Ópera de Tenerife as Rosalba in Florencia en el Amazonas (Catán). In Brazil, she performed at the Theatro Municipal de São Paulo as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier (Strauss), Anne Trulove in The Rake’s Progress (Stravinsky), Nuria in Ainadamar (Golijov), and Valencienne in The Merry Widow (Lehár), and at the Theatro São Pedro as Marzelline in Fidelio (Beethoven) and Sofia in Il Signor Bruschino (Rossini).
In the symphonic repertoire, she has appeared as soprano soloist with the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra at the Sala São Paulo in works such as Paulus (Mendelssohn), Requiem (Fauré), and La Damoiselle élue (Debussy), under the baton of Arvo Volmer, Stéphane Denève, and Thierry Fischer. She also performed Les Nuits d’Été (Berlioz) with the Orquestra Sinfônica de Porto Alegre conducted by Zoe Zeniodi, Mahler’s Eighth Symphony with Marin Alsop, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Messiah (Handel) with Roberto Minczuk, as well as Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Mozart’s Requiem.
Her vocal and dramatic versatility was further demonstrated when she starred as Christine Daaé in the Brazilian production of The Phantom of the Opera, remaining on stage for nearly two years in more than 400 performances.
Throughout her career, she has collaborated with conductors such as Marin Alsop, Fabio Biondi, Federico Maria Sardelli, Alejo Pérez, John Neschling, and Isaac Karabtchevsky, and with stage directors such as Davide Livermore, André Heller-Lopes, Stefano Poda, and Pablo Maritano.
She graduated from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and furthered her studies with Leila Guimarães, Mirella Freni, Vincenzo Manno, and Vincenzo Scalera. She participated in the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival and completed her artistic training at the Centre de Perfeccionament of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, Spain.
Date last modified: February 2026
Not to be altered without permission. Please delete any previous biographic material.
In Europe, she has appeared at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía (Valencia) as Musetta in La Bohème (Puccini) and Ilia in Idomeneo (Mozart), and at Ópera de Tenerife as Rosalba in Florencia en el Amazonas (Catán). In Brazil, she performed at the Theatro Municipal de São Paulo as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier (Strauss), Anne Trulove in The Rake’s Progress (Stravinsky), Nuria in Ainadamar (Golijov), and Valencienne in The Merry Widow (Lehár), and at the Theatro São Pedro as Marzelline in Fidelio (Beethoven) and Sofia in Il Signor Bruschino (Rossini).
In the symphonic repertoire, she has appeared as soprano soloist with the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra at the Sala São Paulo in works such as Paulus (Mendelssohn), Requiem (Fauré), and La Damoiselle élue (Debussy), under the baton of Arvo Volmer, Stéphane Denève, and Thierry Fischer. She also performed Les Nuits d’Été (Berlioz) with the Orquestra Sinfônica de Porto Alegre conducted by Zoe Zeniodi, Mahler’s Eighth Symphony with Marin Alsop, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Messiah (Handel) with Roberto Minczuk, as well as Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Mozart’s Requiem.
Her vocal and dramatic versatility was further demonstrated when she starred as Christine Daaé in the Brazilian production of The Phantom of the Opera, remaining on stage for nearly two years in more than 400 performances.
Throughout her career, she has collaborated with conductors such as Marin Alsop, Fabio Biondi, Federico Maria Sardelli, Alejo Pérez, John Neschling, and Isaac Karabtchevsky, and with stage directors such as Davide Livermore, André Heller-Lopes, Stefano Poda, and Pablo Maritano.
She graduated from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and furthered her studies with Leila Guimarães, Mirella Freni, Vincenzo Manno, and Vincenzo Scalera. She participated in the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival and completed her artistic training at the Centre de Perfeccionament of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, Spain.
Date last modified: February 2026
Not to be altered without permission. Please delete any previous biographic material.
2025-2026 Performances
CONCERT IN BRAZIL
04 of September of 2025 Sala São Paulo
05 of September of 2025 Sala São Paulo
06 of September of 2025 Sala São Paulo
04 of September of 2025 Sala São Paulo
05 of September of 2025 Sala São Paulo
06 of September of 2025 Sala São Paulo
Gallery
Multimedia
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"Fidelio", Beethoven
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"Carmen", Bizet
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Reviews
FIDELIO. tHEATRO SÃO PEDRO. 2025
“The couple Marzelline and Jaquino, that is, Lina Mendes and…, both display great refinement in singing and musical elegance.”
Jorge Coli (Revista Concerto)
“Touches of comedy emanate from the couple formed by…and Lina Mendes (excellent in the role of Marzelline)…”
Sidney Molina (Folha de S.Paulo)
“Moments such as the quartet Mir ist so wunderbar… are testimony to this. And not the only ones, with special mention also to the almost childlike lyricism of Lina Mendes’ Marzelline…”
João Luiz Sampaio (Revista Concerto)
Jorge Coli (Revista Concerto)
“Touches of comedy emanate from the couple formed by…and Lina Mendes (excellent in the role of Marzelline)…”
Sidney Molina (Folha de S.Paulo)
“Moments such as the quartet Mir ist so wunderbar… are testimony to this. And not the only ones, with special mention also to the almost childlike lyricism of Lina Mendes’ Marzelline…”
João Luiz Sampaio (Revista Concerto)
ORATORIO paulus, mendelssohn. SÃO PAULO 2024
“Volmer had at his disposal sensitive performers, singers who color their individual passages in a very distinctive way – … the moving delicacy, even in the most tense moments, of soprano Lina Mendes…”
João Luiz Sampaio (Revista Concerto)
João Luiz Sampaio (Revista Concerto)
IDOMENEO. Palau de les Arts. 2016
"The cast is quite remarkable in the main quartet. Gregory shines in Idomeneo, but perhaps more surprising is Lina Mendes' clean and confident performance". Jorge Fernández Guerra (El País)
"(...) Lina Mendes' Ilia is a soprano with a ringing voice, generous volume, a facility for coloratura and a perfect stage presence. Perhaps the best role-singer combination in the cast". Robert Benito (Opera World)
"Lina Mendes, forged at the Centre de Perfeccionamento Plácido Domingo, offers an Ilia of clean, fluid and easy singing, of an accurate lyricism and with undoubted potential." Alejandro Martinez (Platea Magazine)
"(...), and following the refined Ilia interpreted by Lina Mendes, with intense and emotional arias." Joger Alier (La Vanguardia)
"(...), and the charming Ilia, which Lina Mendes embodies in all her simplicity and sweetness." Álvaro Del Amo (El Mundo)
"Stupendous the three feminine voices, with the revalation of Lina Mendes, (...)" Alonso Gonzalo (La Razón/Beckmesser)
"The heir to the throne is in love with the Trojan princess and slave Ilia (stupendous Lina Mendes of crystalline timbre)." César López Rosell (El Periodico)
"Lina Mendes is another of the winners of the night. (...) she demonstrated a gift for first-rate Mozartian singing, full of taste and naturalness, without silliness". Joaquín Guzmán (ABC Comunidad Valenciana)
"(...) her pleasant timbre, together with a good projection and excellent command of the agilities; and this was evident in each of her lyrical interventions: at the very beginning of the opera, when she interpreted with expressiveness and delicate accents Padre,germani,addio. She shows an excellent singing line in her Act 2 aria, Se il padre perdei. Her best moment comes when facing the beautiful and delicate aria Zeffiretti lusinghieri, from Act 3." Diego Garcia Perez-Espejo (Brio Clasica)
"Lina Mendes was a fresh-voiced and generous Ilia with which she offered an extroverted interpretation." César Rus (Las Provincias)
"Among them the Brazilian Lina Mendes, a sensitive Ilia with a beautiful singing line." Renato Verga (L'opera in casa)
"(...) Lina Mendes' Ilia is a soprano with a ringing voice, generous volume, a facility for coloratura and a perfect stage presence. Perhaps the best role-singer combination in the cast". Robert Benito (Opera World)
"Lina Mendes, forged at the Centre de Perfeccionamento Plácido Domingo, offers an Ilia of clean, fluid and easy singing, of an accurate lyricism and with undoubted potential." Alejandro Martinez (Platea Magazine)
"(...), and following the refined Ilia interpreted by Lina Mendes, with intense and emotional arias." Joger Alier (La Vanguardia)
"(...), and the charming Ilia, which Lina Mendes embodies in all her simplicity and sweetness." Álvaro Del Amo (El Mundo)
"Stupendous the three feminine voices, with the revalation of Lina Mendes, (...)" Alonso Gonzalo (La Razón/Beckmesser)
"The heir to the throne is in love with the Trojan princess and slave Ilia (stupendous Lina Mendes of crystalline timbre)." César López Rosell (El Periodico)
"Lina Mendes is another of the winners of the night. (...) she demonstrated a gift for first-rate Mozartian singing, full of taste and naturalness, without silliness". Joaquín Guzmán (ABC Comunidad Valenciana)
"(...) her pleasant timbre, together with a good projection and excellent command of the agilities; and this was evident in each of her lyrical interventions: at the very beginning of the opera, when she interpreted with expressiveness and delicate accents Padre,germani,addio. She shows an excellent singing line in her Act 2 aria, Se il padre perdei. Her best moment comes when facing the beautiful and delicate aria Zeffiretti lusinghieri, from Act 3." Diego Garcia Perez-Espejo (Brio Clasica)
"Lina Mendes was a fresh-voiced and generous Ilia with which she offered an extroverted interpretation." César Rus (Las Provincias)
"Among them the Brazilian Lina Mendes, a sensitive Ilia with a beautiful singing line." Renato Verga (L'opera in casa)
LA BOHÈME. Palau de les Arts. 2015
"The couple of the painter Marcelo and his coquette Musetta were very well interpreted by Germán Olvera and Lina Mendes. (...) Soprano Lina Mendes knew how to infuse her Musette with flirtatiousness and tenderness in appropriate doses, making her presentation waltz a delightful aria". Robert Benito (Opera World)
"Also outstanding was the interpretation of Lina Mendes, in a lighthearted and wild Musetta, (...)." Joan Castelló (EFE)
"Also outstanding was the interpretation of Lina Mendes, in a lighthearted and wild Musetta, (...)." Joan Castelló (EFE)
Interviews
TVBR -