Biography
Nicole Franco Ralón is a Guatemalan mezzo soprano. She completed her first classical music studies at the Del Valle University of Guatemala and the German Alcántara National Conservatory of Music. Selected for the World Youth Choir 2019 in France and Portugal, she won the "Artist of the Year" award awarded by the Premio Artista del Año organization at its XXXIX edition.
She finished her Specialized Secondary Education Diploma in Music in 2020 and was selected to participate in the Académie Baroque Internationale 2021 in France as the first Guatemalan in the program under the direction of Iñaki Encina Oyón. She began her studies at the Conservatoire National Rayonnement Régional Pierre Barbizet and worked as a titular choir artist at the Marseille Opera at the same time in February 2022, to then obtain her Diploma of Musical Studies in Lyrical Singing with congratulations from the jury and 'very good' mention unanimously in July 2023 and focus on her career as a soloist.
In August 2023, Nicole sang the role of Erato in Il Parnaso Confuso by Gluck as part of L'Académie Baroque Internationale 2023, where "her low notes were deep and her phrasing developed with admirable musicality" (Olyrix). Shortly after, she was part of Exzellenzlabor, a masterclass under the artistic direction of Hedwig Fassbender where she perfected her repertoire and stage skills. She sang the role of Sorceress in Didon and Aeneas as a member of the Diderot ensemble at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in February 2024, where "she has an amber timbre and a well-projected voice with sound bass that captures attention from her first intervention 'Wayward sisters' during which she affirms her authority" (Forum Opéra). From Amor Brujo de de Falla at the Concert de restitution of Sébastien Boin's Orchestre d’été in July, Opéra fait son Cinéma amongst the activities of Festiv'Opéra Sausset-les-Pins at the end of July, Concert Guitarra Para Todos (Seguidilles de Falla and Sor) at the Alliance française du Guatemala to alto solo in the Messiah de Haendel… she continues to sing repertoire that alligns with her vision as an artist.
In 2024, Nicole became a full scholarship holder for the Jeune Scène Lyrique program of the Arcal Lyrique opera company. As part of the Utopia ensemble of Teodor Currentzis, she took part in Castor and Pollux at Opéra Garnier and Salzburg Festspiele, and a tour performing Henry Purcell's 'Indian Queen' concerts in Philarmonie Berlin, DeSingel in Antwerp and Église Saint Eustache de Paris. In April 2025, she won the 3rd prize in the Concours International de Chant Lyrique de Béziers in the opera category. This summer, she performed the role of 'Tierra' in Los Elementos, baroque zarzuela by Antonio Lieteres as part of the Jeune Orchestre Baroque de l’Europe, which will be performed until 2026 in Opèra de Montpellier; and the role of ‘Autunno’ in La Gloria di Primavera by Scarlatti at Festival du Périgord Noir.
Her upcoming projects include the roles of Maestra delle Novizie in Suor Angelica by Puccini in Aix-en-Provence and Marseille in october, and the role of Mercedes in Carmen produced by Artist Opera at the Théâtre des Variétés.
