Zadar soprano Nela Šarić earned her master's degree at the Music Academy in Zagreb (under the guidance of Prof. Cynthia Hansell Bakić) and at the Welsh International Academy of Voice, where she refined her vocal skills with renowned Verdian tenor Dennis O'Neill and Italian soprano Nuccia Focile. At the academy, she collaborated with numerous distinguished musicians and singers, including Maestro Richard Bonynge and the legendary Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. 2015, she participated in the International Opera Studio in Gijon, Spain.
In 2017, she won the 1st prize from the jury and the Tokyo Metropolitan Opera Foundation award at the "Riccardo Zandonai" competition in Italy. She also achieved absolute victory at the Stuart Burrows Voice Awards in Wales and secured the 2nd prize from the jury at the "Otto Edelmann" competition in Vienna the previous year. Additionally, she was a finalist in the prestigious "Belvedere" competition in Moscow and the "Zinka Milanov" competition in Rijeka.
Her notable achievements include performing the role of Violette in Verdi's La Traviata for the Croatian National Theatre in Split, Contesse Almavive in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro at the New Generation Festival in Florence, covering the role of Violette in Verdi's La Traviata for the Welsh National Opera, portraying Musette in Puccini's La Boheme in Sendai, and Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto in Nagoya, Japan. She also sang Faure's Requiem with New York's West Village Chorale. She premiered the role of Anđa in Strmić's opera La Madre Slava with the Symphony Orchestra and Choir of the Croatian Radiotelevision. She performed with prominent orchestras and ensembles in Croatia, recorded an album of 19th-century compositions by Zadar composers conducted by Maestro Edo Mičić, and contributed to a sound recording for the Japanese market to support individuals with depression. Furthermore, she participated in numerous concerts, singing Renaissance music alongside renowned lutenist Edin Karamazov.
She collaborated with leading figures in the music industry, including conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Ivan Repušić, and Lorenzo Tazzieri, and directors like Sarah Crisp, Yasuhiro Miura, and Ignacio Garcia, among others. Nela worked with vocal coaches such as Joyce Fieldsend, Gareth Jones, and Della Jones and attended masterclasses by Raine Kabaivanska, Susan Bullock, and Nelly Miricioiu.
She received the City of Zadar Award as a Laureate for exemplary achievements and results in musical culture.
Since 2011, Nela has been actively involved in teaching, and from the fall of 2022, she has been the founder and artistic director of the Music and Stage Studio ARIJA. As of October 2023, she is a soloist at the Croatian National Theatre in Split.
Roles at the Croatian National Theatre in Split
- Giuseppe Verdi LA TRAVIATA (Violetta), 2023.