Aina Miyagi Magnell

Aina Miyagi Magnell is a Swedish Japanese mezzo-soprano with a Master of Performance from Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In September 2024 she made her house debut at Folkoperan, Stockholm, where she was part of the newly written opera Herr Arnes Penningar by Peter Nordahl. During her years in the UK she has been a part of several opera productions including singing the role of Zweite Dame in Zauberflöte (Nevill Holt Festival) Pang in Turandot (Grimeborn Festival) Hänsel in Hänsel & Gretel, Siebel in Faust and Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier (Guildhall Scenes) Der Boy in Kurt Weill’s Der Zar lässt sich photographieren (Silk Street Theatre) and Prince Orlovsky in Die Fledermaus (Silk Street Music Hall). She has also been apart of opera choruses including Sir John in Love by Vaughan-Williams (British Youth Opera), and at Guildhall in productions such as Savitri by Holst, Miss Fortune by Weir, the Angel Esmeralda by Paterson (Silk Street Theatre) and Venus and Adonis by Blow (Milton Court Theatre).

Aina is a Josephine Baker Trust Artist, mentee with Pegasus Opera Company and part of Opera Studio Leipzig Autumn Seminars 2023 where she also was awarded the Opera & Zarzuela Competition Prize for her outstanding achievements.

She has previously studied at Adolf Fredriks Musikklasser, Södra Latins Gymnasium, Birkagården Folkhögskola and Vadstena sång- och pianoakademi in Sweden. With a background in classical ballet, jazz, and modern dance Aina has been praised for her unique stage presence and great experience in physical expression, both subtle as well as dramatic. Her decade-long studies at Base23 Stockholm Dance Academy was under the tutalage of Anneli Alhanko, Hans Marklund, Therese Carlsson and others.

Born in Stockholm, Sweden, Aina started choir school at age 10. Her first encounter with opera was at age 12 when she sang in the children’s ensemble of Queen of Spades at the Royal Opera House, Stockholm. She continued singing at the Royal Opera House in Carmen. Her first role debut was in 2012 when singing Third Boy in Zauberflöte at the inauguration of Stavanger Concert Hall, Norway.

More recently Aina was a finalist in the Opera & Zarzuela Award in San Sebastían, Franz Schubert Institute Lied Competition as well as Susan Longfield Award. She sang in the chamber choir of Dallapiccola’s “Il prigioniero” with London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Antonio Pappano in Barbican Concert Hall, a concert with BBC Radio 3 reciting Sibelius’ melodramas and has successfully produced several artsong concerts at the Swedish Church in London.
Aina is a keen recitalist and sang as a soloist in for example Mozart’s C-minor Mass, Haydn’s Salve Regina, Vivaldi’s Gloria and Händel’s Messiah in venues across the UK, Germany and Sweden.

Aina is currently a Alvarez Emerging Artist at Garsington Opera summer 2025, where she is covering Masha in Queen of Spades as well as singing chorus in Queen of Spades, L’elesir d’amore and Fidelio.

Upcoming engagements include singing mezzo soloist in Rossini’s Petit messe solennelle in Germany and the role of Tamara in the newly written opera To Die For (a comedy) by Elena Langer in which she will make her house debut with Nederlandse Reisopera and Buxton Festival.