B i o g r a p h y
After the Matura with music as main subject at the Abbey School in Disentis, Switzerland, Quirina left for Antwerp, Belgium, where she studied English, German and Dutch at the University of Antwerp and started studying classical singing at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp. When she got her MA in English literature and finished her teacher training, she returned to her hometown to teach languages and decided to start showing her singing skills, which brought her to participating in more Master Classes and getting new teachers first with Jenny Drivala and then Anne Williams-King. Quirina began doing projects and organizing concerts, which brought her the much-needed experience and showed her love of music to her audience.
"Without music, life would be a mistake" (F. Nietzsche)
Quirina started playing the piano and singing and never stopped. Then after studying languages and finding that H. C. Andersen's aphorism, "where the words fail, music speaks", is true, she finally decided to concentrate on her passion.
Since 2018 she increasingly appeared on the opera/theatre stage: first with the roles of Virtù and Damigella in Monteverdi’s «L’incorronazione di Poppea» (Hellenic Opera Corporation, Thessaloniki) and Despina in Mozart’s «Cosí fan tutte» (EMA, Teplice/Prague). Then she Quirina produced, directed and sang in «Musik-Pick-Nick», a music theatre she authored with the artist Gianin Conrad, in the woods near Chur, Switzerland.
In 2019 she recorded a CD of German Mozart arias she translated into Romansch that was released at the 100-year jubilee of the «Lia Rumantscha», the Romansch foundation of Switzerland, with another concert at the Monastery in Disentis/Mustér. That July Quirina enacted and sang the role of Adele in Johann Strauss’ «Bat» in English (Clyde Opera Group, Glasgow). Then in October she gave her debut on the theatre stage as Flavia Brent/Belinda Blair in Michael Frayns «Noises Off» in Domat/Ems.
In March 2020 Quirina was planned to be the druid in the premiere of the festival «der Fels und das Schwert» by Hanspeter Gschwend (author) and Martin Völlinger (composer) and act next to Hanspeter Müller-Drossaart at the Monastery in Disentis. This festival had to be postponed due to COVID-19.
For December 2020 her second music theatre «Dinner for a Diva» was planned in Chur. Due to the virus it was filmed.
2022 she sang Violetta Valéry in Verdis «La Traviata» in Rhosllanerchurgog (North Wales Opera & Studio) and Glasgow (Clyde Opera Group) and played the role of Regula Willi in Felix Benesch's new play «Anno Onna» (Domat/Ems). 2023 she will gave her debut at Carnegie Hall in New York and produced as well as starred in the world premiere of «Ende Gelände», a chamber opera with bulldozer composed by Milica Ilić.
Quirina has worked with various singers and coaches: KS Eva Randová, Sumi Jo, Mignon Dunn, Luciana Serra, Jenny Drivala, Angel Joy Blue, Petra Lang, Anne Williams-King, Nuccia Focile, Inessa Galante, Francesca Patané, Stephanie Friede, Eva Oltivanyi, John Norris, Nimrod D. Pfeffer, Donald Wages, Irina Meachem and Adrian Baianu.
Before taking up singing, she played the piano and the organ, starting piano lessons when only six. Quirina founded the label of Salon Bruch Stein, an experimental project combining art, theatre and singing.
This experiment evolved to a corporation with various artists and interesting performances. One is with the artist Gianin Conrad at his exhibitions «nur ein Ozean aus Impulsen» (2019, Kunstraum Engländerbau, Vaduz, Liechtenstein), at the exhibition «KartonAge» (2019, Shedhalle, Frauenfeld) and the art installation involving sculpture, film, sound and performance «das Ding mit der Schönheit» (2020, «Intra Muros Kunstfestival», Winterthur).
In 2021 Quirina and Gianin Conrad opened «Scala Trun» in Truns, an Art and Music Room, in which exhibitions, concerts, discussions and projects are planned.
