Catalan countertenor Xavier Sabata studied saxophone and drama before becoming a professional vocalist. He established his classical bona fides with William Christie and Les Arts Florissants, and sang in productions of Claudio Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea, Francesco Cavalli's La Didone, and Stefano Landi's Il Sant’Alessio. He has appeared with many early music ensembles, such as Europa Galante, Collegium 1704, the Venice Baroque Orchestra, I Barocchisti, El Concierto Español, Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla, and Il Pomo d'Oro. Sabata possesses a large repertoire, which includes works from the early Baroque period to the Romantic era, and he is equally at home in contemporary music, such as Hans Thomalla's Kaspar Hauser, which was composed for him, and Fabrice Bollon's Oscar und die Dame in Rosa. Sabata is a Handel specialist, notably presenting Ottone in concert at the Theater an der Wien, and performing Rinaldo at the Handel Festival in Halle and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. Sabata has also given recitals of art songs, singing Schubert's Winterreise in Barcelona and performing at the Ciclo de Lied in Madrid. He has been a regular guest at music festivals, including the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, the Festival de musique Baroque d'Ambronay, the Salzburg Festival, the Handel Festival Karlsruhe, and the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music. Sabata has recorded for Aparté, Decca, Naïve, Anima e Corpo, and Opus Arte. ~ Blair Sanderson