Biography
Who is Raiven?
Early life and education
Sara Briški Cirman began music at age four at Glasbena matica in Ljubljana. From 2002 to 2011, she took harp lessons at the Music School in Ljubljana. She studied at the Maribor Conservatory of Music and Ballet in the Art Gymnasium program. There, she learned harp from Dalibor Bernatovič and jazz singing from Ana Bezjak. She also studied solo singing with Leona Bašovič and Tina Bohak.
She graduated in solo singing in 2015. She then entered Ljubljana's Academy of Music for opera studies. She completed this degree in 2018 under Professor Alenka Dernač Bunta. Raiven later earned a master's degree in solo singing and opera in 2021. She studied under Professor Pija Brodnik during her master's program.
Pop music and Eurovision
Raiven released her first album, Magenta, in 2017. This record won the Zlata piščal award for record of the year. In 2018, she worked with producers at Metropolis Studios in London. This collaboration led to the release of her EP titled REM. She performed on the Fusion Stage at the Exit Festival in Novi Sad on July 4, 2019.
She competed in the national final Evrovizijska Melodija several times. In 2016, she placed second with the song Črno bel. She took third place in 2017 with Zažarim. In 2019, she finished second again with the song Kaos. Raiven competed for Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song Veronika. This song placed 23rd in the grand final on May 11, 2024.
Opera and theater career
Raiven performed in the tamburitza opera Ambrož and Katarina in December 2019. She sang the role of the Old Lady in the opera Candide in June 2021. In August 2021, she played Rosina in The Barber of Seville. She took the title role in the opera Agrippina at the Cankar Center in April 2022. She also debuted at the Slovenian National Theatre's Opera and Ballet in Orpheus in the Underworld.
In 2023, she played the role of Larina in Eugene Onegin. She also performed Mozart's Spatzenmesse and Vivaldi's Gloria in D major in 2018. In the theater, she played Cassandra in the play Trojanke in 2018. She also took the lead role of Urška in the musical Povodni mož in 2021.
Awards and special projects
She won first place at the International Harp Competition of Antonio Salieri in Italy in 2013. She also received a gold plaque at the Temsig Solo Singing Country Competition. In April 2021, she won first prize and third place at the IMMCC 2020 International Singing Competition. The Academy of Music gave her the Prešeren Prize for Students.
In 2021, her song Volkovi won the Audience Grand Award at the Popevka 21 festival. This song received the title Popevka 2021. In 2022, she started an electro-opera project mixing pop and classical music. She performed this project, called Doloroso, at the Cankar Centre on March 8, 2022. She later released the EP Sirene and the song Ikona in 2023.
Birthday and age
Raiven was born on April 26, 1996, which makes Raiven 30 years old today. That birthday falls under the Taurus sign. Raiven shares the date with 62 other famous people.
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