Rigoletto

Giuseppe Verdi

Melodrama in three acts
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave
after Victor Hugo

From 10. April 2022 until 27. April 2022

  • Duration :
    2 H. 40 Min. Inkl. Pause after 1st act after approx. 1 H.
  • Language:
    In Italian with German and English surtitles.
  • More information:
    Introduction 45 min before the performance.

Music Direction:
Leonardo Sini

Leonardo Sini

The Italian conductor Leonardo Sini studied at the Conservatorio di Musica Luigi Canepa di Sassari and continued his education at the Royal Academy of Music in London, at the conservatories in The Hague and Amsterdam, and in Siena. In 2017, he won the prestigious International Conducting Competition “Sir Georg Solti.” Since then, he has made highly successful debuts at the Hungarian State Opera in Budapest, with Opera Lombardia in Como, Cremona, Pavia, and Bergamo, at Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and in 2021 in Japan with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. Also in 2021, he conducted “L’elisir d’amore” at the Opéra National de Paris and returned to the Hungarian State Opera for Puccini’s rarely performed “Edgar” as well as productions of “Simon Boccanegra” and “Don Carlo.” Further highlights include his debuts at the Hamburg State Opera and the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin with “Lucia di Lammermoor,” “Aida” at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, “Turandot” and “Adriana Lecouvreur” at the Sydney Opera House, “Il barbiere di Siviglia” at Teatro Valli in Reggio Emilia and in Modena, “La traviata” and “Aida” at the Semperoper Dresden, and “Carmen” and Verdi’s “Alzira” at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège. Recent engagements include “Il trovatore” at the Korean National Opera in Seoul, “Don Carlo” in Tokyo, “Aida” at the Staatsoper Hannover, “Nabucco” with Plácido Domingo in Paris, “Carmen” at the Arena di Verona, and his 2025 American debut with “Tosca” at the Seattle Opera. At the Zurich Opera House, Leonardo Sini has conducted “Rigoletto,” “Lucia di Lammermoor,” “Tosca,” and “La scala di seta.”

La scala di seta25 / 28 Sept / 19 / 24 Oct 2025 Tosca2 Oct 2025
Director:
Tatjana Gürbaca

Tatjana Gürbaca

Tatjana Gürbaca studied directing at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in her hometown of Berlin and complemented her training with masterclasses, especially with Ruth Berghaus. At the international Ring Award Graz she was one of the finalists. The spectrum of her productions ranges from the Baroque (Purcell’s "Dido and Aeneas" in Baden-Baden) to contemporary music theatre such as Dallapiccola’s "Il prigioniero" (Volksoper Vienna) or Philippe Hersant’s "Le moine noir" (world premiere at Oper Leipzig). She also directed a Tchaikovsky cycle at the Vlaamse Opera Antwerp. Further engagements have taken her to the Staatsoper Unter den Linden and the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Oper Graz, Stadttheater Bern, the opera houses of Novosibirsk and Oslo, as well as the Lucerne Festival. From 2011 to 2014 she was Opera Director at Staatstheater Mainz, where she staged, among others, "Die verkaufte Braut", Salvatore Sciarrino’s "Macbeth", "Un ballo in maschera" and Alessandro Scarlatti’s "Il primo omicidio". In 2013 she was named "Director of the Year" by the magazine Opernwelt for her "Parsifal" at the Vlaamse Opera Antwerp. She created a three-part "Ring" project and "Alcina" at Theater an der Wien, "Lohengrin" and "Der Freischütz" in Essen, Korngold’s "Die tote Stadt" at Oper Cologne, "Das schlaue Füchslein" at Theater Bremen, "Così fan tutte" at the National Theatre in Prague, "Káťa Kabanová" at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, "Jenůfa" at the Grand Théâtre de Genève and "Ulisse" at Oper Frankfurt. In Zurich she has directed, among others, "Rigoletto", "Die Zauberflöte", "Werther", "Le Grand Macabre", "Lucia di Lammermoor" and in 2025 the world premiere of Beat Furrer’s "Das grosse Feuer".

Rigoletto20 / 23 / 27 Dec 2025 / 1 / 4 Jan 2026 Werther14 / 19 Jun / 1 / 4 / 10 Jul 2026
Stage design:
Klaus Grünberg

Klaus Grünberg

Klaus Grünberg, a native of Hamburg, studied stage design under Erich Wonder in Vienna and has since worked as a freelance stage and lighting designer at theatres and opera houses across Europe, as well as in Kuwait and Buenos Aires. For many years, he has collaborated with composer and director Heiner Goebbels, as well as with Tatjana Gürbaca and Barrie Kosky. His recent works include "The Magic Flute," "Macbeth," "Werther," "Lucia di Lammermoor," and "The Merry Widow" at the Zurich Opera House; "The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny" and the Berlin-themed evening "…und morgen könnt ihr mich!" at the Komische Oper Berlin; "Ulisse" and "La Juive" at the Frankfurt Opera; "Simon Boccanegra" at the Aalto Music Theatre Essen; "Rusalka" at the Hanover State Opera; "L’incoronazione di Poppea" at the Theater Bremen; and Gogol’s "The Government Inspector" at the Burgtheater Vienna. In 1999, Klaus Grünberg opened MOMOLMA (Museum of More or Less Modern Art) in Hamburg.

Rigoletto20 / 23 / 27 Dec 2025 / 1 / 4 Jan 2026 Werther14 / 19 Jun / 1 / 4 / 10 Jul 2026 Macbeth8 / 11 / 14 / 19 / 22 / 30 Nov 2025
Costumes:
Silke Willrett

Silke Willrett

Silke Willrett studied stage and costume design with Jürgen Rose and art history in Stuttgart. In 1999 she completed her state examination in art history. In 2003 she founded the independent theatre group "Fliegen ab Stuttgart" together with Tanja Richter and Marc Weeger, which received the Baden-Württemberg Theatre Prize in the same year. Together with Marc Weeger, she was nominated several times by Die Deutsche Bühne and Opernwelt as "Best Stage and Costume Designer". Silke Willrett also works as a set and costume designer for film productions. The film "Das Mass der Dinge" was nominated for the "First Steps Award" in 2005 and by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2006. Her artistic partners include Andrea Breth, Christof Nel as well as Monique Wagemakers and Jan Essinger. Together with Tatjana Gürbaca she created, among others, "Le Grand Macabre", "Don Giovanni" and "L’incoronazione di Poppea" (Theater Bremen), "Werther" and "Manon" (Staatstheater Mainz), "Der fliegende Holländer" (Deutsche Oper Berlin), "Mazeppa", "Eugene Onegin" and "The Enchantress" (Vlaamse Opera Antwerp), "Salome" (Deutsche Oper am Rhein), "Rigoletto", "Aida", "Die Zauberflöte", "Werther" and "Lucia di Lammermoor" (Opernhaus Zürich), "Ulisse" and "La Juive" (Oper Frankfurt) as well as "Il primo omicidio" (Teatro Arriaga Bilbao). She has served on several juries for scholarships and awards, including from 2021 to 2024 for the FAUST Prize. She is a member of the scenography association and of the German Academy of the Performing Arts. As a visual artist, she is a member of the group "Linienscharen", which presents annual exhibitions throughout the region.

Rigoletto20 / 23 / 27 Dec 2025 / 1 / 4 Jan 2026 Werther14 / 19 Jun / 1 / 4 / 10 Jul 2026
Associate costume designer:
Carl-Christian Andresen

Carl-Christian Andresen

Carl-Christian Andresen studied textile and fashion design at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg and then moved to Paris for four years. There he worked, among others, for Chloé, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and John Galliano. In 2006 he returned to Germany and shifted to theatre and opera as an artistic costume assistant. He has had a long-standing collaboration with Silke Willrett since 2008. Carl-Christian Andresen has worked on productions at, among others, the Thalia Theater Hamburg, the Hamburg State Opera, the Komische Oper Berlin, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Dutch National Opera, Opernhaus Zürich, the Vienna State Opera, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, La Monnaie in Brussels, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, the Aalto Theater in Essen and the Teatro Mayor in Bogotá. He created his own costume designs for, among others, "Le nozze di Figaro" at the Landestheater Detmold, "Le journal de Nijinsky" at the Grand Théâtre Bordeaux, "Dangerous Liaisons" at the Lübeck University of Music, "Der Vetter aus Dingsda" at Theater Ulm and "Dinorah" at Theater Görlitz. For Thierry Tidrow’s opera "Persona" at the Staatstheater Darmstadt he created both the stage and costume design in 2023. He also designs for various short films, feature films and commercials, including "My Circumcision" (awarded the Max Ophüls Prize 2013 for "Best Short Film") and the music video "Fräulein Sommer", which received the UNICATO Award for "Best Music Video" in 2014. In 2024 he designed, together with Silke Willrett, the costumes for the German premiere of Louise Bertin’s opera "Fausto" at the Aalto Musiktheater Essen (directed by Tatjana Gürbaca).

Rigoletto20 / 23 / 27 Dec 2025 / 1 / 4 Jan 2026 Werther14 / 19 Jun / 1 / 4 / 10 Jul 2026
Chorus Master:
Janko Kastelic

Janko Kastelic

Janko Kastelic ist ein kanadisch-slowenischer Dirigent, Chorleiter, Pianist und Organist. Er begann seine musikalische Ausbildung in Kanada am Royal/Western Conservatory of Music und der St. Michael’s Choir School. Er hat einen Abschluss in Dirigieren, Komposition und Musiktheorie von der Universität Toronto und setzte sein Studium an der Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Wien fort. Seit 2017 ist er Chordirektor am Opernhaus Zürich. Er war einer der Kapellmeister der Wiener Hofmusikkapelle, Studienleiter des JET-Programms für junge Sänger am Theater an der Wien und Assistent bei den Bayreuther Festspielen sowie Gastchordirektor an der Hamburgischen Staatsoper. Zu den Positionen, die er im Lauf seiner Karriere bekleidet hat, gehört auch die Stelle des Generalmusikdirektors und Operndirektors am Slowenischen Nationaltheater Maribor, des Zweiten Chordirektors an der Wiener Staatsoper sowie des Korrepetitors an der Opéra National de Paris. Er war Assistenzprofessor an der Universität Ljubljana und Mentor an der Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien. Seine künstlerischen Leistungen sind dokumentiert auf mehreren Live-Aufnahmen, darunter Tschaikowskis Pique Dame und Schönbergs Moses und Aron. Er arrangierte und dirigierte auch Werke für die Feierlichkeiten zum Mozartjahr 2006. Zu seinen Arbeiten beim Klangbogen-Festival in Wien gehört die europäische Erstaufführung von Blochs Macbeth. Janko Kastelic ist auch ein engagierter Pädagoge, der sich der Förderung der nächsten Generation von Musikerinnen und Musikern verschrieben hat.

Dramaturgy:
Claus Spahn

Claus Spahn

Claus Spahn was chief dramaturge at the Zurich Opera House during Andreas Homoki’s tenure as artistic director. There, he supervised music theater projects by Wolfgang Rihm, Helmut Lachenmann, George Benjamin, Roman Haubenstock-Ramati, and world premieres by Heinz Holliger, Christian Jost, and Stefan Wirth. As a production dramaturge, he worked with directors such as Sebastian Baumgarten, Herbert Fritsch, Jan Philipp Gloger, Tatjana Gürbaca, Andreas Homoki, Barrie Kosky, Nadja Loschky, David Marton, and Evgeni Titov. He also shares a close artistic partnership with the choreographer and former director of Zurich Ballet, Christian Spuck. For him, Spahn was involved in the development of the productions “Anna Karenina,” “Nussknacker und Mausekönig,” and “Monteverdi” in Zurich, he also wrote libretti for the ballets “Orlando” based on Virginia Woolf (world premiere in 2021 at the Moscow Bolshoi Ballet) and “Bovary” based on Gustave Flaubert (world premiere in 2023 at the Berlin State Ballet). Additionally, he is the librettist of the chamber opera “The Dream of You” by Swiss composer Xavier Dayer, which premiered in 2017 at the Zurich Opera House. Before joining the Zurich Opera House, Claus Spahn was the arts editor for 14 years at the German weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT, where he was responsible for the music section. From 1990 to 1997, he worked as a freelance music journalist mainly for the Süddeutsche Zeitung and Bavarian Broadcasting. Claus Spahn was born in Germany, studied classical guitar in Freiburg im Breisgau, and completed training at the German School of Journalism in Munich.

Rigoletto20 / 23 / 27 Dec 2025 / 1 / 4 Jan 2026 Le nozze di Figaro24 / 29 Jan / 1 / 5 / 7 / 10 / 14 Feb 2026 Werther14 / 19 Jun / 1 / 4 / 10 Jul 2026 Macbeth8 / 11 / 14 / 19 / 22 / 30 Nov 2025 Messa da Requiem20 / 22 / 28 Feb / 1 / 5 / 7 Mar / 6 Apr 2026

Cast


Il Duca di Mantova Liparit Avetisyan


Rigoletto Quinn Kelsey


Gilda Sandra Hamaoui


Sparafucile Brent Michael Smith


Il Conte di Monterone Valeriy Murga


Marullo Xiaomeng Zhang


Borsa Alejandro Del Angel


Il Conte di Ceprano Alexander Fritze


La Contessa di Ceprano Bożena Bujnicka


Paggio della Contessa Bożena Bujnicka


Usciere Benjamin Molonfalean

Liparit Avetisyan

The tenor Liparit Avetisyan, born in Yerevan, Armenia, studied at the conservatory there as well as at the Moscow Conservatory. In 2016 he made his debut at the Cologne Opera as Fenton in "Falstaff". Engagements followed at the Semperoper Dresden, the Hamburg State Opera, the Deutsche Oper and the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, the Vienna State Opera, Opernhaus Zürich, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, Den Norske Opera in Oslo, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Seattle Opera and Opera Australia. He attracted particular attention as Des Grieux (Massenet’s "Manon"), for which he received the "Golden Mask" theatre award in 2017. His further repertoire includes roles such as Alfredo Germont ("La traviata"), Rodolfo ("La bohème"), Nemorino ("L’elisir d’amore"), Count Almaviva ("Il barbiere di Siviglia"), Duke of Mantua ("Rigoletto"), Don Ottavio ("Don Giovanni") and the title role in "Faust". In 2022 he made his debut as Vaudémont ("Iolanta") with the Berlin Philharmonic under Kirill Petrenko. Together with the Armenian State Philharmonic, he has appeared as the Duke of Mantua, Rodolfo and Count Almaviva, and has sung the tenor parts in the Verdi and Mozart Requiems as well as in Mahler’s "Das Lied von der Erde". Further concert engagements have taken him to Russia, Estonia, France, Germany and the USA. In 2020 Liparit Avetisyan appeared as Cassio alongside Jonas Kaufmann in the Sony Classical recording of "Otello", which received an Opus Klassik award. In 2025 he released his first solo album, "Beloved Arias".

Rigoletto20 / 23 / 27 Dec 2025 / 1 / 4 Jan 2026

Quinn Kelsey

Quinn Kelsey stammt aus Hawaii. 2005 vertrat er die USA bei der «BBC Singer of the World Competition» in Cardiff und ist inzwischen ein gefragter Gast an Häusern wie der Metropolitan Opera, der San Francisco Opera, der L yric Opera of Chicago, dem Royal Opera House, Covent Garden und dem Opernhaus Zürich vor allem für das Verdi-, Puccini- und französische Repertoire. 2015 wurde er mit dem Beverly Sills Award der Metropolitan Opera ausgezeichnet. Er sang u.a. Conte di Luna in Verdis Il trovatore in San Francisco und in Dresden, in Das schlaue Füchs­lein in Florenz, als Sharpless in Madama But­terfly an der New York City Opera, als Amonasro in Aida bei den Bregenzer Festspielen, als Ezio in Verdis Attila in San Francisco sowie als Paolo in Simon Boccanegra in Rom. In der Titelrolle von Verdis Rigoletto war Quinn Kelsey in Zürich, London (ENO), Frankfurt, San Francisco, an der Opéra National de Paris und an der Wiener Staatsoper zu erleben und als Giorgio Germont (La traviata) gastierte er in Seoul, Chicago, San Francisco, am ROH London sowie in Zürich. Er war u.a. als Peter (Hänsel und Gretel), Enrico (Lucia di Lammer­moor), Giorgio Germont und als Rigoletto an der Met, mit seinem Rollendebüt als Posa (Don Carlo) an der Washington National Opera, als Miller (Luisa Miller) in Chicago, als Duke of Nottingham (Roberto Devereux) an der Los Angeles Opera, als Scarpia (Tosca) beim 2021 Summer Festival in Cincinnati und als Conte di Luna (Il trovatore) am Opernhaus Zürich zu erleben. Jüngst debütierte er u.a. als Simon Boccanegra an der Opera Philadelphia und sang Graf Anckarström (Un ballo in maschera) an der Met.

Sandra Hamaoui

Sandra Hamaoui, a French-American soprano, studied at the San Francisco Conservatory and the Juilliard School of Music in New York. She is a prizewinner of numerous competitions; among others, she was a semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and won first prize at the New England Regional Finals, the West Bay Opera League Competition, and the Mary Trueman Vocal Competition. While still studying, she sang the title role in Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette” with the Canadian Vocal Arts Institute and Adina in “L’elisir d’amore” with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music at the Kennedy Center. In the 2017/18 season, she was a member of the ensemble at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where she sang roles including Ninetta (“Die Liebe zu den drei Orangen”) and Pamina (“Die Zauberflöte”). In summer 2018, she appeared at the Verbier Festival, performing in “Adriana Lecouvreur” and “Rigoletto”. As an ensemble member at the Zurich Opera House, she has appeared as Susanna in “Le nozze di Figaro”, Gilda in “Rigoletto”, Constance in a new production of “Dialogues des Carmélites”, Nanetta in “Falstaff”, Gretel in Robert Carsen’s new production of “Hänsel und Gretel”, Alice (“Alice im Wunderland”), and Miss Ellen (“Lakmé”). Most recently, she made her debut in the title role of “Roméo et Juliette” with the Orchestre de Chambre de Genève.

Le nozze di Figaro24 / 29 Jan / 1 / 5 / 7 / 10 / 14 Feb 2026

Brent Michael Smith

The bass Brent Michael Smith is from the United States. He studied voice at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and at the University of Northern Iowa, as well as piano at Hope College in Michigan. He was a finalist in the Queen Sonja International Music Competition (2021) and a semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions (2020), and he has been a prizewinner at international singing competitions such as the Grand Rapids Opera Competition, the Giargiari Bel Canto Competition, the Opera Birmingham Competition, the Opera Index Competition, and the Concorso Lirico Internazionale di Portofino. He has also received scholarships from the Loren L. Zachary Society and the Young Patronesses of the Opera Competition in Miami. In the United States, he has sung Zuniga ("Carmen"), Friedrich Bhaer (Mark Adamo’s "Little Women"), and Ashby ("La fanciulla del West") at Michigan Opera, Antonio ("Le nozze di Figaro") at Toledo Opera, Ariodante ("Xerxes") at the Glimmerglass Festival, Lakai ("Ariadne auf Naxos") at the Santa Fe Opera, as well as Celio (Prokofiev’s "The Love for Three Oranges") and Peter Quince ("A Midsummer Night’s Dream") at Opera Philadelphia. During the 2020/21 season, he was a member of the International Opera Studio at the Zurich Opera House and joined the ensemble in the following season, 2021/22. Since then, he has appeared at the Zurich Opera House in roles such as Sparafucile ("Rigoletto"), Raimondo ("Lucia di Lammermoor"), Prince Gremin ("Eugene Onegin"), Frère Laurent ("Roméo et Juliette"), Fafner ("Das Rheingold"), and Cesare Angelotti ("Tosca").

Tosca28 Sept / 2 / 8 / 11 / 15 / 19 Oct 2025 Tannhäuser21 / 24 / 27 Jun / 2 / 5 / 8 / 11 Jul 2026 Cardillac15 / 18 / 21 / 25 Feb / 1 / 6 / 10 Mar 2026 Un ballo in Maschera22 / 28 / 31 May / 7 / 13 Jun 2026 Rigoletto20 / 23 / 27 Dec 2025 / 1 / 4 Jan 2026 Arabella14 / 18 / 22 / 25 / 28 Apr 2026

Valeriy Murga

Bass Valeriy Murga studied at the National Music Academy of Ukraine in Kyiv. He was a finalist at both the 41st International Singing Competition in Toulouse (1996) and the 7th Julian Gayarre Competition in Pamplona (1998). In 1997, he won second prize at the Maria Callas Grand Prix in Athens and participated in the Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 1999. From 1997 to 1999, he was a soloist at the Ukrainian National Opera in Kyiv, where he performed roles including Figaro (“Le nozze di Figaro”), Escamillo (“Carmen”), Schaunard (“La bohème”), and the title roles in “Eugene Onegin,” “Don Giovanni,” and “Prince Igor.” His repertoire also includes the roles of Marchese di Posa (“Don Carlo”) and Shaklovity (“Khovanshchina”). At the Zürich Opera House, Valeriy Murga was initially a member of the International Opera Studio and during this time performed, among others, Sciarrone and the Jailor (“Tosca”) as well as Monterone (“Rigoletto”). Since the 2000/01 season, he has been a permanent ensemble member at the Zürich Opera House, where he has performed roles such as Prince Yeletsky (“The Queen of Spades”), Moralès (“Carmen”), Second Soldier (“Salome”), Alessio (“La sonnambula”), Ali (“L’italiana in Algeri”), Wagner (“Faust”), Sacristan (“Tosca”), Butler (“La rondine”), and Bogdanovich (“The Merry Widow”), as well as in family operas including “The Canterville Ghost,” “Robin Hood,” “The Enchanted Pig,” “Jim Knopf,” and “Wir pfeiffen auf den Gurkenkönig” He has also appeared as a guest in Eugen d’Albert’s “Tiefland” at the Liceu in Barcelona and in “L’italiana in Algeri” at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin.

Manon24 / 27 Sept / 3 / 7 / 10 Oct 2025 Tosca28 Sept / 2 / 8 / 11 / 15 / 19 Oct 2025 Werther14 / 19 Jun / 1 / 4 / 10 Jul 2026 Hänsel und Gretel20 / 23 Nov / 2 / 16 / 18 Dec 2025 / 2 / 24 / 25 / 31 Jan 2026 Sillons de Mémoires5 Feb 2026

Xiaomeng Zhang

Xiaomeng Zhang, Bariton, stammt aus Wenzhou, China. Er absolvierte sein Studium in Shanghai sowie an der Manhattan School of Music und der Juilliard School New York. 2020 war er Finalist bei den Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions und 2022 bei den Internationalen Gesangswettbewerben Stanisław Moniuszko und Juan Pons. Im Rahmen des Merola Opera Program sowie der Juilliard School sang er u.a. die Titelrolle in Don Giovanni. Von 2020 bis 2022 war er Mitglied des Internationalen Opernstudios am Opernhaus Zürich und sang hier u.a. in Viva la mamma, Pagliacci, Cavalleria rusticana, Tristan und Isolde und Rigoletto. Als Guglielmo (Così fan tutte) und Donner (Das Rheingold) kehrte er jüngst als Gast nach Zürich zurück. An der Opéra de Paris debütierte er als Zhou Enlai in Valentina Carracsos Neuinszenierung von Nixon in China unter der Leitung von Gustavo Dudamel, sang beim Aspen Music Festival den Conte Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro) und interpretierte Belcore (L’elisir d’amore) für die ARE Opera, Schaunard (La bohème) für das Chautauqua Music Festival und die Titelrolle in Rossinis Il barbiere di Siviglia für die Opera Columbus. Letztere Rolle sang er 2023/24 auch beim Macau International Music Festival. Im Konzert trat er als Solist in Beethovens 9. Sinfonie mit der Queens College Choral Society, in der Yellow River Cantata mit dem New Jersey Festival Orchestra, in Mozarts Requiem und Dvořáks Te Deum mit dem New York City Master Chorale und zuletzt in der Titelrolle in Tan Duns Buddha Passion mit dem Lanzhou Symphony Orchestra auf. Derzeit ist er «Artist in Residence» an der School of Music der Chinese University of Hong Kong in Shenzen.

Alejandro Del Angel

Alejandro Del Angel, Tenor, stammt aus Mexiko und studierte Gesang am staatlichen Konservatorium und an der Universidad Nacional Autónoma in Mexiko-Stadt. Anschliessend war er Mitglied des Opernstudios Bellas Artes der Nationalen Opernkompanie Mexiko. Er gewann zahlreiche Preise bei Gesangswettbewerben, u.a. den ersten Preis beim Sinaloa Wettbewerb, und war Halbfinalist bei der Competizione dell’Opera Sochi 2019, Viertelfinalist bei Plácido Domingos Operalia in Lissabon 2018 sowie beim Tenor Viñas Wettbewerb 2020. Ausserdem ist er District winner der Kansas Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions 2021. Als Solist ist er bisher bei diversen Konzerten, Festivals, Opernproduktionen und Galas in Mexiko, den USA, Kolumbien und Spanien aufgetreten. Seit der Spielzeit 2021/22 ist er Mitglied des Internationalen Opernstudios Zürich und war hier bisher in Salome, Die Odyssee, Le Comte Ory, Macbeth, Arabella, Nabucco und in Rigoletto zu erleben. Ausserdem gastierte er im März 2023 als Gastone in La traviata an der Opéra de Monte-Carlo.

Alexander Fritze

Alexander Fritze studierte Schlagwerk und Gesang an der Hochschule für Musik Saarbrücken. Er war in zahlreichen Hochschulproduktionen, in einer Aufführung von Bachs Matthäuspassion (Jesus) und bei diversen Liederabenden als Sänger auf der Bühne zu erleben. Sein professionelles Debüt gab er 2017 in der Rolle des 2. Geharnischten in einer Produktion von Die Zauberflöte an der Longborough Festival Opera in Gloucestershire. Im selben Jahr wechselte er in die Klasse von Prof. Rudolf Piernay an der Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Zudem besuchte er Meisterkurse bei Prof. Edith Wiens (Juilliard School New York) und Elizabeth McDonald (University of Toronto). Seit der Spielzeit 2021/22 ist er Mitglied des Internationalen Opernstudios Zürich und war hier bisher in Salome, Die Odyssee, Dialogues des Carmélites und Macbeth zu erleben.

Bożena Bujnicka

Bożena Bujnicka stammt aus Polen und studierte an der Fryderyk-Chopin-Musikuniversität in Warschau. Sie war Mitglied des Young Artists Program des Teatr Wielki in Warschau sowie Erasmusstudentin an der Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Sie hat zahlreiche Preise bei nationalen und internationalen Wettbewerben gewonnen, darunter den 1. Preis beim Nationalen Gesangswettbewerb Złote Głosy in Warschau. 2015 gab sie ihr Operndebüt als Amore in Glucks Orfeo ed Euridice am Teatr Wielki, wo sie seither u.a. als Gräfin Ceprano in Rigoletto und als First Girl in Der feurige Engel zu erleben war. An der Oper in Breslau gastierte sie jüngst als Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), als Micaëla (Carmen) und als Yemaya (Yemaya, Queen of Seas) sowie an der Kammeroper Warschau als Contessa di Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro). Neben ihren Auftritten als Sängerin arbeitet Bożena Bujnicka auch als Regisseurin. So gab sie 2017 ihr Regiedebüt mit der Inszenierung von About the Kingdom of Day and Night and Magic Instruments, einer Kurzversion der Zauberflöte am Teatr Wielki und inszenierte zuletzt Händels Aci, Galatea e Polifemo für das Festival Dramma per Musica in Polen. Seit der Spielzeit 2021/22 ist sie Mitglied im Internationalen Opernstudios Zürich und war hier in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Il trovatore, Simon Boccanegra, Le Comte Ory, Macbeth, Rigoletto und Jakob Lenz zu erleben.

Bożena Bujnicka

Bożena Bujnicka stammt aus Polen und studierte an der Fryderyk-Chopin-Musikuniversität in Warschau. Sie war Mitglied des Young Artists Program des Teatr Wielki in Warschau sowie Erasmusstudentin an der Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Sie hat zahlreiche Preise bei nationalen und internationalen Wettbewerben gewonnen, darunter den 1. Preis beim Nationalen Gesangswettbewerb Złote Głosy in Warschau. 2015 gab sie ihr Operndebüt als Amore in Glucks Orfeo ed Euridice am Teatr Wielki, wo sie seither u.a. als Gräfin Ceprano in Rigoletto und als First Girl in Der feurige Engel zu erleben war. An der Oper in Breslau gastierte sie jüngst als Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), als Micaëla (Carmen) und als Yemaya (Yemaya, Queen of Seas) sowie an der Kammeroper Warschau als Contessa di Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro). Neben ihren Auftritten als Sängerin arbeitet Bożena Bujnicka auch als Regisseurin. So gab sie 2017 ihr Regiedebüt mit der Inszenierung von About the Kingdom of Day and Night and Magic Instruments, einer Kurzversion der Zauberflöte am Teatr Wielki und inszenierte zuletzt Händels Aci, Galatea e Polifemo für das Festival Dramma per Musica in Polen. Seit der Spielzeit 2021/22 ist sie Mitglied im Internationalen Opernstudios Zürich und war hier in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Il trovatore, Simon Boccanegra, Le Comte Ory, Macbeth, Rigoletto und Jakob Lenz zu erleben.

Benjamin Molonfalean

Benjamin Avram Molonfalean, Bassbariton, wurde in Rumänien geboren. Sein Musikstudium schloss er an der Königlich Dänischen Musikakademie in Kopenhagen ab. Während seines Studiums sang er u.a. den Förster in Janáčeks Das schlaue Füchslein und die Titelpartie in Le nozze di Figaro. 2015 nahm Benjamin Molonfalean an Meisterkursen von Constance Fee und Gabor Bretz am Crescendo Summer Institute in Tokaj (Ungarn) teil. 2017 debütierte er an der Århus Sommeropera in der Oper Darwin von Niels Marthinsen. 2018 sang er in Rossinis Petite Messe solennelle in der Domkirche in Maribo (Dänemark) sowie 2019 die Titelrolle in Don Pasquale an der Opera Prima in Wien. Seit der Spielzeit 2021/22 ist er Mitglied des Internationalen Opernstudios Zürich und war hier bisher in Tosca, Le Comte Ory und in Dialogues des Carmélites zu erleben.

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Photos «Rigoletto»