Tosca

Sondra Radvanovsky wurde bei Chicago/Illinois geboren. Nach einer Ausbildung im Lindemann Young Artist Development Program der Metropolitan Opera in New York gelang ihr der Durchbruch mit Antonia (Les Contes d’Hoffmann). Seither ist sie an den renommiertesten Opernhäusern zu Gast. Zu ihrem Repertoire gehören Verdis Titelrollen von Aida und Luisa Miller, Elvira (Ernani), Elena (I vespri siciliani), Elisabeth de Valois (Don Carlo), Amelia (Simon Boccanegra), Lina (Stiffelio), Roxanne (Cyrano de Bergerac) sowie die Titelrollen von Rusalka, Tosca, Lucrezia Borgia und Manon Lescaut. In ihrer Konzerttätigkeit arbeitete sie u.a. mit dem Boston Symphony Orchestra und dem Verbier Festival Orchester unter James Levine, mit dem Chicago Symphony Orchestra unter David Zinman, mit dem San Francisco Symphony Orchestra unter James Conlon sowie mit dem Orchester der Bayerischen Staatsoper unter Zubin Mehta. Ihre Diskografie umfasst u.a. eine CD mit Verdi-Arien sowie Aufnahmen von Szenen aus Verdis Opern mit Dmitri Hvorostovsky. In der Spielzeit 2021/22 sang sie ihr Rollendebüt als Lady Macbeth (Macbeth) an der Lyric Opera of Chicago, Tosca an der Met in New York sowie Lisa (Pique Dame) am Gran Theatre del Liceu. Zudem interpretierte sie Amelia (Un ballo in maschera) an der Scala in Mailand. Unter Antonio Pappano gab sie ausserdem ihr Rollendebüt als Turandot an der Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Die Spielzeit 2022/23 führte sie u.a. als Médée nach New York und Budapest, als Tosca nach Zürich, Barcelona und Berlin sowie als Lady Macbeth nach Barcelona, Neapel und Chicago.

The tenor Jonas Kaufmann studied voice at the Academy of Music in his hometown of Munich. After engagements in Saarbrücken, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Milan, he joined the Zurich Opera House in 2001. From there, his international career took off with appearances at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Paris Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, La Scala in Milan, the Deutsche Oper and the Staatsoper in Berlin, the Vienna State Opera, as well as at the Salzburg and Bayreuth Festivals. He made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 2006. He has sung the title roles in Verdi’s "Otello" in London, Munich, and Naples, Massenet’s "Werther" in Paris, Vienna, and New York, and Wagner’s "Lohengrin" in Bayreuth, Milan, Paris, and Melbourne. In the field of lieder, he enjoys a close artistic partnership with Helmut Deutsch, with whom he gave the first solo recital at the Met in New York in 2011 since Luciano Pavarotti. Jonas Kaufmann is an exclusive artist with Sony Music, and many of his recordings have received awards such as the Gramophone Award. He has been named "Singer of the Year" multiple times, including by Opernwelt magazine, Diapason, Musical America, and the juries of the International Opera Awards and the Opus Klassik. In 2013, he was named Bavarian Kammersänger and in 2022 Austrian Kammersänger. He received the Bambi Award in 2014, the Premio Puccini in 2015, the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2016, was appointed "Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" in 2018, received the Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art, and in 2024 was awarded the "Ordre de la Légion d’honneur". Since 2024, Jonas Kaufmann has also served as Artistic Director of the Tyrolean Festival Erl.

Vittorio Grigolo wurde in Arezzo geboren und verbrachte seine Kindheit in Rom. Als einer der führenden Tenöre seiner Generation sang er an den renommiertesten Opernhäusern der Welt wie dem Teatro alla Scala, dem Royal Opera House, der Metropolitan Opera, der Washington National Opera, der Deutschen Oper Berlin, der Berliner Staatsoper und dem Opernhaus Zürich unter Dirigenten wie Riccardo Chailly, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Chung Myung-Whun, Gustavo Dudamel, Attonio Pappano und Lorin Maazel. Sein Repertoire umfasst Opern von Mozart, Donizetti, Verdi, Puccini, Gounod, Massenet, Offenbach, Bernstein und geistliche Werke von Rossini. Jüngste Engagements beinhalten u.a. die Titelrollen in Roméo et Juliette, Manon, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, La bohème, Lucia di Lammermoor und L’elisir d’amore. 2013 sang er bei einem Konzert unter dem Eiffelturm am französischen Nationalfeiertag vor mehr als achthunderttausend Menschen. Er erhielt Auszeichnungen für sein Debüt-Album, eine Grammy Nominierung für eine Einspielung der West Side Story und hatte viel Erfolg mit Alben wie The Italian Tenor, Arrivederci, Ave Maria und The Romantic Hero. Zudem sang er 2010, neben Plácido Domingo, den Herzog von Mantua in einer weltweit ausgestrahlten Fernsehaufzeichnung von Rigoletto aus Mantua. Er wurde mit mehreren Preisen ausgezeichnet, darunter der «European Border Breakers Award« für sein Solo-Album In the Hands of Love und 2010 mit dem Diapason D’Or als «Entdeckung des Jahres» mit seinem Album The Italian Tenor. 2011 erhielt er den «Echo Klassik» als Newcomer des Jahres.

Yusif Eyvazov is a native of Azerbaijan and studied in his hometown of Baku and in Italy. He regularly appears at the world’s most prestigious opera houses and festivals, including the Royal Opera House in London, the state operas of Munich, Berlin, and Vienna, La Scala in Milan, the Opéra National de Paris, Teatro Real in Madrid, the Bolshoi Theatre, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Arena di Verona, and the Salzburg Festival. His repertoire includes roles such as Alfredo (“La traviata”), Manrico (“Il trovatore”), Riccardo (“Un ballo in maschera”), Duca di Mantova (“Rigoletto”), Don Alvaro (“La forza del destino”), Radamès (“Aida”), Don Carlo, Des Grieux (“Manon Lescaut”), Rodolfo (“La bohème”), Cavaradossi (“Tosca”), Dick Johnson (“La fanciulla del West”), Calaf (“Turandot”), Hermann (“The Queen of Spades”), Maurice (“Adriana Lecouvreur”), and the title role in “Andrea Chénier.” His discography includes a live recording of Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut” from the Salzburg Festival and the album “Romanza” with Anna Netrebko. In 2017, he was awarded the title of People’s Artist of Azerbaijan. Most recently, he has appeared as Otello at Teatro Massimo in Palermo, as Cavaradossi at Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, as Alfredo at the Royal Opera House Muscat, as Manrico at the Berlin State Opera, as Hermann at the Vienna State Opera, as Don José and Radamès at the Arena di Verona, and in numerous concerts with Anna Netrebko in cities such as Sofia, Budapest, Paris, Vienna, and Istanbul.

Bryn Terfel, bass-baritone from Wales, won the Song Prize in Cardiff in 1989. Since then, he has appeared at the world’s leading opera houses. His roles include, among others, the title role and Leporello in "Don Giovanni", Jochanaan in "Salome", Nick Shadow in "The Rake’s Progress", Wolfram in "Tannhäuser", and Balstrode in "Peter Grimes". He sang Hans Sachs in the acclaimed production of "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" at the Welsh National Opera, Wotan in the "Ring" cycle at the Royal Opera House London and the Metropolitan Opera New York, as well as Sweeney Todd at the English National Opera. His recent appearances include Scarpia ("Tosca") at the Bavarian State Opera Munich, the Royal Opera House, and the Met, Dulcamara ("L’elisir d’amore") and Don Basilio ("Il barbiere di Siviglia") at the Vienna State Opera, and Gianni Schicchi at the Verbier Festival. He has given recitals at venues including the Hamburg State Opera and in Budapest, and has performed with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. In Faenol, North Wales, he directed his own festival for nine years. His discography includes operas by Mozart, Wagner, and Strauss, as well as over fifteen solo albums, for which he has received the Grammy, the Classical Brit, and the Gramophone Award. In 2003, Bryn Terfel was appointed Commander of the British Empire, received the Queen’s Medal for Music in 2006, was knighted in 2017, honoured with the title "Austrian Kammersänger" for his contributions to the Vienna State Opera, and received the European Culture Prize in 2022 at the Tonhalle Zurich. He was also a recipient of the Shakespeare Prize from the Alfred Toepfer Foundation and was awarded the "Freedom of the City of London" in 2015.

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").

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.

Martin Zysset was born and raised in Solothurn. He trained as a clarinetist while simultaneously studying voice, complementing his education with master classes with Ernst Haefliger and Edith Mathis. In 1990/91, he was a member of the International Opera Studio at Zurich Opera House and, at the same time, a scholarship holder of the Migros Culture Percentage and a prizewinner of the Pro Arte Lyrica Competition in Lausanne. Since 1992, he has been a regular guest at the Selzach Summer Festival. He has been a permanent member of the Zurich Opera House ensemble since the 1991/92 season, where he has built up a wide-ranging repertoire encompassing both comic and dramatic roles, including Pedrillo, Monostatos, Spoletta, Incredibile (“Andrea Chénier”), Jaquino, Kudrjasch (“Káťa Kabanová”), Alfred (“Die Fledermaus”), Tamino, Tybalt, Dancaïro, Arturo, the Witch, Brighella, and the male lead in Udo Zimmermann’s “Weiße Rose.” He achieved great success as Simplicius in Johann Strauss’s operetta of the same name, which was also released on CD and DVD. Guest performances have taken him throughout Europe, to Shanghai, and to San Diego with “The Magic Flute,” “Le nozze di Figaro,” “Fidelio,” and “Tannhäuser.” For Bavarian Radio, he recorded Lehár’s operetta “Paganini.” Most recently at Zurich Opera House, he has appeared as Don Basilio (“Le nozze di Figaro”), Tschekalinski (“The Queen of Spades”), Triquet (“Eugene Onegin”), the Chief Eunuch (“The Land of Smiles”), Goro (“Madama Butterfly”), Spoletta (“Tosca”), Dormont (“La scala di seta”), the White Minister (“Le Grand Macabre”), the Devil/Narrator (“The Soldier’s Tale”), the Third Jew (“Salome”), Schmidt (“Werther”), and Feri (“The Csárdás Princess”).

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.