Cast

Musical Direction

Antonino Fogliani

Birthplace:
Messina, Italy

Studies:
Graduated in Music Disciplines at the Bologna University, he graduated in Piano at the Bolonia Conservatory and Conducting at the Milan Conservatory. He specialized at the Chigiana Academy of Siena with Franco Donadoni and Ennio Morricone

Prizes:
In 2018 the President Sergio Mattarella awarded him the honorary title of “Ufficiale dell’Ordine al merito della Repubblica italiana”.

Repertoire:
Maria Stuarda, Don Pasquale, Amica and Mosè in Egitto, Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio, Otello, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Rigoletto, Il turco in Italia, Turandot, La sposa di Messina, Lucia di Lammermoor, Carmen, Tosca, et al.

Career stages:
Music Director since 2012 of the Festival Rossini in Wildbad,
Since season 2017/18 Principal Guest Conductor of Deutsche Oper am Rhein
Since 2021 Professor in Orchestral Conducting at the "A. Scarlatti" Conservatory in Palermo

Stages:
Rossini Opera Festival, Teatro alla Scala, Teatro dell'Opera of Rome, Teatro Filarmonico in Verona, La Fenice in Venice, San Carlo in Naples, Bolshoi Theatre, Donizetti Theater Bergamo, Bayerische Staatsoper, Bregenzer Festspiele, Semperoper in Dresden, Verona Arena, Frankfurt Opera, et al.

Cooperation with orchestras:
Orchestra Nazionale dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Neue Philharmonie Westfalen Orchestra Dortmund, Moscow State Philharmonic Society, Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, et al.

Find further information about Antonino Fogliani here.

Performances

• Maria Stuarda
• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)

photo: Konstantin Pavlenko

Associate Chorus Master

Christian Günther

Birthplace:
Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

Studies:
Conducting at University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, conducting lessons with Neeme Järvi, Jorma Panula and Gianluigi Gelmetti

Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Assistant Chorus Master at Hamburg State Opera since the 2019/20 season

Career stages:
Assistant of the Chorus Master at Hamburg State Opera (2008-2019), regular guest appearances at NDR-Chorus (since 2018), Guest Chorus Master at Zürich Opera House (2018), Assistant of Eberhard Friedrich with the Chorus of the Bayreuth Festival (2017), Guest engagements at Music Festival Bremen, at Festival der Projektgruppe Neue Musik Bremen as well as at Oh Ton-Ensemble Oldenburg, Leader of the Ensemble “Atelier Neue Musik”, Lectureship at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen (since 2007), Associate Chorus Master and Leader of the children's chorus at Theater Bremen (2002-2007), 2nd Capellmeister at Theater Bremen (2005-2007), Conductor of the Ensemble “piano possible” Munich (1996-2007), Guest répétiteur at Stuttgart State Theater, Theater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich and at the Biennale in Munich

Cooperation with choruses:
Chorus of Hamburg State Opera, NDR Chorus, Children's chorus of Theater Bremen, et al.

Performances

• Carmen
• Tosca
• Don Giovanni
• Der Freischütz
• La Bohème
• Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)
• Eugene Onegin
• Les Contes d'Hoffmann
• Eugen Onegin (concerted)
• Don Pasquale
• Don Pasquale (concerted)
• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)
• Il trovatore
• Falstaff
• La Traviata
• Pique Dame
• Die dunkle Seite des Mondes
• Tristan und Isolde (Tristan and Isolde)
• Così fan tutte
• Der fliegende Holländer
• Monster´s Paradise

Soprano

Anna Pirozzi

Birthplace:
Naples, Italy

Studies:
Vocal studies at the Music Institute of the Valle d'Aosta, Studies at the “G. Verdi” Conservatory in Turin

Important parts:
Lady Macbeth (Macbeth), Amelia (Un ballo in Maschera), Abigaille (Nabucco), Turandot (Turandot), Adriana Lecouvreur (Adriana Lecouvreur), Norma (Norma), Tosca (Tosca), Elisabetta (Don Carlo), et al.

Stages:
Teatro Regio in Turin, Salzburg Festival, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Opéra de Paris, Wiener Staatsoper, Arena di Verona, Teatro Real Madrid, San Francisco Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, et al.

Cooperations with directors:
David McVicar, et al.

Cooperations with conductors:
Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, et al.

Performances

• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)

photo: Charl Marais

Baritone

Claudio Sgura

Birthplace:
Brindisi, Italy

Studies:
In Lecce with Maria Mozzota

Prizes:
Winner of the Viterbo Singing Competition (2005) and second prize at the Verdi Competition in Busseto (2006)

Important parts:
Alfio (Cavalleria Rusticana), Sharpless (Madama Butterfly), Rigoletto (Rigoletto), Miller (Luisa Miller), Scarpia (Tosca), Jack Rance (La fanciulla del West), Jago (Otello), Ezio (Attila), Il Conte di Luna (Il trovatore), Amonasro (Aida), Macbeth (Macbeth), Enrico Ashton (Lucia di Lammermoor), Marcello (La bohème), Barnaba (La Gioconda), Tonio (Pagliacci), Germont (La traviata), Giacomo (Giovanna d'Arco), Francesco Foscari (I due Foscari), Amleto (Samson et Dalila), Simon Boccanegra (Simon Boccanegra), Carlo Gérard (Andrea Chénier), et al.

Stages:
Teatro alla Scala, Teatro Petruzzellli di Bari, Palau de les Arts in Valencia, Royal Swedish Opera, Teatro San Carlo, Den Norske Opera & Ballet, Teatro Regio di Torino, Korea National Opera in Seoul, Bregenzer Festspiele, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Opernhaus Zürich, Teatro La Fenice, New National Theatre Tokyo, Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro Regio di Torino, Bayerische Staatsoper, Opera di Roma, Opéra national de Paris, Teatro Regio di Parma, Teatro Lirico in Cagliari as well as performances in Melbourne, Sydney, Rom, Turin, Bejing, Salerno, Bogotà, et al.

Cooperation with directors:
Giorgio Albertazzi, Pier Luigi Pizzi, Massimo Gasparon, Piero Faggioni, Eimuntas Nekrošius und Gabriele Lavia, Keita Asari, Robert Carsen, Claudio Abbado, Hugo de Ana, Calixto Bieito, Nicola Berloffa, et al.

Cooperation with conductors:
Myung-Whun Chung, Sir Antonio Pappano, Nicola Luisotti, Daniele Callegari, Donato Renzetti, Plácido Domingo, Keri-Lynn Wilson, Bruno Apea, Renato Palumbo, Asher Fisch, Daniel Oren, Yves Abel, Valery Gergiev, Carlo Rizzi, Nello Santi, et al.

Find further information about Claudio Sgura here.

Performances

• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)

photo: Jeff Busby

Tenor

Gregory Kunde

Birthplace:
Illinois, USA

Studies:
Choral conducting and Vocal performance at Illinois State University

Prizes:
‘Male Singer of the Year’ at the 2016 International Opera Awards

Important parts:
Otello (Otello), Radamès (Aida), Calaf (Turandot), Jean de Leyden (Le prophète), Don Carlo (Don Carlos), Samson (Samson et Delila), Don José (Carmen), Andrea Chénier (Andrea Chénier), Renato des Grieux (Manon Lescaut), Don Alvaro (La forza del destino), Peter Grimes (Peter Grimes), Pollione (Norma), Aschenbach (Death in Venice), Cellini (Benvenuto Cellini), Faust (La damnation de Faust), Enée (Les Troyens), Captain Vere (Billy Budd), Poliuto (Poliuto), Roberto Devereux (Roberto Devereux), Alceste (Admète), Faust (Faust), La Juíve (Eléazar), Des Grieux (Manon), Werther (Werther), Raoul (Les Huguenots), Robert (Robert le diable), Tito Vespasiano (La clemenza di Tito), Idomeneo (Idomeneo), Cavaradossi (Tosca), Dick Johnson (La fanciulla del West), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Rodrigo (La donna del lago), Leicester (Elizabetta, Regina d'Inghilterra), Pirro (Ermione), Arnold (Guillaume Tell), Argirio (Tancredi), Antenore (Zelmira), Riccardo/Gustav V (Un ballo in Maschera), Rodolfo (Luisa Miller), Manrico (Il Trovatore), Arrigo (I vespiri Siciliani), Henrí (Les vêpres Siciliennes), Florestan (Fidelio), Canio (Pagliacci), Luigi (Il Tabarro), Bacchus (Ariadne auf Naxos)

Stages:
Grand Teatre del Liceu, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Staatsoper Hamburg, LA Opera, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège, Metropolitan Opera, Opéra national de Paris, Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro Real, Dallas Opera, Semperoper Dresden, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, Valencia, Teatro La Fenice, BBC Proms, Cincinnati May Festival, Concertgebouw Amsterdam

Cooperations with directors:
Mario Pontiggia, William Friedkin, Davide Garattini Raimondi, Olivier Py, Willy Decker, Uwe Eric Laufenberg, Hugo De Ana, Keith Warner, Emilio López, Davide Livermore, Franco Zeffirelli, Bepi Morassi, Chiara Muti, Darko Tresnjak, Robert Wilson, Otto Schenk, Alfonso Romero Mora, Edward Berkeley, Andrei Serban, Allex Aguilera, Fabio Cherstich, Nicolas Joël, Amélie Niermeyer, Julia Burbach, Franc Aleu, Susana Gómez, Paco Azorín, Stefano Mazzonis di Pralafera

Cooperations with conductors:
Zubin Mehta, Sir Antonio Pappano, Charles Dutoit, Ramón Tebar, Gianandrea Noseda, Massimo Zanetti, Enrique Mazzola, Daniele Callegari, Christopher Franklin, Daniela Musca, Nicola Luisotti, Mark Wigglesworth, Pietro Rizzo, Emmanuel Villaume, Jordi Bernàcer, Daniel Oren, Andrea Battistoni, Francesco Ivan Ciampa, Sesto Quatrini, Donato Renzetti, Mark Elder, Frédéric Chaslin, Marco Armiliato, Miquel Ortega, Bertrand de Billy, Valerio Galli, Sergio Alapont, Adam Fischer, Josep Pons, Jacques Lacombe, Paolo Arrivabeni

Find further information about Gregory Kunde here.

Performances

• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)
• The great silence

photo: Sim Canetty-Clarke

Tenor

Andrew Dickinson

Birthplace:
Liverpool, Great Britain

Studies:
studies at the Royal Academy Opera School (degree 2011)

Prizes:
Maureen Lehane Singing Competition at the Wigmore Hall (2014), British Wagner Association Competition (2015)

Important Parts:
Truffaldino (L'amour des trois oranges), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Max (Der Freischütz), Pedrillo (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Andrès/Cochenille/Frantz/Pitichinaccio (Les Contes d'Hoffmann), Novice (Billy Budd), Hexe (Hänsel und Gretel), Beppe (I Pagliacci), Tom Rakewell (The Rakes Progress), Jonas (Le Prophete), White Minister (Le Grand Macabre), Quint (Turn of the Screw), Male Chorus (The Rape of Lucretia), Flute (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Kaufmann (Jakob Lenz), et al.

Stages:
Ensemble member at the Deutsche Oper Berlin from 2016 to 2022, collaboration with Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Ensemble Resonanz, Danish National Opera, Brooklyn Academy of Arts New York, Hyogo Performing Arts Center Japan, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Mozarteum Salzburg, Podium Festspiele, Bregenzer Festspiele, Glyndebourne Festival, Royal Festival Hall London, Stephansdom Wien, Liszt Academy Budapest, Berliner Dom, et al.

Cooperations with directors:
Ivo Van Hove, David McVicar, Olivier Py, David Poutney, Graham Vick, Deborah Warner, Doug Fitch, Fiona Shaw, Frederic Wake-Walker, David Alden, et al.

Cooperations with conductors:
Donald Runnicles, Robin Ticciati, James Conlon, Alan Gilbert, Enrique Mazzola, Vladimir Jurowski, et al.

Find further information about Andrew Dickinson here.

Performances

• Manon
• Les Contes d'Hoffmann
• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)
• Die dunkle Seite des Mondes
• Salome

photo: Neda Navaee

Bass

Han Kim

Birthplace:
Pohang, South Korea

Studies:
Bachelor, Seoul National University with Kwangchul Youn; Master Vocal performance, Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe with Christian Elsner; Soloist’s Diploma Vocal performance, Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe with Christian Elsner

Master class:
with Ann Murray, Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe (2019), with David Selig, Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe (2019)

Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera since the 2023/24 season
Was Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera 2021/22 and 2022/23

Important parts:
Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Leporello/Masetto (Don Giovanni), Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte), Sprecher (Die Zauberflöte), Il conte Rodolfo (La sonambula), Don Basilio (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Don Fernando (Fidelio), Colline (La Bohème), Zuniga (Carmen)

Stages:
Theater Heidelberg

Cooperation with directors:
Sonja Trebes

Cooperation with conductors:
Dietger Holm

Performances

• Carmen
• Tosca
• Der Freischütz
• La Bohème
• Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)
• Manon
• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)
• Parsifal
• Le Nozze di Figaro

photo: Johannes Xaver Zepplin

Bass

Tigran Martirossian

Birthplace:
Yerevan, Armenia

Studies:
Musical studies at the Gnessin State Academy of Music with Prof. Artur Eizen and Prof. Pavel Lisitsian

Prizes:
Prize winner of nine international singing competitions, inter alia, second prize in the “Neue Stimmen” Competition in Gütersloh (1997), second prize in the 2nd International Singing Competition in Shizuoka (2000), first prize in the Ondina Otta Competition in Marburg (1999)

Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera since 2005/06

Important parts:
Ramfis (Aida), König René (Jolanthe), Salieri (Mozart und Salieri), Fiesco (Simon Boccanegra), Dulcamara (L’Elisir d’Amore), Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro), Sulpice (La Fille du Régiment), Colline (La Bohème), Basilio (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Selim (Il Turco in Italia), Banco (Macbeth), Pagano (I Lombardi alla prima Crociata), Daland (Der fliegende Holländer), Dossifei (Chowanschtschina), Fasolt (Das Rheingold), Rodolfo (La Sonnambula), Raimondo (Lucia di Lammermoor) Don Magnifico (La Cenerentola), Philippe II (Don Carlos), Méphistophélès (Faust), Fürst Galizky (Fürst Igor), Ein Eremit (Der Freischütz), Doktor (Wozzeck), Oroveso (Norma) , Pimen (Boris Godunov), et al.

Stages:
Novaya Opera Theatre of Moscow, Bolshoi Theatre, Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Opéra National de Paris, Teatro Real in Madrid, Bayerische Staatsoper, Wiener Staatsoper, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Salzburg Festival, Theater an der Wien, Bregenz Festival, Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Opéra Bastille, St. Galler Festspiele, et al.

Cooperation with directors:
Achim Freyer, Yona Kim, Jochen Biganzoli, David Alden, Andreas Homoki, Vincent Boussard, Stefan Herheim, Florentine Klepper, Francesca Zambella, et al.

Cooperation with conductors:
Sir Colin Davis, Zubin Mehta, James Levine, Mstislav Rostropovich, Carlo Rizzi, Simone Young, Plácido Domingo, Kent Nagano, Sylvain Cambreling, Valery Gergiev, Michel Plasson, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Michael Tilson-Thomas, Daniel Oren, Mark Wigglesworth, Philippe Jordan, Daniele Callegari, Riccardo Frizza, et al.

Find further information about Tigran Martirossian here.

Performances

• Boris Godunov
• Manon
• Les Contes d'Hoffmann
• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)
• Falstaff
• Tosca
• Così fan tutte
• Die Gänsemagd
• Ruslan und Ljudmila
• Madama Butterfly

Tenor

Paul Kaufmann

Birthplace:
Halle/Saale, Germany

Studies:
Musikspezialschule Halle
Diploma in singing, Leipzig University of Music and Theater

Important parts:
Mime (Rheingold, Siegfried), Don Basilio (Le nozze di Figaro), Monostatos (Die Zauberflöte), Steuermann (Der fliegende Holländer), Brighella (Ariadne auf Naxos), Valzacchi (Der Rosenkavalier), David (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg), Erster Jude (Salome), et al.

Stages:
Deutsche Oper Berlin, Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Oper Leipzig, Munich State Opera, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Komische Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Opéra national de Paris, Opéra Lyon, Opéra Toulouse, Opéra du Rhin Strasbourg, Santiago de Chile, Semperoper Dresden, Bayreuth Festival, et al.

Cooperations with directors:
Barrie Kosky, Uwe Lauffenberg, David Hermann, David Alden, David Pountney, Robert Carsen

Cooperations with conductors:
Philipp Jordan, Donald Runnicles, Kirill Petrenko, Semyon Bychkov, Marc Albrecht, Ulf Schirmer

Performances

• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)

photo: Wolke

Baritone

Nicholas Mogg

Birthplace:
Manchester, United Kingdom

Studies:
International Opera Studio, Hamburg State Opera; National Opera Studio, London; Royal Academy of Music, London; Clare College, University Cambridge

Masterclass:
with Sir Simon Keenlyside, Christian Gerhaher, Malcolm Martineau, Brigitte Fassbaender, Gerald Finley, Sir Thomas Allen

Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera since the 2022/23 season
Was Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera from 2019/20 to 2022/23

Prizes:
Royal Over-Seas League Singers’ Section; Richard Lewis/Jean Shanks Award

Roles:
Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Ned Keene (Peter Grimes), Aeneas (Dido and Aeneas), Dandini (La Cenerentola), Steward (Flight), Herr Peachum (Die Dreigroschenoper), Melisso (Alcina), Jupiter (Orphée aux Enfers), et al.

Stages:
Hamburg State Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Wigmore Hall, Philharmonie de Paris, Het Concertgebouw, Festival Aix, Elbphilharmonie, Theater Lübeck

Cooperation with directors:
Keith Warner, Herbert Fritsch, Tim Albery, Orpha Phelan, Richard Jones

Cooperation with conductors:
Robin Ticciati, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Ton Koopman, Sir Roger Norrington, Yoel Gamzou, Francesco Ivan Ciampa, Alan Gilbert, Kent Nagano

Performances

• Carmen
• Boris Godunov
• Jubiläumsgala: 30 Jahre Internationales Opernstudio
• La Bohème
• Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)
• 2nd chamber concert
• Manon
• „Muss denn in diesem Land immer alles politisch sein?“
• Les Contes d'Hoffmann
• Don Pasquale
• Don Pasquale (concerted)
• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)
• Salome
• Così fan tutte
• Ariadne auf Naxos
• L'elisir d'amore
• La Traviata
• Tristan und Isolde (Tristan and Isolde)

photo: linden.shots

Baritone

Charles Rice

Studies:
Royal Academy of Music, National Opera Studio

Important roles:
Marcello (La bohème), Oreste (Iphigenie en Tauride), Cecil (Gloriana), Eugene Onegin, Hamlet, Don Giovanni, Figaro (The Barber of Seville), Ned Keene (Peter Grimes), Escamillo (Carmen), Harlequin (Ariadne auf Naxos), Silvio (Pagliacci), et al.

Stages:
Opéra de Nantes, Opéra de Rennes, Opéra de Angers, Opéra de Avignon, Teatro Real, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Wexford Festival Opera, Hyogo Performing Arts Centre, Palau de Les Arts Reina Sofia Valencia, Opéra de Lyon, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, et al.

Performances

• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)

photo: Tim Macklin

Tenor

Mziwamadoda Sipho Nodlayiya

Birthplace:
Cape Town, South Africa

Studies:
Postgraduate Diploma in Opera Performance (2023), Diploma in Opera Performance (2021)

Master class:
Martin Hundelt – Johannesburg International Mozart festival (2024)
Levy Sekagapane - Opera UCT Masterclass Series (2023)

Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera since the season 2024/25

Important parts:
Camille, Count de Rosillon (The Merry Widow), Hendrik Cesars (Sara Baartman), Cochenille (Le Conte d’Hoffmann, Bertrando (L’inganno felice), Ernesto (don Pasquale)

Stages:
Artscape Opera House, Pam Golding/Baxter Theatre

Cooperation with directors:
Steven Stead, Matthew Wild, Claudia Blersch, Christine Nolte, Janice Honeyman, Zenobia Kloppers

Cooperation with conductors:
Jeremy Silver, Kamal Khan, Richard Cock, Jochen Rieder

Performances

• Jubiläumsgala: 30 Jahre Internationales Opernstudio
• Dollhouse
• Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)
• Manon
• Rigoletto
• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)
• Parsifal
• Konzert des Internationalen Opernstudios
• Salome
• La Traviata
• Pique Dame

photo: Jörn Kipping

Tenor

Ziad Nehme

Birthplace:
Tripoli, Libanon

Studies:
Diploma in Singing at the Lebanese National Conservatory in Beirut, Master in Opera at the University Mozarteum Salzburg

Master classes:
with Siegfried Jerusalem, Kurt Moll, Barbara Bonney, Andrew Watts, Marjana Lipovsek

Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera from 2008/09 to 2009/10

Important parts:
Conte Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Arbace (Arbace), Basilio (Le Nozze di Figaro), Alfred (Die Fledermaus), Camille de Rosillon (Die lustige Witwe), Boni (Die Csárdásfürstin), Male Chorus (The Rape of Lucretia), Schwan (Carmina Burana), Nerone (Agrippina), Oronte (Alcina), Truffaldino (Die Liebe zu drei Orangen), Marquis (Spieler), 1. Jude (Salome), et al.; zeitgenössisches Repertoire: Uraufführungen Esame di mezzanotte (Lucia Ronchetti), L’ombre de Venceslao (Martin Matalon), Anoia (Gordon Kampe) sowie Werke von Brett Dean, Giacinto Scelsi, Georges Aperghis

Stages:
Hamburgische Staatsoper, Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Staatstheater Kassel, Stadttheater Bremerhaven, Oldenburgisches Staatstheater, Theater Kiel, Staatstheater Darmstadt, Staatstheater Mainz, Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse, Opéra de Marseille, Opéra de Montpellier, Opéra de Rennes, Opéra de Marseilles, Opéra de Reims, Göteborg Konserthuset, Teatro Real Madrid, Shanghai Grand Theatre, Philharmonie de Paris, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Berliner Philharmonie, et al.

Cooperations with directors:
Hans Neuenfels, Tatjana Gürbaca, Achim Freyer, Lydia Steier, Harry Kupfer, Tilman Knabe, Sasha Waltz, Markus Bothe, et al.

Cooperations with conductors:
Daniel Barenboim, Valery Gergiev, Simone Young, Dan Ettinger, Kent Nagano, Alessandro De Marchi, Lorenzo Viotti, Alexander Soddy, Stefan Soltesz, Barbara Hannigan, et al.

Find further information about Ziad Nehme here.

Performances

• Kannst du pfeifen, Johanna
• Luisa Miller
• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)
• Parsifal
• Salome

photo: Kartal Karagedik

Baritone

William Desbiens

Birthplace:
Québec City, Canada

Studies:
Bachelor in voice. Mannes School of Music in New York, Mascarade Emerging artist program

Prizes:
Finals at the Paris opera competition at the Palais Garnier

Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera from the season 2024/25

Important parts:
Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Schaunard (La Boheme), Conte almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Dandini (La cenerentola)

Stages:
Opéra de Québec, Teatro la fenice, Theater und Orchester Heidelberg, Landestheater Linz, Palais Garnier

Cooperation with directors:
Robert Lepage, Fabricio Melano, Damon Nestor Ploumis, Marie Lambert-Le Bihan, Jean-Romain Vesperini, Guillermo

Cooperation with conductors:
Wyn Davis, Jonathan Santagada, Elias Grandy, Kens Lui, Claudio Novati, Thomas Rösner, Jorge Parodi

Find further information about William Desbiens here.

Performances

• Jubiläumsgala: 30 Jahre Internationales Opernstudio
• Elektra
• Der Freischütz
• Bühne frei!
• Les Contes d'Hoffmann
• Eugene Onegin
• Eugen Onegin (concerted)
• Rigoletto
• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)
• La Traviata
• Tristan und Isolde (Tristan and Isolde)
• Die dunkle Seite des Mondes
• Konzert des Internationalen Opernstudios
• Salome
• Tosca
• Ariadne auf Naxos
• Madama Butterfly
• Il barbiere di Siviglia

photo: Jörn Kipping

Baritone

Grzegorz Pelutis

Birthplace:
Słupsk, Poland

Studies:
Bachelor and Masters at Academy of Art in Szczecin, both graduated with honours, Janusz Lewandowski’s singing class (2016-2021)

Master classes:
Opera Academy Young Talent Development Programme of the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera In Warsaw (since 2021):
Consant tutelage by: Izabela Kłosińska, Olga Pasiecznik, Eytan Pessen, Matthias Rexroth, Michał Biel, Katelan Tran Terrell;
Guest masterclasses: Edith Wiens, Ewa Podleś, Mariusz Kwiecień, Maciej Pikulski, Hedwig Fassbender, Tobias Truniger, Adrian Kelly, Vesselina Kassarova, Fausto Nardi, Małgorzata Walewska

Prizes:
3rd prize and Juan Pons Prize at I International Juan Pons Singing Competition - Palma de Mallorca, Spain, June 2022
2nd prize winner at 1st Swiss International Music Competition – online, July 2021
2nd prize winner and special prize winner of the Director of the K. Namysłowski Symphony Orchestra in Zamość at 7th Krystyna Jamroz National Vocal Competition - Kielce/Busko-Zdrój, Poland, February 2022
3rd prize winner at 7th National Vocal Competition in Drezdenko, Poland, November 2021
3rd prize winner in"Opera Singers" category at"Prague Romansiada" competition, Prague 2017
Only Polish contestant of Plácido Domingo's Operalia 2022

Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera since the season 2023/24

Important parts:
Chorąży “Ensign” (Hrabina - "The Countess"), Dudziarz (Halka), The Mayor “Burmistrz” (Szarlatan, czyli wskrzeszanie zmarłych - “Charlatan, or resurrection of the dead”), Escamillo (Carmen), Archiereios (King Roger), et al.

Stages:
Teatr Wielki – National Polish Opera, The Castle Opera in Szczecin, Polish Philharmonic "Sinfonia Baltica" named after Wojciech Kilar in Słupsk, Gorzów Philharmonic, Tadeusz Baird Philharmonic in Zielona Góra, Stanisław Moniuszko Philharmonic in Koszalin, Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic in Cracow, Various concerts across Europe, e. g. Berlin, Kaliningrad, Prague, Magdeburg, Warsaw, Varna

Cooperation with directors:
Mariusz Treliński, Barbara Wiśniewska, Rafał Matusz, Jitka Stokalska, et al.

Cooperation with conductors:
Jerzy Wołosiuk, Małgorzata Bornowska, Tadeusz Kozłowski, Michał Klauza, Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny, Stefan Plewniak, et al.

Performances

• Kannst du pfeifen, Johanna
• Tosca
• Jubiläumsgala: 30 Jahre Internationales Opernstudio
• La Bohème
• Bühne frei!
• Ariadne auf Naxos
• Manon
• Ariadne auf Naxos (concerted)
• Rigoletto
• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)
• Tristan und Isolde (Tristan and Isolde)
• Konzert des Internationalen Opernstudios

photo: Jörn Kipping

Baritone

Mateusz Ługowski

Birthplace:
Działdowo, Poland

Studies:
Solo sining and chor conducting, Vocal- and Conducting isntitute Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań (graduated 2022)

Prizes:
Special Prize by Prof. Tadeusz Pszonka in 10th National Vocal Competition in Mława, Poland (2022), 2nd Prize 10th National Vocal Competition, Mława (2022), Grand Prix International Festival of Arts “Sakura Blossom” (2021), 1st Prize MAP International Music Competition Los Angeles (2021), 1st Prize 4th International Moscow Music Compeitions (2021), Award of Excellence in Angel Voice Classic/2nd Prize Angel Voice Classic in “Opera-Youth”/1st Prize in “Slavic” (2021), 1st Prize International Competition ArtSong Opucs (2021), Grand Prix International vocal and choral competition (2021)

Master classes:
Mariusz Kwiecień, Marcin Koziel, Eytan Pessen, Bogdan Makal, Izabela Kłosińska, Maestro Adi Bar, Maestro Marco Guidarini, Viorica Cortez, Ubaldo Fabbri, et al.

Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera since the 2022/2023 season

Important parts:
Gianni Schicchi (Gianni Schicchi), Guglielmo (Cosí fan tutte), et al.

Cooperations with directors:
Rares Zaharia, Krzysztof Cicheński, Paweł Szkotak, et al.

Cooperations with conductors:
Noar Shani, Adi Bar, Grzegorz Wierus, Marco Guidarini, et al.

Find further information about Mateusz Ługowski here.

Performances

• Boris Godunov
• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)
• La Traviata

photo: Jörn Kipping

Mezzo-Soprano

Aebh Kelly

Birthplace:
Dublin, Ireland

Studies:
Mascarade Emerging Artists, Florence
Georg Solti Accademia
Irish National Opera Studio
Royal Irish Academy of Music (BMus)

Master class:
Richard Bonynge, Aigul Akhmetshina, Freddie De Tommaso (Georg Solti Accademia), Vivica Genaux (Mascarade Emerging Artists), Tara Erraught, Paula Murrihy (Irish National Opera), Bernarda Fink (Neue Stimmen Masterclass), Ann Murray (Royal Irish Academy of Music)

Prizes:
2nd Prize & Dermot Troy Prize (Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition)
Final Round (Neue Stimmen)
1st Prize (Maura Dowdall Concerto Competition)

Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera since the 2024/2025 season.

Important parts:
Dido (Dido & Aeneas), Flora (La Traviata), Olga (Eugene Onegin), Popova (The Bear), Endimione (La Calisto), Catherine (A Thing I Cannot Name), Melissa (La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina)

Stages:
Teatro La Fenice, Theater und Orchester Heidelberg, Teatr Wielki Opera, National Opera House Wexford, Cork Opera House, National Concert Hall Dublin

Cooperation with directors:
Marie Lambert-Le Bihan, Noa Naamat, Jean-Romain Vesperini, Pedro Ribiero, Federico Grazzini, Olivia Fuchs, Sonja Trebes

Cooperation with conductors:
Laurent Wagner, Roland Kluttig, Jonathan Santagada, Jonathan Bloxham, Wyn Davies, Christian Curnyn, Fergus Sheil, Killian Farrel, David Brophy, Jonathan Cole-Swinard

Find further information about Aebh Kelly here.

Performances

• Boris Godunov
• Jubiläumsgala: 30 Jahre Internationales Opernstudio
• Dollhouse
• Hänsel und Gretel (Hansel and Gretel)
• Ariadne auf Naxos
• Ariadne auf Naxos (concerted)
• Maria Stuarda
• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)
• Parsifal
• Konzert des Internationalen Opernstudios
• Die Gänsemagd
• Salome
• La Traviata
• Madama Butterfly

photo: Jörn Kipping

Bass

David Minseok Kang

Origin:
Korea

Studies:
Kyunghee University in Seoul with Alfred Kim, Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart Master class Oper with Ulrike Sonntag (2018-2022)

Master classes:
With Jenny Anvelt, Bo Skovhus, Kwangchul Youn, Margreet Honig, Gundula Schneider

Important parts:
Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Colline (La Bohème), Dr. Grenvil (La Traviata), Gremin (Eugen Onegin), Reinmar von Zweter (Tannhäuser), Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte), Sparafucile (Rigoletto), Colline (La Bohème), et al.

Stages:
Staatsoper Stuttgart, Ettlinger Schlossfestspiele, Theater Kiel, Oper Zürich

Relation to the State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio from 2019/2020 to 2021/2022
Ensemble member since 2022/2023

Cooperations with directors:
Blanka Radoczy, Solvejg Bauer, Bernd Schmitt

Cooperations with conductors:
Kent Nagano, Nicolas Andre, Matteo Beltrami, Paolo Arrivabeni, Giampaolo Bisanti, Francesco Ivan Ciampa

Performances

• Boris Godunov
• Don Giovanni
• Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)
• Rigoletto
• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)
• Pique Dame
• Salome

photo: Brinkhoff/Mögenburg

Bass-Baritone

Keith Klein

Birthplace:
Overland Park, Kansas, United States of America

Studies:
Bachelors Degree in Vocal Performance, Eastman School of Music
Masters Degree in Vocal Performance, Florida State University

Prizes:
Laffont Competition Regional 3rd Place Winner, Metropolitan Opera, 2024
Laffont Competition District Winner, Metropolitan Opera, 2024
Barbara and Stanley Richman Memorial Award, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, 2022
NATS SouthEast Conference- Best College Male Florida State University, 2019

Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera since the season 2024/25

Important parts:
Dr. Grenville (La Traviata), Colline (La boheme), Sparafucille (Rigoletto), Angelotti (Tosca), Notary (Der Rosenkavalier) Dr. Podsnap (Awakenings)

Stages:
Santa Fe/Crosby Theatre, Opera Colorado/Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Florida Grand Opera/ Adrienne Arscht Theatre, Lyric Opera of Kansas City/Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Opera Theatre of St. Louis/ Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts

Cooperation with directors:
James Robinson, Patricia Racette, Chia Patiño, Matthew Lata

Cooperation with conductors:
Patrick Summers, Roberto Kalb, Daniella Candillari, Benton Hess

Find further information about Keith Klein here.

Performances

• Tosca
• Jubiläumsgala: 30 Jahre Internationales Opernstudio
• Dollhouse
• La Bohème
• Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)
• Manon
• Eugene Onegin
• Eugen Onegin (concerted)
• Rigoletto
• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)
• La Traviata
• Blubb blubb – abgetaucht!
• Le Nozze di Figaro
• Konzert des Internationalen Opernstudios
• Salome
• Ariadne auf Naxos
• Pique Dame
• Lohengrin
• Tristan und Isolde (Tristan and Isolde)

photo: Jörn Kipping

Orchestra

Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg

The Philharmonic State Orchestra is Hamburg’s largest and oldest orchestra, looking back on many years of musical history. When the “Philharmonic Orchestra” and the “Orchestra of the Hamburg Municipal Theatre” merged in 1934, two tradition-steeped orchestras combined. Philharmonic concerts have been performed in Hamburg since 1828, artists such as Clara Schumann, Franz Liszt and Johannes Brahms being regular guests of the Philharmonic Society. The history of the opera company goes back even further: Hamburg has been home to musical theatre since 1678, even if a regular opera or theatre orchestra was only formed later. To this day, the Philharmonic State Orchestra has embodied the sound of the Hansa City, a concert and opera orchestra in one.

During its long history, the orchestra encountered great artist personalities. Apart from composers of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, such as Telemann, Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Mahler, Prokofiev and Stravinsky, since the 20th century chief conductors such as Karl Muck, Joseph Keilberth, Eugen Jochum, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Horst Stein, Aldo Ceccato, Christoph von Dohnányi, Gerd Albrecht, Ingo Metzmacher and Simone Young have shaped the orchestra’s sound. Renowned conductors of the pre-war era such as Otto Klemperer, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter, Karl Böhm and Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt gave brilliant performances, as did outstanding conductors of our times: suffice it to mention Christian Thielemann, Semyon Bychkov, Kirill Petrenko, Adam Fischer and Sir Roger Norrington.

Starting with the 2015/2016 season, Kent Nagano has taken on the position of Hamburg’s General Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Philharmonic State Orchestra and the Hamburg State Opera and since June 2023 also its honorary conductor. In his first season Kent Nagano initiated a new project, the Philharmonic Academy, focusing on experimentation and chamber music. In 2016, Nagano and the Philharmonic toured South America, followed by concert tours to Spain and Japan in 2019, and in the spring of 2023, the Philharmonic State Orchestra made its debut at New York's Carnegie Hall under his direction, which was acclaimed by audiences and the press. Since 2017 Kent Nagano and the Philharmonic State Orchestra have continued the traditional Philharmonic Concerts at the new Elbphilharmonie, for which they commissioned Jörg Widmann to compose the oratorio ARCHE, which was given its world premiere during the hall’s opening festivities. The concert recording has been released by ECM, for which Widmann received the OPUS KLASSIK as Composer of the Year 2019, and ARCHE was performed again in 2023 to great acclaim.

The Philharmonic State Orchestra offers approximately 35 concerts per season and performs more than 240 performances per year at the Hamburg State Opera and the Hamburg Ballet John Neumeier, making it Hamburg’s busiest orchestra. The stylistic bandwidth covered by the 140 musicians, ranging from historically informed performance practice to contemporary works and including concert, opera and ballet repertoire, is unique throughout Germany. Chamber Music has a long tradition at the Philharmonic State Orchestra: what began in 1929 with a concert series for chamber orchestra has been continued since 1968 by a series of chamber music only.

In 2008 Simone Young and the Philharmonic State Orchestra won the Brahms Award of the Schleswig-Holstein Brahms Society. The orchestra has recorded the complete Ring by Wagner as well as the complete symphonies of Johannes Brahms and Anton Bruckner – the latter in the rarely-performed original versions – as well as works by Mahler, Hindemith and Berg, and has released DVDs of opera and ballet productions by Hosokawa, Offenbach, Reimann, Auerbach, J.S. Bach, Puccini, Poulenc and Weber.

The members of the Philharmonic State Orchestra feel equally beholden to Hamburg’s musical tradition and responsible for the city’s artistic future. Since 1978 the musicians have been participating in education programmes in Hamburg’s schools. Today, the orchestra maintains a broad education programme, including school and kindergarten visits, patronage for music projects, introductory events for children and family concerts. The orchestra’s own academy prepares young musicians for their professional careers. The Philharmonic’s musicians thereby make an equally enjoyable and valuable contribution to tomorrow’s music education in the music metropolis of Hamburg.

Performances

• Rathausmarkt Open Air
• 1st Academy Concert - Program I
• 1st Academy Concert - Program II
• 1st Academy Concert - Program III
• 4th Academy Concert
• Trionfi
• Carmen
• THE TIMES ARE RACING
• 1st Philharmonic Concert
• Kannst du pfeifen, Johanna
• Boris Godunov
• Special chamber concert
• Tosca
• Jubiläumsgala: 30 Jahre Internationales Opernstudio
• La clemenza di Tito
• Orchesterprobenbesuch
• 2nd Philharmonic Concert
• Don Giovanni
• Jane Eyre
• 3rd Philharmonic Concert
• Elektra
• Der Freischütz
• Luisa Miller
• La Bohème
• SLOW BURN
• 4th Philharmonic Concert
• Hänsel und Gretel (Hansel and Gretel)
• Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)
• The Nutcracker
• New Year's Eve concert
• Der fliegende Holländer
• 5th Philharmonic Concert
• Die Kreide im Mund des Wolfs
• Ariadne auf Naxos
• Manon
• 6th Philharmonic Concert
• Ariadne auf Naxos (concerted)
• Les Contes d'Hoffmann
• Mitridate, re di Ponto
• Eugene Onegin
• Mitridate, re di Ponto (concerted)
• Eugen Onegin (concerted)
• 7th Philharmonic Concert
• PhiSch - das Staatsorchester hautnah...
• Don Pasquale
• Don Pasquale (concerted)
• Rigoletto
• Maria Stuarda
• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)
• Il trovatore
• Falstaff
• 8th Philharmonic Concert
• La Traviata
• The Odyssey
• Parsifal
• Pique Dame
• Opening concert of the Hamburg International Music Festival
• Das Tagebuch der Anne Frank
• Romeo and Juliet
• Die dunkle Seite des Mondes
• Tristan und Isolde (Tristan and Isolde)
• 9th Philharmonic Concert
• Salome
• NATIONAL YOUTH BALLET: Die Unsichtbaren
• Nijinsky
• Frühlings Erwachen
• Così fan tutte
• Le Nozze di Figaro
• 10th Philharmonic Concert
• Demian
• Nijinsky Gala L
• 1st Philharmonic Concert
• The Seagull
• HOUSE WARMING CONCERT
• Das Paradies und die Peri
• 3. Blaues Konzert
• Schulkonzert
• 2nd Philharmonic Concert
• Kids only #1: Erwachsene verboten
• Ruslan und Ljudmila
• Lady of the Camellias
• 3rd Philharmonic Concert
• Surrogate Cities
• L'elisir d'amore
• 4th Philharmonic Concert
• New Year's Eve concert
• 5th Philharmonic Concert
• Monster´s Paradise
• Kids only #2: Überall doch nirgends zuhause
• 6th Philharmonic Concert
• POINT OF NO RETURN
• The great silence
• Lohengrin
• 7th Philharmonic Concert
• Women's love and death
• Madama Butterfly
• 8th Philharmonic Concert
• Il barbiere di Siviglia
• Special concert music festival
• 9th Philharmonic Concert
• Kids only #3: Ich zieh aus!
• Wonderland
• 10th Philharmonic Concert
• Nijinsky Gala LI

photo: Foto: Felix Broede

Chor der Hamburgischen Staatsoper

The chorus members appear on stage at the Hamburg State Opera in a different role almost every night. From one day to the next, they might be sailors, pilgrims or conspirators, then courtiers, hunters, the deranged or the imprisoned. In the role of crusaders in I Lombardi alla prima Crociata they travel to Jerusalem, other nights they are invited to Madama Butterfly's marriage or acclaim Prince Igor. The ladies and gentlemen of the opera chorus demonstrate their artistic prowess, their flexibility, and their love of the stage in every performance.

With a membership around 70, the chorus of the Hamburg State Opera has been one of the world’s best opera choruses for many years. The varied repertoire – almost always in the original language – is multifaceted and includes baroque operas and dramatic operas, major works by Verdi and Wagner as well as contemporary pieces. At the start of the 2013/14 season, Eberhard Friedrich took over the post of Chorus Master.

Performances

• Rathausmarkt Open Air
• Hamburg Theatre Night
• Trionfi
• Carmen
• Tosca
• La clemenza di Tito
• Der Freischütz
• Luisa Miller
• La Bohème
• Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)
• Der fliegende Holländer
• Manon
• Les Contes d'Hoffmann
• Eugene Onegin
• Eugen Onegin (concerted)
• Don Pasquale
• Don Pasquale (concerted)
• Rigoletto
• Maria Stuarda
• La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the West)
• Il trovatore
• Falstaff
• La Traviata
• Parsifal
• Pique Dame
• Die dunkle Seite des Mondes
• Tristan und Isolde (Tristan and Isolde)
• Così fan tutte
• Le Nozze di Figaro
• HOUSE WARMING CONCERT
• Das Paradies und die Peri
• Ruslan und Ljudmila
• L'elisir d'amore
• The great silence
• Lohengrin
• Madama Butterfly
• Il barbiere di Siviglia

photo: Niklas Marc Heinecke