Verdi Aida

Massimo Zanetti was Music Director of the Flemish Opera in Antwerp/Ghent and the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra in Seoul. He enjoys a distinguished international career in both opera and symphonic repertoire, performing regularly at major institutions such as the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin—where he has been a frequent guest for over twenty years—as well as La Scala in Milan, the Sydney Opera House, the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, the Oslo Opera, and the Seoul Opera. At the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, he has conducted La traviata, I due Foscari, Don Carlo, and returns this season for Aida. In 2025, he conducted La traviata at the Salzburg Festival, Nabucco in Modena, Aida in Monaco, a concert with the Orchestra of the Accademia della Scala, and Mahler’s Fourth Symphony in Trondheim with Elsa Dreisig. On the symphonic stage, he has recently worked with the NHK Symphony Orchestra (Tokyo), Berlin Radio Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, as well as the China and Guangzhou Philharmonic Orchestras. His recordings includes The Verdi Album with Sonya Yoncheva (Sony, 2018), Simon Boccanegra (Decca), Saul by Flavio Testi (Naïve), and a number of DVDs released as part of the Tutto Verdi project (CMajor).

Davide Livermore has built an outstanding career spanning over two decades, both on major European stages and in theatres across his native Italy. Outside Europe, he has worked at the Philadelphia Opera, Tokyo’s Bunka Kaikan, and the Seoul Arts Center. He maintains a long-standing collaboration with Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, where he has opened several seasons with Attila (2018), Tosca (2019), A riveder le stelle (2020), and Macbeth (2021). At the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, he has directed Adriana Lecouvreur (2017), the world premiere of Caruso a Monaco with Jonas Kaufmann (2023), Don Carlo (2023), Giulio Cesare (2024) and Das Rheingold (2025). In addition to his stage work, he served as General Manager and Artistic Director of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia and is currently Artistic Director of Genova’s Teatro Nazionale. He has taught stage direction and design at the IUAV University in Venice and headed Performing Arts School at the Teatro Stabile in Turin. In April 2025, his original project D’oro – Il sesto senso partigiano was presented in Rome in the presence of the President of the Italian Republic. He also recently directed the film The Opera! – Arias for an Eclipse, premiered at the Rome Film Festival. He is an Officer of the Order of the Star of Italy and a recipient of the Eschilo d’Oro Prize for his stagings at the Syracuse Festival.

Founded in Milan in 1998 by Florian Boje, Cristiana Picco, and Claudio Santucci, Giò Forma is a multidisciplinary studio bringing together architects, artists, and set designers. Their creative work spans architecture, concerts, international exhibitions, fashion, cultural events, and opera set design. Operating worldwide—from Saudi Arabia to Singapore, Sydney to Chicago—they design spectacular, large-scale projects across genres and disciplines. Their close collaboration with stage director Davide Livermore has resulted in acclaimed productions on major stages such as Teatro alla Scala in Milan (with an unprecedented four consecutive opening nights), the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, and the opera houses of Sydney, Barcelona, Rome, Naples, Florence, Muscat, and São Paulo. At the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Giò Forma has created the sets for Adriana Lecouvreur, Don Carlo, Giulio Cesare and Das Rheingold. The studio is also behind iconic architectural works such as the Maraya Concert Hall in Al ʿUlā (Saudi Arabia), which has received multiple international awards, including a Guinness World Record, and the Cartier “Legendary Thrill” pavilion in Milan. Their guiding principle: “Everything is a stage.”

Gianluca Falaschi was born in Rome. He has worked in various Italian and international theatres, including Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, Teatro Municipal in São Paulo, the Sydney Opera House and the Palau de les Arts in Valencia. In his longstanding collaboration with Davide Livermore, he has designed over thirty productions, including three season openings at the Teatro alla Scala: Attila, Tosca and Macbeth. He has also designed costumes for various operas at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, winning the Abbiati Critics’ Award for Best Costume Designer for Ciro in Babilonia in 2013. His strong collaboration with Lydia Steier includes productions of Les Troyens at the Semperoper in Dresden, Carmen at the Cologne Opera, Perelà by Dusapin, and Armide by Gluck at the Staatstheater in Mainz, for which he was named Costume Designer of the Year in 2015 and 2017 by Opernwelt. In 2024 he made his house debut at the Opernhaus Zürich (Die lustige Witwe) and at the Vienna Staatsoper (Così fan tutte), both directed by Barrie Kosky. In the ballet genre, he has created sets and costumes for Francesco Ventriglia’s choreography of The Wizard of Oz, premiered in Florence, and later produced by the New Zealand Royal Ballet. He also designed costumes for The Nutcracker at the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome. Since 2021, he has explored new artistic horizons, venturing into directing with Angelica by Porpora at the Festival della Valle d'Itria, co-produced by Mainz Staatstheater, and Adriana Lecouvreur in Mainz and Düsseldorf. In 2022, he directed, designed sets, and created costumes for Griselda at La Fenice in Venice, I Capuleti e i Montecchi at the Teatro Bellini in Catania, and Chiara e Serafina at the Donizetti Festival in Bergamo. In Monte Carlo, he designed costumes for Adriana Lecouvreur in 2017 and Das Rheingold in 2025.

Born in Cambil-Jaén, Andalusia, Antonio Castro began his career in lighting after training in electrical engineering, working at the Teatro Cánovas in Málaga. He soon collaborated with various companies, first as a technician and later as a lighting designer for theatre, dance, and music productions. He has worked with the Málaga School of Dramatic Art, the Conservatory of Dance, and the Escénica performing arts centre. Since 2006, he has been resident lighting designer at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, where he designs lighting for numerous productions while continuing freelance work. He has created the lighting for several Centre de Perfeccionament productions, including Le nozze di Figaro, Dido and Aeneas, Juditha Triumphans, Silla, Bastien und Bastienne, and Il tutore burlato, and has worked on opera productions such as Otello, Norma, Don Giovanni, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Luisa Fernanda, Rigoletto, Aida, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Macbeth, La Gioconda, and La forza del destino, which earned the Campoamor Award in 2014. At the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, he has designed the lighting for The Telephone and Amelia al ballo (2013/2014), Caruso a Monaco, Don Carlo, Giulio Cesare and Das Rheingold (2024/2025).

D-wok is a creative studio specialized in performance design, innovative stage formats, event production, and advanced video design systems. For over a decade, its creative director, Paolo Gep Cucco, has worked in close collaboration with stage director Davide Livermore, contributing to a significant evolution in operatic aesthetics. Together, they have designed four season-opening productions at La Scala in Milan, as well as numerous stagings at leading opera houses around the world, including the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Opera House in Muscat (Sultanate of Oman), and the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, where D-wok designed the video for Giulio Cesare and Das Rheingold (2024/2025). Their work spans major events, live performance, opera, concerts, museum exhibitions, and television, with a distinctive approach in which performance, technology, and projection media become emotionally charged with narrative elements. Among their most acclaimed projects are the full digital set designs for the 2021 season of the Arena di Verona. D-wok has also developed a bespoke augmented reality system built on the Unreal Engine — the only cinema-grade software of its kind in Italy—which was notably used by RAI for the world premiere of A riveder le stelle, the opening production of La Scala in December 2020.

Creator, choreographer and transdisciplinary performer, Carlo Massari comes from a background shaped by dramatic theatre, musical theatre and the choreographic arts. His choreographic works and performance projects have been commissioned by major institutions such as Konzert Theater Bern, Balletto Teatro di Torino, Ravenna Festival, Opus Ballet, Accademia Filarmonica Romana and the Bologna Festiva. In 2019, Carlo Massari founded ANFIBIA. The name of this program supporting young contemporary artists reflects the vision of this choreographer and performer, known for blending dance, theater, and opera in hybrid and innovative works. In 2024, together with Chiara Osella, he co-founded the design studio COCM, whose first production was The Voyage by Philip Glass. Their next project, Giulio Cesare in Egitto, is scheduled at the Salzburger Landestheater in 2026. In opera, he creates choreography and movement dramaturgy for theatres such as the Salzburger Landestheater, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Teatro Regio di Parma and the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, collaborating with stage directors including Davide Livermore, Damiano Michieletto, Andrea Bernard and Silvia Paoli

Born in Livorno (ltaly) in 1960, Stefano Visconti studied the piano and then choral conducting with Fosco Corti and Roberto Gabbiano, as well as orchestra conducting with Piero Bellugi and Giancarlo Andretta. He was appointed choirmaster at Opéra de Monte-Carlo in 2007. Before this he was choirmaster at the Teatro Goldoni, Livorno (1991-2001), Choirmaster at the Opéra-Théâtre d’Avignon (2001-2007), as well as Choirmaster at the Festival Puccini, Torre del Lago (1999-2015). From 1984 to 2001 he conducted the Guido Monaco Polyphonic Choir of Livorno which, under his direction, won several national awards (Vittorio Veneto, Arezzo and Florence competitions). In 2000 he founded the Chamber Choir of Tuscany, formed of professionals. He directed the reconstitution of the complete sacred works of Giuseppe Cambini for soloists, choir, and orchestra. Since 2008 he has conducted the choirs of the Sanxay Lyrical Evenings. He is the artistic and music director of the Monte Carlo Chamber Choir. He has made several recordings with Foné, Agora and Kikko Classics, in particular several of Mascagni’s operas (L’amico Fritz, I Rantzau, Lodoletta, Guglielmo Ratcliff, Silvano, Cavalleria rusticana, Iris and Sì). Since 2017 he has directed the coordination of the choirs for the Chorégies d’Orange festival.

Born in Naples in 1989, Antonio Di Matteo is a renowned Italian bass and one of the most promising talents of his generation. Gifted with an exquisite and refined timbre, he graduated with honours from the “Giuseppe Martucci” Conservatory of Salerno. He has received prestigious awards and collaborated with leading conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Daniel Oren, Valery Gergiev, Antonio Pappano, and James Conlon, and acclaimed directors including Franco Zeffirelli, Robert Carsen, Davide Livermore, and Ai Weiwei. He has performed on many of the world’s leading stages such as Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Salzburg Festival, the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, the Vienna and Berlin State Operas, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Opéra de Lyon, the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, and the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome. His versatile voice allows him to effortlessly take on major bass roles of the Italian repertoire, particularly in works by Verdi, Bellini, Donizetti, Mozart, and Puccini. In 2025, he appeared at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo in Don Giovanni. His recordings have earned international acclaim, including the 2022 International Classical Music Award for Bellini’s Il pirata.

Although Marie-Nicole Lemieux began her career in the Baroque repertoire (Orphée et Eurydice, Giulio Cesare, Orlando Furioso), the natural expansion and richness of her voice soon brought her to the world of French grand opera (Samson et Dalila, Carmen, Werther), Verdi (Falstaff, Il Trovatore, Un Ballo in Maschera) and Wagner (Der Ring des Nibelungen). The remarkable versatility of the Quebecois contralto has led her to triumph in the world's greatest concert halls: New York, Milan, London, Paris, Salzburg, Zurich, Vienna, Madrid, and Brussels. Marie-Nicole Lemieux has appeared on more than thirty recordings, ranging from opera to melody and sacred music, alongside some of the greatest artists on the classical scene: John Nelson, Antonio Pappano, Joyce Di Donato, Christopher Purves, and more. One of such recording featured a collaboration with the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Kazuki Yamada. 

Born in Poland, Aleksandra Kurzak made her professional debut at the age of 21 at the Wrocław State Opera as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, performing alongside her mother, soprano Jolanta Zmurko. A member of the ensemble at Hamburg’s Staatsoper from 2001 to 2007, she sang numerous leading roles there. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2004 as Olympia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann and went on to return as Gilda (Rigoletto), Violetta (La traviata), Micaëla (Carmen), Alice (Falstaff), Liù (Turandot), and Nedda (Pagliacci). Kurzak is a regular guest at Covent Garden, La Scala in Milan, the Staatsoper Berlin, the Vienna State Opera, the Bayerische Staatsoper, and the opera houses of Zurich, Barcelona, Madrid, Verona, as well as at the Salzburg Festival. In 2018, she sang Luisa Miller in Monte Carlo, followed by Cio-Cio San (Madama Butterfly) in 2021. This season, she appears in concert in Hamburg and Athens, sings Turandot in Milan and Madama Butterfly in Paris, and reprises the role of Aida in Monte Carlo, following previous performances at the Arena di Verona and in Paris. She also gives several recitals alongside Roberto Alagna. Formerly an exclusive Decca artist, she is now signed with Sony Classical, where she has released several solo and duo albums, along with complete opera recordings. Plans in 2025/26 include the roles of Tosca at Royal Ballet and Opera, Semperoper Dresden and Greek National Opera, Mimì and Tosca at Staatsoper Berlin, Mimì at Metropolitan Opera, Adriana Lecouvreur at Teatro di San Carlo, the role debut as Turandot at Florida Grand Opera, the title role in Massenet's oratorio Marie-Magdeleine at Prague Spring Festival.

Arsen Soghomonyan is now recognized as one of the leading tenors in the dramatic repertoire. His vocal intensity is backed by a career that began in baritone roles: Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro, Germont in La Traviata, and Belcore in L'elisir d'amore at the Stanislavski Theater in Yerevan, Armenia, his homeland. After this debut, which was crowned with a State Prize awarded by the President of the Republic of Armenia, Arsen Soghomonyan toured the major European venues: the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, the Wiener Staatsoper in Vienna, and the Royal Opera House in London. His career took an unexpected turn in 2023 when he was called to step in for Jonas Kaufmann in the title role of Otello at the Festival International d'Art Lyrique in Aix-en-Provence. The 2025 production of Aida in Monte Carlo marks Arsen Soghomonyan's debut in the iconic role of Radamès.

Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, Erwin Schrott rose to international fame after winning the Operalia competition in 1998. He became especially renowned for his portrayal of Don Giovanni, a role he has sung at many of the world’s most prestigious venues, including the Royal Opera House, La Scala in Milan, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Vienna State Opera, the Paris Opera, and the Chorégies d’Orange. His wide-ranging repertoire also includes Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Méphistophélès (Faust), Giorgio Valton (I puritani), Scarpia (Tosca), Escamillo (Carmen), Banquo (Macbeth), and Méphistophélès in La Damnation de Faust. He has worked with many of the world’s most renowned conductors, including Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, Antonio Pappano, Philippe Jordan, and Gustavo Dudamel. At the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, he has performed Mefistofele (2011), Don Giovanni (2015), Sir Giorgio (I puritani, 2017), Mephistopheles (La Damnation de Faust, 2019), and in Verdi’s Requiem (2023). He returns this season as Ramfis. Erwin Schrott records exclusively for Sony Classical.

French baritone Ludovic Tézier is widely regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of the Verdi repertoire, performing on the most prestigious international stages: the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Vienna State Opera, Paris Opera, La Scala in Milan, Royal Opera House in London, the Liceu in Barcelona, and Teatro Real in Madrid. He has collaborated with many of the world’s leading conductors, including Riccardo Muti, Antonio Pappano, Gustavo Dudamel, Philippe Jordan, Riccardo Chailly, and Myung-Whun Chung. His vast repertoire includes Macbeth, Rigoletto, Simon Boccanegra, Germont (La traviata), Renato (Un ballo in maschera), Posa (Don Carlo), Don Carlo di Varga (La forza del destino), as well as Hamlet, Eugene Onegin, Scarpia, Wolfram, Amfortas, and Athanaël. In the 2025/26 season, he will appear in Un ballo in maschera, Nabucco, Simon Boccanegra, Tannhäuser, Otello, Tosca, and Les Pêcheurs de perles. At the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, he has sung in Ernani, Simon Boccanegra, Un bal masqué, and Thaïs, and returns this season as Amonasro. In 2015, he recorded Aida on CD with Warner Classics. He has been recording exclusively for Sony Classical in recent years. His album of Verdi arias was unanimously acclaimed, followed in 2022 by a celebrated album of duets with Jonas Kaufmann. 

Diplômée en piano à l’École supérieure de musique « Dobri Hristov » de Varna, la soprano bulgare Galia Bakalov a ensuite étudié le chant lyrique à l’Académie nationale de musique « Pantcho Vladiguerov » de Sofia. Elle a perfectionné son art auprès de maîtres tels que Ghena Dimitrova et Montserrat Caballé. Elle a débuté à l’Opéra national de Sofia dans La luciole de Victor Chuchkov, avant de chanter Ksenia dans Boris Godounov de Moussorgski au Danemark sous la direction de Metodi Matakiev. Ses engagements l’ont menée sur diverses scènes américaines et européennes , où elle a interprété Frasquita (Carmen), Papagena (La flûte enchantée), Gilda (Rigoletto), Micaela (Carmen), Mimi (La bohéme). Elle s’est particulièrement distinguée dans le rôle de Violetta Valéry (La traviata), qu’elle a interprété au Teatro Lirico Sperimentale « A. Belli » de Spolète, à l’Opéra de Stara Zagora (Bulgarie) et à deux avant-premières à l’Opéra de Monte-Carlo. À l’Opéra de Monte-Carlo, où elle est membre du chœur depuis 2007, elle a collaboré avec des chefs renommés dont Placido Domingo, Antonino Fogliani, Kazuki Yamada, Marco Armiliato, Giacomo Sagripanti, Massimo Zanetti. Elle y a interprété la Dame pâle (Le Joueur), la Première Bonne (Amélia al Ballo), le Berger (Tosca), le Chanteur (La rondine), la Voix du ciel (La Damnation de Faust) et a été soprano solo dans Alcina de Haendel aux côtés de Cecilia Bartoli et Philippe Jaroussky. Elle s’est également produite au Festival de Wexford dans le rôle de Giulia dans La scala di seta de Rossini et a été soliste au Concert de Noël de l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo.

Né à Naples, Vincenzo Di Nocera entame des études d’économie à l’Université Federico II, tout en intégrant le Conservatoire de sa ville natale en classe de chant lyrique. Désireux de perfectionner son art, il se forme auprès de plusieurs professeurs de renom, ce qui le conduit rapidement à une carrière professionnelle. Il rejoint les chœurs de prestigieuses institutions lyriques telles que le Teatro Verdi di Salerno, le Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, le Teatro Regio di Parma, mais aussi ceux de Sorrente, Naples, des Arènes de Vérone, du Grand Opéra d’Avignon, de l’Opéra de Nice et de l’Opéra de Monte-Carlo. En tant que soliste, il se produit sur des scènes nationales et internationales – Parme, Sorrente, Naples, Vérone, Oman, Corée du Nord, Monte-Carlo – où il incarne notamment Turiddu (Cavalleria Rusticana de Mascagni), Luigi (Il Tabarro de Puccini), Radamès (Aida de Verdi), ainsi que des rôles dans La Traviata, La Bohème, Turandot, Wozzeck… À Monte-Carlo, il a également partagé la scène avec Plácido Domingo dans I Due Foscari et Roberto Alagna dans Luisa Miller. Il participe régulièrement à des concerts lyriques en tant que soliste, tant en France qu’à l’étranger, et se produit aux Chorégies d’Orange dans plusieurs programmes consacrés à la musique napolitaine.