Elīna Garanča

Hungarian conductor Henrik Nánási, born in Pécs, studied piano and composition at the Béla Bartók Conservatory in Budapest before pursuing conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. He began his career as a musical assistant at The Royal Ballet and Opera in London under Sir Antonio Pappano, as well as at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. From 2012 to 2017, he served as General Music Director of the Komische Oper Berlin, during which time the company was named “Opera Company of the Year” and “Opera House of the Year” at the International Opera Awards. He has since conducted on the world’s leading stages, including Teatro alla Scala, the Opéra de Paris, the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Teatro Real Madrid, the Bavarian State Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opernhaus Zürich, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Hamburg State Opera, Semperoper Dresden, and the Arena di Verona. Alongside his operatic activity, he is regularly invited to conduct major orchestras such as the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO Wien), the Bruckner Orchestra Linz, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra. Highlights of the 2025/26 season include his return to the Bavarian State Opera for La traviata, his Australian debut with a new production of Turandot at the Sydney Opera House, Werther at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Luisa Miller at the Hamburg State Opera, and concerts devoted to Liszt and Bartók with the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. At the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, he conducted Werther in 2021

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.

Latvian mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca, born in Riga, has established herself over more than two decades as one of the leading figures on the international operatic stage. A regular guest at the world’s most prestigious houses — the Metropolitan Opera, The Royal Ballet and Opera in London, the Vienna State Opera, the Bavarian State Opera, Teatro alla Scala, and the Salzburg Festival — she has left a lasting impression through the elegance of her style and the nobility of her timbre. She is particularly celebrated for her portrayal of Carmen (Carmen), hailed by The New York Times as “the best Carmen in twenty-five years,” as well as for roles such as Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier), Charlotte (Werther), Dalila (Samson et Dalila), and Eboli (Don Carlo). Among her recent engagements are her role debut as Judith (Bluebeard’s Castle by Bartók) at the Teatro di San Carlo and in concert with the MET Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, as well as her assumption of the role of Kundry (Parsifal) at the Bayreuth Festival, where she became the first Latvian artist to perform on that stage. An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist, she has released several critically acclaimed recordings, including the album When Night Falls in 2024. She has received numerous international distinctions and notably holds the title of “Kammersängerin,” awarded by the Vienna State Opera, where she has performed in more than 160 performances since her debut in 2003.