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NEWS OF JANUARY 2022
 2022 will surely be a year of changes, challenges and new things and that is why are so excited to welcome our first countertenor ever:  Baroque specialist STEFFEN JESPERSEN is our first joining of the year.
 
Greek National Opera annouced its new opera season where our marvellous mezzosoprano ANNA AGATHONOS will feature in Gounod's «Faust» in April.
 
Our magnificent mezzosoprano EMMA SVENTELIUS was one of the singers participating at the Gala Concert from Kungliga Operan which was broadcast via SVT Play.
 
The so-much attended New Year's concert by Lyngby-Taarbæk Symfoniorkester featured our expressive soprano YANA KLEYN who put love and beauty to this comeback after restrictions by singing Puccini arias.
 
Det Kongelige Teater reopened its doors with Mozarts's «Don Giovanni» featuring our incredible artists NICOLAI ELSBERG, JENS SØNDERGAARD , TOMI PUNKERI and ELDRID GORSET.
 
Under the suggestive motto «Så går vi til Maxim» (Take me to Maxim!!), the OperetteKompagniet celebrated a belated New Year gala with a sparkling repertoire sung by our brilliant SIDSEL ERIKSEN and JONATHAN KOPPEL.
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NEWS OF DECEMBER 2021
Coronavirus played havoc again and many theatres and opera houses were forced to cancel performances and even close for some days but our artists still had the opportunity of singing during this month.
 
EMMA SVENTELIUS combined performances of Humperdinck's «Hänsel und Gretel» with rehearsals of  Offenbach's «Les Contes d'Hoffmann» at Gärtnerplatzteater, even during the same day. Moreover, she was ranked  #11 among the 20 most influential&successful people and events of 2021 according to the list released by Swedish musical magazine OPUS. A brilliant closure of this year for our outstanding young mezzosoprano!!
 
Fellow mezzosoprano MATHILDA BRYNGELSSON performed in «Hänsel & Gretel» playing the Mother at Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg with a big success with the audience.
 
And the third mezzosoprano busy this month was SIDSEL ERIKSEN, who sang «Messiah» in a rewritten version in Danish by composer John Frandsen along with Aarhus Symphony Orchestra( Aarhus Symfoniorkester at Musikhuset Aarhus .
 
A great challenged successfully completed by CONNY THIMANDER: being called for a jump-in of a world premiere, learning the score in just one day and dare to sing. Our bold tenor sang «Weinachtsoratorium» by Thomas Agerfeldt Olesen at Musikhuset Aarhus with maestro Florian Helgath conducting the Aarhus Symfoniorkester.
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NEWS OF OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2021
Det Kongelige Teater presented "The Merry Widow" featuring some of our artists within the cast: tenor ANDERS KAMPMANN, bass-baritone SIMON DUUS and soprano GINA GLORIA TRONEL delighted the spectators with their brilliant performances.
 
Moreover SIMON DUUS also was awarded the Holger Bruusgaards scholarship by the Royal Danish Orchestra.
 
NICOLAI ELSBERG was one of the contestants at Operalia Singing competition, being held at Bolshoi Theater in Moscow this year. Despite not being into the final round, our impressive bass left an excellent impression among the jury thanks to his rendition on Fiesco's aria from Verdi's "Simon Boccanegra".
 
Absolute debut as a soloist for our SYNNE VINJE in "Rigoletto" at The Royal Swedish Opera.
 
Maison Van Cleef & Arpels offered a stylish soirée that featured YAROSLAV ABAIMOV. Our elegant tenor showed his skills, not only as a singer but also as a pianist, surprising the distinguished guests. 
 
DOROTHEA SPILGER debuted as Amneris in Verdi's «Aida» this evening at Den Jyske Opera. A great new role with a powerful staging for our outstanding mezzosoprano.
 
Rightly defined as LIFE on stage, «La Bohème» was presented at Det Kongelige Teater with the participation of many of our amazing artists: sopranos YANA KLEYN and SOFIE JENSEN, baritones JENS SØNDERGAARD and LUTHANDO QAVE, bass-baritone SIMON DUUS, and basses NICOLAI ELSBERG and STEFFEN BRUUN. Puccini's masterpiece is always an emotional appeal and once again, a huge success among the operagoers.
 
Two young and talented artists joined our roster: delicious soprano ELDRID GORSET and rising baritone Tomi Punkeri who respectively embodied bubbly Musetta and playful Schaunard in «La Bohème» at Det Kongelige Teater.
 
For the very first time in its history, Strauss' «Der Rosenkavalier» was premiered at Volksoper Wien with our sensational mezzosoprano EMMA SVENTELIUS embodying Octavian. Reviews praised not only the beauty of her voice but also her expressful acting. Some weeks later, she jumped in at Gärtnerplatztheater for singing Olga at Tchaikovski's «Eugene Onegin» in a last-minute call.
 
November 2, All Souls'Day was the perfect date chosen by Gärtnerplatztheater for opening the theater to audience again and premiering Menotti's «The Medium» with ANNA AGATHONOS leading the cast as Madame Flora. Later that month, our mezzosoprano reprised the roles of Berta in Rossini's "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" and Filipievna in «Eugene Onegin».
 
The Icelandic Opera premiered Verdi's «La Traviata» featuring our imposing baritone HRÒLFUR SAEMUNDSSON as Giorgio Germont.
 
And exciting news for ending November brilliantly as it was announced that OH LAND will be composing a brand new opera to be premiered at Den Fynske Opera in 2023.  Under the title "Grass is greener", this piece will be born in collaboration with musician Adi Zukanović and artist Ida Agnete Fogh Kiberg and coproduced with Danmarks Underholdningsorkester.
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NEWS OF SEPTEMBER 2021
 Last minute jump-in for our bass TADAS GIRININKAS as Mephistopheles in Gounod's «Faust» at Det Kongelige Teater along with SOFIE JENSEN and LUTHANDO QAVE, with enthusiastic final applauses for all of them.
 
Mezzosoprano EMMA SVENTELIUS has been chosen as coverface of Volksoper Wien magazine upon her house debut there for embodying one of her iconic roles: Octavian at  "Der Rosenkavalier".
 
Radio broadcast on DR for soprano TRINE MØLLER and baritone JENS SØNDERGAARD singing pieces by Alexander Zemlinski and Alma Mahler under the baton of Kristiina Poska conducting the Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester.
 
Great success also for baritone HRÓLFUR SAEDMUNDSSON singing the title role  in Verdi's "Macbeth" at Norrlandsoperan. And continuing with Verdi, mezzosoprano ANDREA PELLEGRINI composed an intriguing Principessa d'Eboli in «Don Carlo» at Folkoperan in Stockholm.
 
Our booming tenor CONNY THIMANDER has  been awarded with a scholarship from Friends of Drottningholms Slottsteater delivered during a ceremony at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre by King Carl XVI Gustaf Of Sweden and HM Queen Silvia of Sweden.
 
Young baritone MODESTAS SEDLEVICIUS, one of the most promising Baltic singers of his generation, is our latest and exciting joining to Ascolta Artists roster.
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NEWS OF JULY-AUGUST 2021

Summer joinings to our rosters included exciting new artists as sopranos MONIKA KUCINSKA & SYNNE VINJE, mezzosoprano MATHILDA BRYNGELSSON and tenor TOMAS PAVILIONIS, and we give the warmest welcome to all of them.

Inspired by Monty Phyton's most famous film, the oratorio «Das Leben des Brian» was premiered at Gärtnerplatzteater in Munich. Featuring our comical mezzo ANNA AGATHONOS, it was a hilarious delight for the audience.

Once again, very proud and happy of the achievements of our phenomenal NICOLAI ELSBERG, who has been selected for Operalia Contest to take place in Moscow next October. Meanwhile, our young bass sang in one of the most awaited musical events this summer is the concert by the picturesque Roskilde Cathedral featuring the stars of Det Kongelige Teater, along with our amazing soprano TRINE MØLLER and baritone JENS SØNDERGAARD


Rousing tenor MOISÉS MARÍN embodied Normanno in «Lucia di Lammermoor»at Gran Teatre del Liceu within a top-class cast including Nadine Sierra and Javier Camarena under the baton of maestro Giacomo Sagripanti.

Sparkling tenor LIANGHUA GONG captivated the audience at Immling festival with a superb rendition of Don Ramiro in Rossini's «La Cenerentola» while brave fellow tenor JEFFREY HARTMANN made a last-minute jump-in for singing Verdi&Puccini arias at the Gala Concert in the same festival.

Role debut for tenor ANDERS KAMPMANN as Canio in «Pagliacci»at the beautiful stage of Søholm Opera. Congratulations to our talented tenor!

Den Ny Opera successfully premiered Verdi's last masterpiece, «Falstaff» with the participation of JENS SØNDERGAARD ,JONATHAN KOPPEL, PHILIPPA COLD and the onstage debut of SOFIE LUND-TONNESEN

Wagner, Mozart, Piazzola, Cher, Queen, David Lynch, RuPaul were mixed all in one for creating «Begærets mysterier» (The Mysteries of Desire), an extremely suggestive show that Det Kongelige Teater premiered this past August featuring bass-baritone SIMON DUUS as The secret lover

The moving art of Puccini was the leitmotif for «Viva Verismo», the annual gala concert at Tivoli featuring our charming soprano YANA KLEYN. In this edition, there was a double concert, as it also took place at Den Røde Plads some days later.

NEWS OF JUNE 2021
Opera XXI announced the winners of its 2020 edition and the award for the Best New Opera Production in cooperation with Ópera Latinoamérica went to Teatro Municipal de Santiago de Chile thanks to «L' Italiana in Algeri» with our bass-baritone RICARDO SEGUEL as Mustafá.
 
The multifaceted  artist OH LAND (aka Nanna Fabricius Øland), excellent as singer, composer, producer, dancer, actress and much more, joined our agency. She is about to take a big step forward for debuting as classical singer in Kurt Weill's «Seven Deadly Sins» next season at Det Kongelige Teater.
Another great Danish talent, baritone TEIT KANSTRUP also joined Ascolta Artists roster this month. We are absolutely sure that both collaborations will be long and fruitful.
 
NICOLAI ELSBERG was one of the contestants at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World. Though he did not get into the final round, our stunning young bass made a great impression with his expressive rendition of Osmin's aria from «Die Entführung aus dem Serail» 
 
Our boosting tenor FABIÁN LARA made a successful house debut at Ópera de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria as Macduff in Verdi's "Macbeth"  and once again reviews praised his silvery voice and eloquent phrasing.
 
Summer opera festivals are coming back: Immling festival opened its season with Puccini's «Madama Butterfly» in which our exquisite soprano YANA KLEYN embodied the ill-fated geisha with a superb interpretation that left no dry eye among the audience.
 
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NEWS OF MAY 2021
Brilliant role debut for SOFIE JENSEN as Rosalinde in Strauss' «Die Fledermaus». Once again, our dazzling soprano aroused the enthusiasm of the audience at Konzert Theater Bern.
 
Not only an outstanding baritone: our talented HRÓLFUR SAEMUNDSSON also proved to be a fabulous composer, having successfully premiered his piece «Corona» (for string orchestra) at Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik.
 
 Our astounding mezzosoprano ANNA AGATHONOS reprised the role of Filipievna in "Yevgeni Onegin" at Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich with excellent reviews which described her performance as «perfect in every respect, reminiscent of altos from a past age, voice was full & evenly produced from top to bottom and sensitive acting and staging».
 
Just after its triumphal premiere past December and its subsequent suspension, «Maskarade» performances at Det Kongelige Teater resumed in May, with praise to all the artistic team including bariton SIMON DUUS. 
 
Our towering bass NICOLAI ELSBERG has been protagonist also this month: first with a last-minute jump-in as Jeronimus in «Maskarade» and then by being interviewed at Go' Morgen Danmark because of his inminent participation at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World contest.
 
About the idea of Arts&Opera as "a paradise" where to find shelter in times of desolation as leitmotiv, Gran Teatre del Liceu announced its new season 2021-22 featuring MOISÉS MARÍN. Our vibrant tenor also performed in much-awaited «Carmen» at Teatro de la Maestranza this month.
 
Still under restrictions of audiences in theatres, France 3 TV broadcasted Mozart's «Don Giovanni» from Opéra Grand Avignon with our amazing tenor LIANGHUA GONG as Don Ottavio.
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NEWS OF MARCH-APRIL 2021

 Other of our most promising singers, NICOLAI ELSBERG was announced as one of the contestants at the prestigious BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2021 whose 20th edition will take place from June 12 to 19. We wish all the best to our young Danish bass.

Our impressive tenor FABIÁN LARA, another of our rising artists, featured at Bellini's "Norma" at Teatro Real in Madrid as Flavio with the unanimous applause of audience and critics.
 
Also our female artist are getting more prominent, as our soprano SOFIE JENSEN whose performance at DaCapo recording of Heise's "Drot og Marsk" was widely praised by reviews thanks to her crystal diction and lyric-coloratura voice. 
 
After having interrupted the rehearsals for some months, Menotti's rare gem "The Medium" was resumed and successfully premiered at Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich. Because of Covid19 restrictions, the first performance was available in live streaming and leading the cast was our amazing mezzosoprano ANNA AGATHONOS as Madame Flora.
 
Copenhagen Phil - hele Sjællands Symfoniorkester returned to the stage with a live-broadcast all-Verdi concert featuring our exquisite soprano YANA KLEYN along with tenor Jonathan Tetelman and baritone Christopher Maltman under the baton of master conductor Audrey Saint-Gil .
 
Our outstanding baritone GERMÁN OLVERA embodied Belcore in "L'elisir d'amor" at Staatsoper Hannover, where one of the performances was livestreamed. 
 

 ABAO Bilbao Opera went on with its brilliant cycle "ABAO on stage" with a gala concert featuring our exciting tenor MOISÉS MARÍN along with other leading Spanish singers, orchestra Bilbao Sinfonietta and maestro Óliver Díaz conducting. 

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NEWS OF FEBRUARY 2021
February brought a new arrival as young and talented DAVID DANVING joined our roster.
 
Before each premiere, Teatro Real presents «Enfoques» («Approaches»), an informal talk with the artistic team including some musical excerpts. Two of our bosting tenors were featured this month as MOISÉS MARÍN participated in the edition about "Siegfried"  while FABIÁN LARA was one of the singers for the edition dedicated to "Norma" .
 
Peter Heise's The Song Edition was released by Dacapo Records.This full collection of his 272 exquisite songs for piano and 18 singers featuring some of our great artists as soprano SOFIE JENSEN, mezzosoprano FRANCINE VIS, baritones JENS SØNDERGAARD and LARS MØLLER and bass-baritone SIMON DUUS. Available for sale or streaming at https://lnk.to/HeiseSongEditionFA
 
«Help! I'm going to the opera» is the new programme by the Royal Swedish Opera (Kungliga Operan) where celebrities discover all the secrets "behind the curtain" guided by Rickard Söderberg. The first episode featured our delicious mezzosoprano EMMA SVENTELIUS as Cherubino in «Le nozze di Figaro» past March.
 
As audience restrictions are still in force in Germany, Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich offered a live-stream gala concert with opera and operetta including pieces from Verdi, Léhar, Mozart, Tauber, Rossini, among others featuring our amazing mezzo ANNA AGATHONOS.
 
Just one year after the closure due to Covid19, many Italian theaters and opera houses joined the initiative launched by Associazione Unita by keeping their doors open and the lights turned on as a symbol of solidarity with furloughed workers and frustrated audiences. The motto for this initiative was FACCIAMO LUCE SUL TEATRO!! Further info at https://www.associazioneunita.it/facciamo-luce-sul-teatro/ .
 
Brand new website for our imposing bass NICOLAI ELSBERG at www.nicolaielsberg.com where his best photos & videos, next appointments as well as news can be found.
 
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NEWS OF JANUARY 2021
The new year started with a joining as we welcomed rising young soprano ÅSA JÄGER to our roster.
 
Baritone CÉSAR MENDEZ SILVAGNOLI was awarded with the Special Prize to the Best Zarzuela Performer at the prestigious international singing contest "Tenor Viñas" at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.
 
10 months after the dress rehearsal, baritone BRUNO TADDIA reprised the title role of "Falstaff" (G. Verdi) at Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier Occitanie which will be shown in streaming on dates to be informed soon.
 
Most of theaters are closed as some governments restrictions prevented audiences inside the halls so opera houses are looking for solutions for keeping up with their activities. Fondazione Teatri Piacenza offered a live streaming of Puccini's "Gianni Schicchi" featuring our soprano RENATA CAMPANELLA and bass MATTTIA DENTI.
 
NEWS OF DECEMBER 2020

 Det Kongelige Teater successfully premiered Carl Nielsen's "Maskerade" featuring bass-baritone SIMON DUUS and bass NICOLAI ELSBERG, two of our most promising voices.

With most theaters closed because of pandemic, streamings are being offered worldwide.Bass-baritone RICARDO SEGUEL led the cast of Rossini's "L'Italiana in Algeri" broadcast from Teatro Colón while mezzosoprano MARINA COMPARATO performed in a solo concert from Teatro Cucinelli Solomeo.Also Rossini was the composer chosen by Fondazione Teatri Piacenza, with "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" featuring our bass MATTIA DENTI.

Soprano RENATA CAMPANELLA took part in a fundraising concert for Piccole Figlie Hospital along with Fabio Armiliato and Anna Maria Chiuri.

Tenor MOISÉS MARÍN made his debut as Jaquino in Beethoven's "Fidelio" at Ópera de Oviedo, where he also made a last minute jump-in as Goro in Puccini's "Madama Butterfly", a hard challenge of singing two different roles in seven days in a row. He was accompanied by fellow tenor FABIÁN LARA, making a very applauded house&role debut as B.F. Pinkerton.

A must in Christmas time: our amazing SIBYLLE GLOSTED, SIDSEL ERIKSEN, JONATHAN KOPPEL and DEYAN VATCHKOV sang Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" along with Aalborg Symfoniorkester

 

NEWS OF NOVEMBER 2020
Our peerless mezzosoprano MARINA COMPARATO participated in  “Regreso a la Pasión” («Return to passion»), a dramatized gala at Amigos de la Ópera de Vigo along with tenor Ismael Jordi, baritone Javier Franco, soprano Sonia de Munck, bass Felipe Bou,pianist Javier Carmena and actress Isabel Naveira. The gala was broadcasted live from Teatro Afundacion Vigo.
 
All our support to Ópera de Oviedo, forced to stop rehearsals & reschedule "Madama Butterfly" performances to the end of this month because of Covid19 closures just imposed by authorities. This production features our rising tenor FABIÁN LARA making his house&role debut.
 
"Prima Donna" by Rufus Wainwright is available for streaming on Opera Vision until May 2021. This striking production currently on stage at the Royal Swedish Opera features our magnetic tenor CONNY THIMANDER.
 
Another must-see on OperaVision is Bizet's "Carmen" from Staatsoper Hannover with our sensational baritone GERMÁN OLVERA embodying bold matador Escamillo. Tune in here from November 10 on:  https://operavision.eu/de/bibliothek/auffuehrungen/opern/carmen-staatsoper-hannover
 
More opera streamings this November included our mezzosoprano ANNA AGATHONOS as The Witch in Humperdinck's "Hänsel&Gretel" from Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich,versatile baritono BRUNO TADDIA as Taddeo in Rossini's "L'Italiana in Algeri" from Hungarian National Opera in Budapest as well as brilliant tenor ANGELO VILLARI in Puccini's "La Fanciulla del West" at Opera Lombardia.
 
Huge success for our delicious soprano YANA KLEYN who jumped in as Amelia in Verdi's «Simon Boccanegra" at Royal Danish Opera. This production featured also our exciting baritone JENS SØNDERGAARD as evil Paolo Albiani.
 
Commemorating the death centenary of prominent Spanish writer Benito Pérez Galdós, Teatro de la Zarzuela presented Jaume Pahissa's "Marianela" in concert on November 27&29. This rare opera featured our astonishing tenor ALEJANDRO ROY, who received the unanimous applause of audience and critics in the extremely demanding role of "Pablo".
 
And we said goodbye to November by saying hello to emerging coloratura soprano GINA GLORIA TRONEL, who enrolled in our agency.
 
 
 

 

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NEWS OF OCTOBER 2020
October came with new arrivals: Italian SUSANNA BRANCHINI and Swedish-American KRISTINE NOWLAIN, two exceptional sopranos that we warmly welcomed to our team.
 
Inspired by Maria Callas story, Rufus Wainwright's "Prima Donna" arrived to the Royal Swedish Opera -Kungliga Operan with our versatile tenor CONNY THIMANDER in the role of André and all the shows sold out.
 
Record label Naïve released Vivaldi's "Il Tamerlano (Il Bajazet)" with an excellent cast led by our regal baritone BRUNO TADDIA as Bajazet and the Accademia Bizantina under the baton of maestro Ottavio Dantone. 

Den Jyske Opera started its season with Verdi's "Rigoletto" where our stunning mezzo DOROTHEA SPILGER embodied Maddalena

Our incredible mezzo ANNA AGATHONOS played Filipievna in Tchaikovski's "Evgeni Onegin" performed at Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich .

Congratulations to our fantastic bass TADAS GIRININKAS, maestro Sesto Quatrini and all the personnel at Lithuania National Opera for their tenacity, hope and hard work to overcome the virus and ring the curtain up again with "Anna Bolena" .

Our soaring tenor MOISÉS MARÍN sung Albazar in Rossini's "Il Turco in Italia" at ABAO Bilbao Opera. Despite the hard restrictions imposed due by local authorities to COVID19, the artistic and technical team managed to go on with the shows, reaping a great sucess.
 
Role debut for our sensational ANDERS KAMPMANN  as Sándor Barinkay in Johann Strauss' «Der Zigeunerbaron» presented at Theater Magdeburg. 

 

NEWS OF SEPTEMBER 2020
Season opening at the Royal Danish Opera with Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte" spellbinding production created by Barrie Kosky featuring our promising bass NICOLAI ELSBERG as Sarastro while our exquisite soprano SOFIE JENSEN embodied Pamina along with charismatic bass-baritone SIMON DUUS as Papageno.
 
Also Staatsoper Hannover was back to activity with Mozart, but in its case the chosen opera was "Don Giovanni" with our irresistible baritone GERMÁN OLVERA in the title role, who won excited applauses.
 
Sadly due to COVID19 restrictions imposed by local authorities, only 60 people could finally attend the Opera Gala at Amigos de la Ópera de A Coruña featuring our powerful tenor ALEJANDRO ROY along with star singers Sondra Radvanovsky, Carlos Álvarez & Simón Orfila.
Thanks to the organizers of the festival, their concert "Great voices for great operas" celebrated at Teatro Colón past September 3 can be enjoyed free in streaming via https://youtu.be/NPGWfq7EeMk
 
Great triumph for our stunning soprano TRINE MØLLER and bass-baritone SIMON DUUS, as audience and reviews unanimously praised their powerful stage presence and thundering vocal skills in Rued Langgaard's "Antikrist" shown at Langgaard Festival in Ribe (Denmark).
 
Ascending tenor FABIÁN LARA made his role debut as Macduff in Verdi's "Macbeth" at the National Theather in Prague, luckily operating at its full capacity.
 
Safe Culture movement spreads everywhere and our astonishing mezzosopranos ANNA AGATHONOS and EMMA SVENTELIUS know it for sure as they are back to work with Tchaikovski's "Eugene Onegin" at Munich Gärtnerplatztheater, always keeping the safety measures.
 
Our impressive bass MATTIA DENTI successfully reprised Verdi's "La Traviata" at Teatro della Fenice in Venice (Italy).
 
 

 

NEWS OF AUGUST 2020
Still under severe pandemic effects but musical activities are gradually recovering their strength all around the world during this August.
 
Our emerging mezzo EMMA SVENTELIUS received her Birgit Nilsson scholarship during a recital at Västra Karup church which was broadcasted live and can be enjoyed at https://youtu.be/alUFSpu79z0
 
Despite the crisis, music keeps breaking through with new ideas as Henrik Engelbrecht´s rearrangement of Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" in a completely new 90-minute version of highlights which was presented past August 27 in Copenhagen, featuring our impressive mezzo TRINE MØLLER as Brünnhilde
 
Tivoli Gardens celebrated their 77th anniversary on August 15 with a brilliant concert dedicated to the golden age of waltzes, polkas and gallops in the amazing voices of our delicious soprano YANA KLEYN and star baritone Bo Skovhus along with Tivoli Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by maestro Alfred Eschwé
 
ASCOLTA ARTISTS keeps growing as we welcomed splendorous American soprano SHELLEY JACKSON to our roster. We are sure that this is going to be a long and successful combination.
 
The Wilhelm Hansen Fonden awarded 20 Danish artists for their inspiring roles in cultural life. One of these well-deserved honorary grants went to our all-round mezzo ANDREA PELLEGRINI
 
Our astonishing mezzo MARINA COMPARATO graced the cover of Italian magazine Pura Cultura as she and guitarist Marco Minà offered a recital dedicated to celebrated Spanish writer Federico García Lorca at Maiori Music Festival in the Amalfi Coast.
 
 
NEWS OF MARCH - JULY 2020
COVID19 outbreak in March meant a sudden freeze of musical events worldwide. Despite this lack of activity due to mandatory lockdowns, ASCOLTA ARTISTS has kept on working since then, with an eye on the new normality yet to definitely arrive.
 
So proudly we received the news that our bass NICOLAI ELSBERG had been awarded the Léonie Sonning Talent Prize 2020 in April as well as the The Queen Ingrid's Honorary Grant later in June. These two accolades are just a further confirmation of the talent of this young artist, endowed with an astonishing deep voice.
 
And also speaking of young talent, prestigious BBC Music Magazine recognized our dazzling mezzosoprano EMMA SVENTELIUS as "Rising Star" in July, naming her as "Someone to look out for".
 
But these were not the only trophies received by an ASCOLTA ARTISTS, as International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) announced its "Recording of the Year" in May, a relevant award that went to Beethoven's Complete Symphonies played by the Danish Chamber Orchestra under the baton of maestro Adam Fischer, with the participation of our fantastic baritone LARS MØLLER
 
Opera on stage was finally back in Europe on June 27 and this meaningful milestone featured one of our singers as the star of the show. Italian Festival Puccini Torre del Lago presented "Gianni Schicchi" conducted by maestro John Axelrod and a pandemic-inspired staging by Valentina Carrasco, with our amazing baritone BRUNO TADDIA in the title role. His portrayal of cunning Schicchi was much celebrated by audience and praised afterwards by reviews as "of great histrionic versatility and perfect control of the vocal technique".
 
After several months of daily massive cancellations, new seasons have begun to be released, with stimulating artistic commitments for our artists.
More details will be revealed soon.
 
NEWS OF FEBRUARY 2020
 
Last minute jump-in for tenor ANGELO VILLARI as "Gustavo" in the Swedish version of "Un Ballo in Maschera" at Teatro Calderón in Valladolid (Spain), which resulted in overall success, being widely cheered by the audience.
 
Also baritone JENS SØNDEGAARD thrivingly  jumped in for playing "Eugen Onegin" at Den Norske Opera in Oslo in a new production by Christof Loy and conducted by Lothar Koenigs.
 
Witty baritone GERMÁN OLVERA reprised his iconic role of Figaro in "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" at Staatsoper Hannover in a new production created by Nicola Hümpel. Later this month, he change tack to incarnate "Escamillo" in Bizet's "Carmen" at Teatre Principal de Palma de Mallorca under the baton of maestro Manuel Coves and the staging by Calixto Bieito.
 
Top-class Italian mezzosoprano MARINA COMPARATO joined our roster this month and we could celebrate her amazing success as "Carmen" in a tour through Japan along with Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by prominent maestro Myung-Whun Chung.
 
We also welcomed  Argentinian baritone FABIÁN VELOZ to our team. Future (and exciting) engagements will take him to Lyric Opera of Chicago for singing Scarpia in a star cast "Tosca" with Sondra Radvanovsky, Joseph Calleja and maestro Giampaolo Bisanti conducting.
 
A new accolade for our young and extremely talented mezzosoprano EMMA SVENTELIUS, awarded with prestigious Birgit Nilsson Scholarship 2020.
 
Feeling like a real cowboy, our baritone MANEL ESTEVE played "Sonora" in Puccini's "La Fanciulla del West" at ABAO Ópera de Bilbao (Spain) in a colourful production by Hugo de Ana conducted by maestro Josep Caballé-Domenech
 
Opera Bałtycka w Gdańsku (Poland) replicated its production of "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" where Count Almaviva was played by our talented tenor LIANGHUA GONG.
 
Our splendid young singers SVETLANA MOSKALENKO and FABIÁN LARA triumphed as Gilda and Duca di Mantova in "Rigoletto" at Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck. 
 
World premiere of "L'Opera Minima" at Fondazione Teatri PIacenza with the participation of our superb soprano RENATA CAMPANELLA. This opera has been composed by Joe Schittino & Claudio Saltarelli as a tribute to Luigi Illica.
 
Festival Puccini Torre del Lago announced its next season with the participation of 2 of our artists: after his big success in "La Fanciulla del West" and "Tosca" last summer, tenor ALEJANDRO ROY will be singing Calaf in "Turandot" while BRUNO TADDIAwill make a double debut (house&role) as Sharpless in "Madama Butterfly".
 
Our baritone LUIS CANSINO succeeded again as Giorgio Germont in "La Traviata" performances at Amics de l'Opera de Sabadell
 
Embodying a playful Adina, our soprano GABRIELLE PHILIPONET shined in "L'Elisir d'amor" at Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse with rising maestro Sesto Quatrini conducting and an elegant staging by Arnaud Bernard.
NEWS OF JANUARY 2020

 

Our powerful bass LUIZ OTTAVIO FARIA started the new year singing Sarastro in Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte" at Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman, conducted by Diego Fasolis and staged by Davide Livermore. 

Mozartian jump-in for EMMA SVENTELIUS as Cherubino in Stockholm (Sweden) Our talented mezzosoprano will be really busy this winter, sharing her time between Theater Bonn and Kungliga Operan.
 
Two new joining to our roster: Italian baritones BRUNO TADDIA and ANGELO VECCIA have become part of Ascolta Artist this month.
 
Dramatic tenor KRISTIAN BENEDIKT sang Erik in Wagner’s “Der fliegende Holländer “ at ABAO Ópera de Bilbao (Spain) along with Sir Bryn Terfel in the title role and Manuela Uhl as Senta.
 
Big success for our dazzling soprano GABRIELLE PHILIPONET as priestess Leïla in “Les Pêcheurs de perles” at Opéra de Lille (France) in an original production by FC Bergman.
 
Badisches Staatsteater Karlsruhe presented a colourful “Turandot” by Fabio Cherstich where our energetic soprano ELENA MIKHAILENKO starred as the “principessa di gelo”
 
Our young tenor MOISÉS MARÍN shined as insidious Normanno in the stellar-cast “Lucia di Lammermoor” at Ópera de Oviedo along with Jessica Pratt and Celso Albelo, with maestro Giacomo Sagripanti conducting.
 
Unanimous applause for the sumptuous staging and the vivacious musical version of Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera” at Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari (Italy) with our superb bass DEYAN VATCHKOV among the cast.
 
One of Mozart’s most beloved works, “Die Zauberflöte” premiered at Teatro Villamarta in Jerez (Spain) where our baritone MANEL ESTEVE won the audience over with his bubbling portrait of Papageno.
 
Our fantastic bass MATTIA DENTI played Dottor Grenvil in “La Traviata” at Teatro La Fenice in Venice (Italy)
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Antonio Cagnoni's "Don Bucefalo" was presented at Opera Bałtycka Gdańsku , an unmissable opportunity of enjoying this rare opera, with our gifted tenor LIANGHUA GONG leading as jealous Carlino.

 

News of December 2019
 
Exciting joinings in December: sopranos RENATA CAMPANELLA and GABRIELLE PHILIPONET, tenor ANGELO VILLARI, baritone JENS SONDERGAARD, bass-baritone GIORGI MTCHEDLISHVILI and basses MATTIA DENTI, NICOLAI ELSBERG and DEYAN VATCHKOV have been welcomed to Ascolta Artist roster.
 
Our young tenor CONNY THIMANDER played wicked Spoletta in Puccini's "Tosca" at  Malmö Opera.
 
Big double success for our tenor ANGELO VILLARI playing both Turiddu and Canio in "Cavalleria Rusticana+Pagliacci" at  Teatro Comunale di Bologna conducted by Frédéric Chaslin and staged by Emma Dante.
  
Puccinian dream-role debut for our rising Mexican baritone GERMÁN OLVERA as he embodied Marcello in "La Bohéme" at Staatsoper Hannover conducted by Jordan de Souza and staged by Chris Alexander.
 
Also a great success for our dazzling soprano ELENA MIKHAILENKO playing Lisa in Tchaikovsky's" Pikovaya Dama" at Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Duisburg.
 
Audience and reviews have praised tenor ALEJANDRO ROY’s performance in “Il Tabarro” at Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck , because of his vocality, with a burnished middle range and a very strong squillo, which seemed ideal for the part of Luigi.
 
Disguised as a Disney witch look-a-like, our mezzosoprano ANNA AGATHONOS stole the show in Humperdink's "Hänsel und Gretel" at Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich.
 
Brilliant jump-in for our soprano LANA KOS as Violetta in Verdi's "La Traviata" at Kungliga Operan in Stockholm.
 
Our powerful bass MATS ALMGREN sang Hunding in Wagner's "Die Walküre" being presented at  Göteborgs Operan.  
News of November 2019

 

Our tenor YAROSLAV ABAIMOV played the young and passionate poet Lensky in the touring production of Tchaikovsky's great work "Eugene Onegin" by the Nederlandse Reisopera, showing at Schouwurg Odeon. 

Successful role debut for our wonderful soprano MIINA-LIISA VÄRELÄ as Ortrud in Wagner's "Lohengrin" at Salzburger Landestheater. 
 
International reviews praised our light soprano SOFIE JENSEN as Gerda in he world premiere of Hans Abrahamsen's "Snedronningen" at Det Kongelige Teater, describing her performance as "vocally very worth listening to and beautiful sound role portrait".
 
Also high acclaims for the intense solo performance of our mezzosoprano DOROTHEA SPILGER in "Twice through the heart" at Staatstheater Braunschweig, thanks to her piercing notes as well as her wonderfully calm and lyrically coloured passages.
 
Double role debut this month for our promising mezzosoprano EMMA SVENTELIUS at Theater Bonn: first as Cherubino in Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro" and later as Kate Pinkerton in Puccini's "Madama Butterly".
 
Our bass ALEJANDRO LÓPEZ played Abimélech in Saint-Saëns' "Samson et Dalilah" at Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville in a touching co-production with Mérida Classical Theater Festival (staged by Paco Azorín) which presented more that hundred members of groups with different capacities of several full-inclusion associations in Andalusia.
 
ABAO Opera Bilbao presented "Jérusalem", one of Verdi's lesser known operas, staged by Francisco Negrin and conducted by Francesco Ivan Ciampa. As Raimond, our tenor MOISÉS MARÍN received unanimous appreciation from both audience and critics.
 
Our talented soprano YANA KLEYN incarnated Mimì in Puccini's "La Bohéme" at CPH Opera Festival. Audience dedicated her a standing ovation after the premiere and critics eulogized the perfect combination of despondently sweetness and powerful voice, exciting, creamy and dark, with surprising expansion.
 
Congratulations to our young tenor FABIÁN LARA, winner of the Audience Prize ("Premio del Pubblico") at the XVIII Concorso Lirico Internazionale Ottavio Ziino. Also this month, he sang Verdi´s "Requiem" in Aarhus with soprano LANA KOS, mezzosoprano NORA SOUROUZIAN and bass GIORGI KIROF.
 
LUIS CANSINO offered a brilliant rendition of  "Rigoletto" at Ópera de Tenerife, under the baton of Giuseppe Finzi and staging by Mario Pontiggia having replaced Leo Nucci after his withdrawal.
 
Soprano CASSANDRA LEMOINE and bass-baritone SIMON DUUS  have triumphantly participated in Sondheim's musical "Sweeney Todd" premiering at Det Kongelige Teater.
 
Tenor CONNY THIMANDER jumped in as Tamino in Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte" at Kungliga Operan in Stockholm, where he last performed the role 6 years ago.
 
After his success as Calaf at The Metropolitan Opera in New York, ALEJANDRO ROY adds a new Puccini role to his repertoire as Luigi in "Il Tabarro" within "Il Trittico" premiering at Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck. This has been also a house debut for the Spanish tenor.