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The Cast of the 101st Arena di Verona Opera Festival 2024

Find out who will be performing on the Arena stage this summer

Discover the cast of the Arena di Verona Opera Festival 2024

The 101st Arena di Verona Opera Festival 2024 is near and opera stars are preparing to shine again on the stage of the Arena di Verona. Have you discovered our fantastic casts yet? No? Find out more, just keep reading. Who will you choose to listen to?

Kings and Queens of the Arena

"More stars than in the sky." In the golden age of Hollywood, this was the motto of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (the famous film studio of the roaring lion), but, if we move from the big screen to the Arena, the philosophy does not change. Once again, the Arena is preparing to welcome its queens, starting with sopranos Anna Netrebko (Tosca), Anna Pirozzi (Turandot and Aida), Maria Josè Siri (Aida), Aleksandra Kurzak (Micaëla in Carmen) and Mariangela Sicilia (again Micaëla and Liù in Turandot). By their side, you cannot miss the most beloved tenors: Francesco Meli and Roberto Alagna (who will alternate in the role of Don José), Vittorio Grigolo (Rodolfo in La Bohème), Dmitry Korchak (the Count of Almaviva in The Barber of Seville), Yusif Eyvazov and Gregory Kunde (who will both take the roles of Calaf and Radamès). Eyvazov will also be Mario Cavaradossi in the first three performances of Tosca, while the last will see the supertenor Jonas Kaufmann in the role.

The Queens and Kings of the Arena: Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann

In the hearts of the audience

Who said that audiences prefer tenors? Just think of the affection that, summer after summer, the spectators have shown baritones such as Luca Salsi (who will return as Scarpia in Tosca and Amonasro in Aida), Nicola Alaimo (who will once again play the Barber of Seville, Figaro), Carlo Lepore (the much-loved Don Bartolo, again in Il Barbiere) and Amartuvshin Enkhbat (who will once again play Amonasro), whose voices have accompanied the Arenian summers for years. Those who love mezzo-sopranos will be able to count on the return of Ekaterina Semenchuk (in the dual, regal role of Turandot and Amneris in Aida), Clémentine Margaine (who is confirmed as Carmen and Amneris) and Anna Maria Chiuri in the 9th Symphony. Among the basses, the solid presences of Alexander Vinogradov (Ramfis in Aida, Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Colline in La Bohème and soloist in the IX Sinfonia), Riccardo Fassi (Timur in Turandot and King in Aida) and Rafal Siwek (Ramfis) are confirmed.

In the hearts of the audience: Luca Salsi, Clémentine Margaine

Great Returns

It is said that those who come to the Arena fall in love with the amphitheatre and cannot wait to return. This does not only apply to the spectators, but also to the artists. In fact, after last year's debuts, Elena Stikhina (Aida and Tosca), Vasilisa Berzhanskaya (Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Piotr Beczala (Radamès in Aida), Freddie De Tommaso (Don José in Carmen) will be back on the Arena stage, Ludovic Tézier (Amonasro in Aida, Escamillo in Carmen and Scarpia in Tosca), Angelo Villari (Calaf in Turandot and Radamès), Luca Micheletti (Marcello in La Bohème and, again, Escamillo) and Daria Rybak (Liù in Turandot and Micaëla in Carmen). Among the eagerly awaited returns of artists who have been missing from the Arena for some years are sopranos Maria Agresta (Liù) and Jessica Pratt (also Rosina and soloist in Carmina Burana), tenor Lawrence Brownlee (Count d'Almanviva in Il Barbiere), baritones Mattia Olivieri and Davide Luciano (who will alternate as barber Figaro) and basses Erwin Schrott (Escamillo) and Roberto Tagliavini (Don Basilio in Il Barbiere).And, moving from opera singers to classical musicians, the amphitheatre is ready to welcome the spectacular comeback of the enfant prodige of the violin Giovanni Andrea Zanon, star of the event Viva Vivaldi. The Four Seasons Immersive Concert.

Great Returns: Elena Stikhina, Giovanni Andrea Zanon

Illustrious beginnings

Every summer great stars and young promises prepare to tread the stage of the Arena di Verona for the first time. A tradition that will continue also during the 101st Arena di Verona Opera Festival, during which sopranos Pretty Yende (Micaëla in Carmen) and Marta Torbidoni (Aida), who until now had only sung in Verona in the setting of the Teatro Filarmonico, will make their debut. Still in the soprano sphere, during the summer of 2024, Yeajin Jeon (Turandot), Erin Morley (soloist in the Ninth Symphony, which will also mark the debut of tenor Ivan Magrì), Kristina Mkhitaryan (Micaëla), Juliana Grigoryan and Eleonora Bellocci, who will perform Mimì and Musetta in La Bohème, will also make their debut. With Il Barbiere di Siviglia, we will be able to hear tenor René Barbera (who will play the Count of Almaviva) and baritones Paolo Bordogna and Misha Kiria, who will alternate in the role of the gruff Don Bartolo, for the first time in the Arena. Thanks to Carmen, on the other hand, mezzo-sopranos Aigul Akhmetshina and Alisa Kolosova will land on the Arena stage, both of whom will take on the role of the rebellious gypsy woman capable of bewitching generations of spectators.

Illustrious beginnings: Pretty Yende, Juliana Grigoryan, Michele Spotti, Aigul Akhmetshina

On the podium

Opening the dances and conducting La Grande Opera Italiana Patrimonio dell'Umanità (the inaugural gala dedicated to the celebration of opera) will be one of the absolute symbols of this art: Maestro Riccardo Muti. Therefore, for the entire summer season, the selection of batons will be divided between the Arena debut of new talents and the return of those conductors who for years have represented a sort of orchestral institution. Those who want to hear one of the most established young maestros on the European scene cannot miss the Verona debut of Michele Spotti (current Music Director of the Marseille Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra), who will conduct Turandot and Carmina Burana. The 101st Arena di Verona Opera Festival will also see the debut of George Petrou, who will conduct the seven performances of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Leonardo Sini, who will take the podium in Carmen. For Aida, the indefatigable Marco Armiliato will return, alternating with Alvise Casellati and the veteran Daniel Oren, who will also conduct La Bohème, Tosca and the last performance of Carmen. The 9th Symphony will be conducted by Andrea Battistoni.

On the podium: Daniel Oren, Marco Armiliato

Dance power

Not only the opera and opera galas: as every summer, the Arena opens its doors wide to ballet and the traditional appointment with Roberto Bolle and his Friends. In order to guarantee the public full access, the show has been doubled and will take place on 23 and 24 July. Double performances will also be given for the ballet Zorba the Greek, which, although part of the 101st Festival, will be staged at the Roman Theatre on 27 and 28 August. It is also worth mentioning the valuable contribution of all the principal dancers and dancers who enrich the various opera productions, starting with the participation of Compañia Antonio Gades in the performances of Carmen. Directed by Stella Arauzo, the Gades Company represents one of the most important Spanish realities in the field of dance and flamenco, in the sign of the master to whom it is named and whose artistic legacy it passes on.