Angela Nisi - Violetta Valery

Born in Brindisi, Angela Nisi made her debut as Micaëla in Carmen in Bassano del Grappa. She then performed Valtinoni’s Pinocchio in Turin; Lucia di Lammermoor (Lucia) and Don Giovanni (Donna Anna) in Bassano del Grappa; Oscar in Un ballo in maschera in Catania; Violetta in La Traviata at the Varna Summer Festival and in Essen; Giulietta in Verdi’s Un giorno di regnoat the Reate Festival in Rieti. Ms. Nisi recently sang Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle at the Accademia Nazionale Santa Cecilia in Rome under the baton of Antonio Pappano; Don Giovanni (Donna Anna) in Bangkok; Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda (Clorinda) in Rome; Carmen (Micaëla) at the Cortona Mix Festival and in Florence with the Orchestra della Toscana; Mozart’s Requiem in Benevento; Rota’s Mysteriumat the Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari; Fauré’s Requiemand Verdi’s Quattro Pezzi Sacri in Cagliari; Haydn’s Die Schöpfung in Trieste under the baton of Gianluigi Gelmetti; a concert at Reate Festival in Rieti; Valtinoni’s Pinocchio in Bassano del Grappa; a concert in Palermo with the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana and Aldo Ceccato conducting.

Angela Nisi starred in the world première of Tutino’s Le Braci at the Martina Franca Festival, recently revived at the Teatro dell’Opera di Firenze, Francesco Cilluffo conducting. Ms. Nisi recently performed as Norina in Don Pasquale at the Opéra de Rennes and a series of concerts in Vietnam.

Amongst her future plans new production of Paisiello’s La Grotta di Trofonio (Eufelia) at Martina Franca Festival; Britten’s A Midsummer Night's Dream (Helena) for Opera Lombardia circuit and on tour Italy (Cremona, Como, Pavia, Brescia and Reggio Emilia); series of concerts in Olevano Romano.

Federico Benetti - dottor Grenvil

After attending the Accademia Santa Cecilia in Rome with Renata Scotto, Anna Vandi and Cesare Scarton, he made his debut in Pergolesi’s La serva padrona in Terni, in Mozart’s Bastiano and Bastianaand in Don Giovanni (Masetto) on tour in Italy; he then performed in Traviata in Teramo, Ravenna and Messina; La Bohème in Florence; Strauss’ Rosenkavalier in Rome; Rigoletto and The merry widow in Genoa; La fanciulla del west in Torre del Lago; Strauss’ Salome, Gianni Schicchi, Carmen and Anna Bolena opposite Mariella Devia in Trieste, while in Milan he sang La battaglia di Legnano and The Merry Widow. He then performed in Carrara’s La piccola vendetta lombarda at the Accademia in Santa Cecilia in Rome, then on tour in Jesi; Gianni Schicchi in Viterbo, Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, and at the Reate Festival in Rieti; Rigoletto in Chieti, in Clermont Ferrand and on tour in France. Mr. Benetti recorded Pergolesi’s La serva padrona for Tactus; he made his debut as Enrico VIII in Anna Bolena under the baton of Fabio Biondi at the Reate Festival in Rieti and then as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte in Chieti. Recently engagements include: Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony with the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania under the baton of Xu Zhong in Siracusa; Simon Boccanegra in Toulon; Madama Butterfly at the Terme di Caracalla in Rome; Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Don Basilio) in Clermont Ferrand then on tour in France; Don Giovanni (Commendatore) in Treviso and Ferrara; Tosca (Cesare Angelotti) in Toulon; Petite Messe Solennelle in Viterbo.

Plans include Britten’s A Midsummer Night's Dream (Theseus) for Opera Lombardia circuit and on tour in Italy (Cremona, Como, Pavia, Brescia and Reggio Emilia). Mr Benetti will return to Toulon singing Un Ballo in Maschera.

Paolo Olmi - conductor

Paolo Olmi studied under Massimo Pradella and Franco Ferrara in Rome. Since making his operatic debut in 1986 at Teatro Comunale in Bologna he has conducted in many of the major concert halls and opera throughout the world including Europe, North and South America, Australia and Asia. His huge repertoire includes all Verdi's operas and masterpieces by Rossini, Puccini, Ponchielli, Giordano, Donizetti, Bellini, Mozart, Cilea, Gounod, Kurt Weil. He teaches at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Highlights of his recent performances are: La Gioconda at the Deutsche Oper Berlin; Falstaff, Verdi's Jerusalem, Adriana Lecouvreur, Guillaume Telland series of concerts recorded by EMI Classic at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; L'Elisir d'Amore, Un Ballo in Maschera, L'Italiana in Algeri, Semiramide at the Opéra de Bordeaux; Aida, Lucia di Lammermoor and La Traviata at the Savonlinna Opera Festival; L'Italiana in Algeri in Nancy and Bologna; Cavalleria Rusticana and Zanetto in Lecce; Don Pasquale in Toulouse; Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater in Jerusalem and Ravenna, live broadcast by RAI (Italian national television); Verdi’s Otello at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm.

Amongst his future french plans it is worth mentioning Aida in Massy.