Mario Cassi - Figaro (September 14^th, 16^th, 18^th, 20^th, 23^rd)

Already well-established as one of the most appreciated baritones of his generation, Mr. Cassi regularly collaborates with conductors as Riccardo Muti, Bruno Campanella, Roberto Abbado, in the most prestigious theaters in Italy and abroad.

Mr Cassi recently reported a great success as Dottor Malatesta in Don Pasquale for the season’s opening night at the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona, Antonio Albanese directing, as Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia in Naples under the baton of Bruno Campanella and in Florence, as Belcore in L’Elisir d’amore at the Staatsoper in Vienna, as Silvio in Pagliacci at the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse, as Danilo in The Merry Widow at the Teatro Regio in Turin.

Plans: Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro) in Monte-Carlo, Arena in Verona and in Tel Aviv; L’Elisir d’amore (Belcore) at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples and at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich; Die Zauberflöte (Papageno), La Traviata, Don Giovanni (title role) and Lucia di Lammermoor in Liège; Il Viaggio a Reims (Don Alvaro) in Amsterdam.

Ketevan Kemoklidze – Rosina (September 19^th, 22^nd, 25^th)

In high demand by major theaters of the world for her extraordinary vocal and stage skills, Georgian mezzo-soprano Ketevan Kemoklidze, after graduating from Tbilisi State Conservatory and Accademy of Teatro alla Scala, successfully appears at many leading stages: Teatro alla Scala, Covent Garden in London, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Liceu in Barcelona, Arena in Verona, Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse, Teatro Real in Madrid, Teatro Regio in Parma, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Opera de Monte Carlo, Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Teatro La Fenice, Opéra de Marseille, Sferisterio Festival in Macerata, Teatro Regio in Turin, Wexford Festival, Teatro delle Muse in Ancona, Megaron in Thessaloniki, Washington National Opera where she was invited by Maestro Domingo. She made her outstanding film debut in C. Saura's film "Io, Don Giovanni". Her talent was awarded in prestigious competitions such as Operalia, the Belvedere in Vienna, and the Viñas in Barcelona. Mrs. Kemoklidze had made her exciting debut as La Cenerentola at the Los Angeles Opera, James Conlon conducting, after that an she starred in La Forza del Destino (Preziosilla) in Washington. Mrs. Kemoklidze lately starred as Maddalena in Rigoletto at Teatro alla Scala and on tour in Japan, Gustavo Dudamel conducting and Gilbert Deflo directing. Mrs Kemoklidze made her debut in Bizet's Carmen in Tokyo and she recently sang Olga in Evgenij Onegin at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples.

The fascinating Georgian mezzo recently made her debut in Spoleto singing La mort de Cléopatre at the opening night at the Festival dei Due Mondi.

Future plans: Siebel in Gounod’s Faust at the Teatro Regio in Turin; Maria Stuarda in Warsaw; Le Comte Ory in Malmö and Preziosilla in La Forza del Destino in Tokyo.

José Fardilha - Bartolo (September 19^th, 22^nd, 25^th)

Since embracing in recent years the buffo repertoire, José Fardilha is quickly becoming one of its most sought after interpreters.

Born in Portugal, he won the "Toti dal Monte" Prize, that led him to make his debut in Don Giovanni (Leporello) in Treviso, Rovigo, Strasbourg and Trieste.

After that he began a carrer that brought him in the world's greatest opera houses and festivals, including: Wiener Staatsoper; Salzburger Festspiele; Barbican Center in London; Opéra de Paris; Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin; Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich; Zurich Opernhaus; Teatro alla Scala in Milan; Teatro Regio in Turin; Teatro La Fenice in Venice; Teatro del Maggio Musicale in Florence; Arena Sferisterio in Macerata; Martina Franca Festival; Teatro São Carlos in Lisbon and New Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv.

Plans include: Don Pasquale in Leipzig and at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera; Le Nozze di Figaro in Toulouse; La Damnation de Faust in Berlin; Il Barbiere di Siviglia in London.