Saimir Pirgu - tenor
Born in Albania in 1981, acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, tenor Saimir
Pirgu's career has taken him to the most important music centers worldwide.
The most recent seasons have been marked by foremost successes all round the world,
amongst them: La Bohème at Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, The Magic Flute
at La Scala in Milan, La Traviata at the New York Metropolitan and San Francisco
Operas, at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, and also at the Bayerische Staatsoper,
L'Elisir d'Amore at the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome, as well as
at the Vienna Staatsoper, La Clemenza di Tito at the Paris National Opera,
Lucia di Lammermoor with the Los Angeles Opera, Washington National Opera
and Hamburg Opera, Werther at the National Opera in Tirana, Rigoletto
at the Arena in Verona and at the Zurich Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden
and the Bavarian State Opera, Idomeneo at the Styriarte Festival in Graz,
Macbeth at the Maggio Musicale in Florence, Iolanta and Francesca da
Rimini at the Theater an der Wien.
Equally praised for his concert appearances, he is widely acknowledged for his interpretations
of the Verdi Requiem, foremost being at the Salzburg Festival with Riccardo Muti
and the Vienna Philharmonic, at the Musikverein in Vienna and in Munich with Mariss
Jansons and the Orchestra of the Bayerische Rundfunk, with Antonio Pappano and the
Accademia of Santa Cecilia orchestra. Other notable recent concert and symphonic
engagements include: Rossini's La Petite Messe Solennelle at the Musikverein
in Vienna and at the Théâtre des Champas Elysées in Paris with Daniele Gatti, the
New Year's Concert 2013 at the Theater La Fenice in Venice , Dvořák's Stabat
Mater in Graz at the Styriarte Festival with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Berlioz's
Messe Solennelle at the Musikverein with Riccardo Muti and the Vienna Philharmonic.
Mr. Pirgu has also been heard at the Auditorium Lingotto in Torino with Claudio
Abbado, at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with Peter Schneider and the Vienna Philharmonic,
with the Chicago Symphony and Riccardo Muti.
In 2009, he was honored with the Franco Corelli Prize bestowed by the Theater of
the Muses in Ancona, for his interpretation of the role of Alfredo in La Traviata.
In 2013 Saimir Pirgu became the youngest winner of the prestigious “Golden Pavarotti
Award”.
Plans include: Rigoletto, La Traviata, King Roger (Royal
Opera House) and a recital in London; Macbeth and La Bohème at
the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona; Lucia di Lammermoor and La
Clemenza di Tito in Toulouse; La Traviata in Berlin; Un
Ballo in Maschera in Tel Aviv; Don Giovanni at
the Arena in Verona and in Vienna at the Wiener Staatsoper; Rigoletto in
Vienna and Toulouse; L'Elisir d'Amore in Vienna; Falstaff in
Chicago, Muti conducting. On the concert side Mr. Pirgu will sing Requiem op.5 by
Berlioz with the Orchestre du Capitole of Toulouse on tour in Vienna, Mozart’s Requiem in
Amsterdam and a series of concerts at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris.
Since 2013 Saimir Pirgu has been an ambassador for Down Syndrome Albania, a foundation
for helping children afflicted with Down syndrome.
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