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Saimir Pirgu - Shepherd
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 and in Chicago
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 at 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.
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 at the Royal Opera House
in London; Macbeth and La Bohème at the Gran Teatre
del Liceu in Barcelona; Rigoletto, 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 where he will star also in Rigoletto and L'Elisir
d'Amore; 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 Verdi’s Requiem in Luxembourg, at the Salle Pleyel 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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