In 2017-18, his fourth season as the BSO's Ray and Maria Stata Music Director, Andris Nelsons leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra in twelve wide-ranging subscription programs at Symphony Hall, repeating three of them at New York's Carnegie Hall in March. Also this season, in November, he and the orchestra tour Japan together for the first time, playing concerts in Nagoya, Osaka, Kawasaki, and Tokyo. In addition, in February 2018 Maestro Nelsons becomes Gewandhauskapellmeister of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, in which capacity he will bring both orchestras together for a unique multi-dimensional alliance; under his direction, the BSO celebrates its first "Leipzig Week in Boston" that same month. In the summer of 2015, following his first season as music director, Andris Nelsons' contract with the Boston Symphony Orchestra was extended through the 2021-22 season. Following the 2015 Tanglewood season, he and the BSO undertook a twelve-concert, eight-city tour to major European capitals as well as the Lucerne, Salzburg, and Grafenegg festivals. A second European tour, to eight cities in Germany, Austria, and Luxembourg, took place in May 2016.

The fifteenth music director in the history of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons made his BSO debut at Carnegie Hall in March 2011, his Tanglewood debut in July 2012, and his BSO subscription series debut in January 2013. His first CD with the BSO-live recordings of Wagner's Tannhäuser Overture and Sibelius's Symphony No. 2-was released in November 2014 on BSO Classics. April 2017 brought the release on BSO Classics of the four Brahms symphonies with Maestro Nelsons conducting, recorded live at Symphony Hall in November 2016. In an ongoing, multi-year collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon initiated in 2014-15, he and the BSO are making live recordings of Shostakovich's complete symphonies, the opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, and other works by the composer. The first release in this series (the Symphony No. 10 and the Passacaglia from Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk) won the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance and Gramophone Magazine's Orchestral Award. The second release (symphonies 5, 8, and 9, plus excerpts from Shostakovich's 1932 incidental music to Hamlet) won the 2017 Grammy for Best Orchestral Performance. Also for Deutsche Grammophon, Andris Nelsons is recording the Bruckner symphonies with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and the Beethoven symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic.

In 2017-18, Andris Nelsons is artist-in-residence at the Konzerthaus Dortmund and continues his regular collaboration with the Vienna Philharmonic, leading that orchestra on tour to China. He also maintains regular collaborations with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Philharmonia Orchestra. Maestro Nelsons has also been a regular guest at the Bayreuth Festival and at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where he conducts a new David Alden production of Lohengrin this season.

Born in Riga in 1978 into a family of musicians, Andris Nelsons began his career as a trumpeter in the Latvian National Opera Orchestra before studying conducting. He was music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra from 2008 to 2015, principal conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie in Herford, Germany, from 2006 to 2009, and music director of Latvian National Opera from 2003 to 2007. Mr. Nelsons is the subject of a 2013 DVD from Orfeo, a documentary film entitled "Andris Nelsons: Genius on Fire."

Kristine Opolais is one of the most sought after sopranos on the international scene today, appearing at the Metropolitan Opera New York, Wiener Staatsoper, Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, Opernhaus Zürich and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. She is working with such conductors as Daniel Barenboim, Antonio Pappano, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Mark Elder, Daniel Harding, Andris Nelsons, Fabio Luisi, Kirill Petrenko and Semyon Bychkov.

In the 2017/18 season Opolais continues her notable collaboration with the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, making her role debut as Elsa in "Lohengrin", in a new production by David Alden, starring opposite Klaus Florian Vogt. Previously in London, Opolais has particularly cemented her title as "the leading Puccini Soprano of today" (The Telegraph), appearing in Kent's 2014 production as Manon Lescaut, as well as starring as Cio-Cio San and Floria Tosca. This season Opolais also looks forward to making her debut at the Hamburg Staatsoper, in "Madama Butterfly", in two special performance as part of the Italian Opera Festival. She also returns for performances of this signature role at the Wiener Staatsoper.

Kristine Opolais is particularly known for her notable collaborations with the Metropolitan Opera, her performances frequently broadcast in HD worldwide. She recently starred as the title role in Zimmerman's 2017 production of "Rusalka", and she received the highest critical praise for her "vocally lustrous and achingly vulnerable performance" (NY Times). Opolais has maintained this strong relationship with the Met since her debut as Magda in "La Rondine" in 2013. Famously, in 2014 Opolais made history at the Met, with two role debuts in 18 hours. She gave a renowned performance in "Butterfly", only to step in for a matinee of "La bohème" the next day, which was additionally cinema broadcast worldwide and Opolais wowed audiences around the globe. She has also forged a strong relationship with the Bayerische Staatsoper, which began in 2010 when Opolais made her debut, to wide acclaim, as Rusalka. Since this time Opolais has appeared in numerous titles including "Manon Lescaut", "Madama Butterfly", Tatjana in "Onegin" and Margherita in "Mefistofele".

In recent seasons, Opolais' concert performances have included appearances at Salzburg Festival, BBC Proms and Tanglewood Festival, where Opolais is a regular guest - this season headlining closing weekend in opera gala, including Act II of "Tosca", with Sir Bryn Terfel. Opolais has appeared with orchestras including the Berliner Philharmoniker, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Concertgebouworkest, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and Filarmonica della Scala. Highlights of 2017/18 include Opolais' joining an all-star cast, with Piotr Beczała and Rene Papé in Dvorak's Stabat Mater, opening the Prague Festival. She also debuts with the Wiener Philharmoniker, which stands as her third consecutive season appearing at the prestigious Musikverein.

Opolais' forthcoming recording is a DVD of Tosca, from Himmelmann's 2017 production in Baden-Baden, with the Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Rattle. Further DVD recordings include Royal Opera House's "Manon Lescaut", in which Opolais sings the title role opposite Jonas Kaufmann, Prokofiev's "The Gambler" at the Deutsche Staatsoper under the baton of Barenboim and "Rusalka" from the Bayerische Staatsoper. CD recordings include those with WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln of "Suor Angelica", released with Orfeo and nominated for a BBC Music Magazine Award, "Simon Boccanegra" on the Decca label and collaborating with Jonas Kaufmann on his Grammy recognised Puccini disc with Sony.

Piotr Beczala is one of the most sought-after tenors of our time and a constant guest in the world's leading opera houses. The Polish-born artist is acclaimed by audiences and critics alike not only for the beauty of his voice, but also for his ardent commitment to each character he portrays.

Piotr Beczala´s 2016-17 season will feature returns to Chicago, New York, Berlin, Barcelona, Vienna, Zürich, and beyond. Following a recital with San Diego Opera, Piotr encores his signature portrayal of Edgardo in a new-to-Chicago production of Lucia di Lammermoor at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. From there, he heads to New York for a revival of La Bohème at the Metropolitan Opera. He also joins a star-studded lineup of colleagues on the Met stage to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary at Lincoln Center. Rodolfo in Puccini's bohemian masterwork is also the vehicle for Piotr's return to the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Furthermore Piotr Beczala can be heard in Barcelona with a revival of Massenet's Werther at the Gran Teatre del Liceu paired with a recital at the city's Palau de la Música. The recitals continue with stops in Frankfurt, Graz, Berlin, and Hamburg. Returning to the Wiener Staatsoper stage, Piotr headlines a revival of Un ballo in maschera before joining Opernhaus Zürich for a new production of Léhar's Das Land des Lächelns in the role of Prince Sou-Chong.

Since his debut as Duca in Rigoletto in 2006, Piotr Beczala is a regular guest at the Metropolitan Opera New York. Here he has performed in a new production of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin opposite Anna Netrebko, Prince in Dvorak's Rusalka, Edgardo in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, Rodolfo (La Bohème), as well as in the title roles of Gounod's Roméo et Juliette and Faust. In 2011 he accompanied the MET on a tour to Japan, singing Rodolfo and Edgardo. 2012 saw Piotr Beczala make his role debut as Chevalier des Grieux in Laurent Pelly's new production of Manon, alongside Anna Netrebko as the eponymous heroine, conducted by Fabio Luisi. The production was part of the "HD live" series by the MET and was broadcast live in cinemas throughout the US and over 50 countries world-wide. It was released on DVD, as was his interpretation of the Duke in a new production of Rigoletto,alongside Diana Damrau in January 2013, for which he received the ECHO Klassik Award "Singer of the Year" in 2014. In the 2015/16 season he was making his highly acclaimed debut in the title role of Wagner´s Lohengrinopposite Anna Netrebko at the Semperoper Dresden.

At Teatro alla Scala in Milan Piotr Beczala made his debut in 2006 singing Duca in Rigoletto, returning later as Rodolfo in La Bohème. The tenor also opened the 13/14 season for the first time, singing Alfredo in a new production of Verdi's La Traviata. Piotr Beczala also regularly sings at the State Operas in Munich and in Vienna. On the stage of the National Theatre in Munich, he interpreted the Prince, Alfredo, the Italian Singer in Der Rosenkavalier, and the title role of Massenet's Werther. During the Munich Opera Festival, Piotr Beczala was heard as Alfredo in La Traviata. In Vienna he performed Roméo in Jürgen Flimm's production of Roméo et Juliette, under the baton of Plácido Domingo. Since his Die Zauberflöte and Rodolfo in La Bohème. Piotr Beczala sang guest performances at the Nederlandse Opera, Théâtre de la Monnaie/de Munt, Staatsoper Hamburg, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Berlin, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Teatr Wielki (Warsaw), and the Mariinsky Theatre, amongst many others.

Piotr Beczala is a regular guest at the Salzburg Festival. Since his debut as Tamino in 1997 he has sung the cantata Rinaldo by Johannes Brahms under the baton of Sir Elliott Gardiner at the Whitsun Festival as well as Prince in Rusalka, Roméo in Roméo et Juliette, the title role in Gounod´s Faust and Rodolfo in Damiano Michieletto's new production of La Bohème opposite Anna Netrebko during the Summer Festival. This production was broadcasted on TV and released on DVD by Deutsche Grammophon. Piotr Beczala also sang with Anna Netrebko in concert performances of Tchaikovsky's Iolanta in 2011. In 2013 he was heard in Verdi's Requiem with the Wiener Philharmoniker and Riccardo Muti conducting.

In addition to his operatic work, he has sung many of the great choral and orchestral vocal works with the world's most distinguished orchestras and maestri. Celebrating his 20th stage anniversary Piotr Beczala gave a concert at Theatre Wielki in Warsaw in 2012. Also in 2012 he sang the New Year's Eve concerts at the Semperoper Dresden for the second consecutive year. The concerts, which were led by Christian Thielemann, were broadcast on TV and released on CD and DVD by Deutsche Grammophon. In 2014 he joined a spectacular group of colleagues for Le Concert de Paris, an annual concert event and celebration at the Eiffel Tower with an estimated live audience of more than half a million people.

Piotr Beczala was born in Czechowice-Dziedzice in Southern Poland and received his initial vocal training at the Katowice Academy of Music, where he was given instruction by such illustrious singers as Pavel Lisitsian and Sena Jurinac. His first engagement was at the Landestheater Linz and in 1997 he became a company member of the Zürich Opera. The Zurich audience could hear him as Alfredo in La traviata, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, the title role of Faust, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Elvino in La Sonnambula, and also as the soloist in orchestral songs by Richard Strauss, Riccardo in Un Ballo in maschera as well as Rodolfo in La Bohème.

Piotr Beczala's is represented on dozens of CDs in a vast array of works, ranging from staples of the repertory, including Faust live from Vienna (Orfeo) and La Traviata from Munich (Farao), which was nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award, to such rarely-heard works as Szymanowski's Król Roger and Offenbach's Rheinnixen (Accord) and Johann Strauss II's Simplicius (EMI). In addition, Piotr Beczala sings on a recording of Lucia di Lammermoor with Natalie Dessay in the title role and Valery Gergiev leading the Mariinsky Opera on the Company's own label.

Three solo aria CDs have been released on the Orfeo label. "Salut", featuring French and Italian arias (2008), was followed by "Slavic Opera Arias", with repertoire by Borodin, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninoff, Moniuszko, Źeleński, Nowowiejski, Smetana and Dvořák. Opera Newsdeclared it #1 on its list of 2011's "Twelve Best Recital Discs" & it received Classica's coveted "Choc de l'année 2011". In 2013 a Verdi album was released. Since 2012 Piotr Beczala is an exclusive artist of Deutsche Grammophon and released his second album "The French Collection" with the yellow label in February, 2015.

His DVD releases include a series of performances from the Zurich Opera including: Rigoletto, La Traviata, Die lustige Witwe, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Die Zauberflöte and Simplicius (all on Arthaus), as well as Don Giovanni (EMI). Also available are Der Rosenkavalier (TDK) from Salzburg, Don Giovanni (Decca), Rusalka alongside Renée Fleming (Decca) and Lucia di Lammermoor from the MET (DG). Other recent DVD releases include the Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with Christian Thielemann leading the Wiener Philharmoniker (Unitel/C Major) and the Farewell Concert for the Wiener Staatsoper's long standing Intendant, Ioan Holender (DG), among many others.

Alabama-born soprano Susanna Phillips, recipient of The Metropolitan Opera's 2010 Beverly Sills Artist Award, continues to establish herself as one of today's most sought-after singing actors and recitalists. The 2016-17 season will see Ms. Phillips return to the Metropolitan Opera for a ninth consecutive season starring as Clémence in the Met premiere of Kaija Saariaho's L'amour de Loin conducted by Susanna Mälkki, as well as a return of her acclaimed Musetta in Puccini's La Bohème. In March 2017, Ms. Phillips will make her Zurich Opera debut as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni. She also appears as Cleopatra in Handel's Giulio Cesare with Boston Baroque and Martin Pearlman.

2016-2017 orchestra engagements include a return to the San Francisco Symphony with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting a program of American songs, Mozart's "Exsultate Jubilate" and his Mass in C Minor with Jane Glover and the Music of the Baroque, the Britten War Requiem with Kent Tritle and the Oratorio Society of New York, as well as Euridice in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice with Robert Spano leading the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Phillips will also perform recitals at the Celebrity Series of Boston, the National Museum for Women in the Arts, and her popular dual recital program with Eric Owens at Carnegie Hall and the Washington Performing Arts.

Last season saw Ms. Phillips return to the Metropolitan Opera starring as Rosalinde in the Jeremy Sams production of Die Fledermaus conducted for the first time by music director James Levine, as well as a reprise of her house debut role of Musetta in La Bohème. Additional engagements included a return to the stage of Lyric Opera of Chicago as Juliette in Gounod's Romeo and Juliet under the baton of Emmanuel Villaume. Additional engagements included Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with Michael Tilson Thomas leading the San Francisco Symphony, the Filas Requiem with Kent Tritle leading the Oratorio Society of New York, Mahler's Fourth Symphony with the St. Louis Symphony and David Robertson, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with David Robertson leading the Sydney Symphony, as well as a recital at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with Brian Zeger.

Highlights of Ms. Phillips' previous opera seasons include numerous additional Metropolitan Opera appearances as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte in what the New York Times called a "breakthrough night," Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Pamina in Julie Taymor's production of The Magic Flute, Musetta in La Bohème (both in New York and on tour in Japan), Antonia in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, and as a featured artist in the Met's Summer Recital Series in both Central Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park. She also appeared at Carnegie Hall for a special concert performance as Stella in Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire opposite Reneé Fleming - a role she went on to perform, to rave reviews, at Lyric Opera of Chicago and as Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes with the St. Louis Symphony. She made her Santa Fe Opera debut as Pamina, and subsequently performed a quartet of other Mozart roles with the company as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Countess Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Arminda in La Finta Giardiniera, and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. As a member of the Ryan Opera Center, Phillps sang the female leads in Roméo et Juliette and Die Fledermaus. Additional roles include Elmira in Reinhard Keiser's The Fortunes of King Croesus, and the title roles in Lucia di Lammermoor and Agrippina, as well as appearances with the Oper Frankfurt, Dallas Opera, Minnesota Opera, Fort Worth Opera Festival, Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Birmingham.

Highly in demand by the world's most prestigious orchestras, Ms. Phillips has appeared with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic under Alan Gilbert, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Oratorio Society of New York, Santa Fe Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke's, and Santa Fe Concert Association.

A fervent chamber music collaborator, Ms. Phillips recently teamed with bass-baritone Eric Owens for a recital of all Schubert which they have taken on tour in Chicago with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, at the Gilmore Festival, and Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. Additional recital engagements included chamber music concerts with Paul Neubauer and Anne Marie McDermott, an appearance at the Parlance Chamber Music Series with Warren Jones, the 2014 Chicago Collaborative Works Festival, the Emerson String Quartet in Thomasville, Georgia with Warren Jones and colleagues from the Metropolitan Opera, and at Twickenham Fest, a chamber music festival she co-founded in her native Huntsville, Alabama. The soprano also made her solo recital debut at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall with pianist Myra Huang.

Other recent concert and oratorio engagements include Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Mahler's Fourth Symphony, Mozart's Coronation Mass, the Fauré and Mozart Requiems, Carmina Burana, and Handel's Messiah. She made her Carnegie Hall debut with Skitch Henderson, Rob Fisher, and the New York Pops. Following her Baltimore Symphony Orchestra debut under Marin Alsop, the Baltimore Sun proclaimed: "She's the real deal."

In August 2011, Ms. Phillips was featured at the opening night of the Mostly Mozart Festival, which aired live on Live From Lincoln Center on PBS. The same year saw the release of Paysages, her first solo album on Bridge Records, which was hailed as "sumptuous and elegantly sung" (San Francisco Chronicle). The following year saw her European debut as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte at the Gran Teatro del Liceu Barcelona.

As resident artist at the 2010 and 2011 Marlboro Music Festivals, she was part of Marilyn Horne Foundation Gala at Carnegie Hall, made her New York solo recital debut at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, and appeared at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC under the auspices of the Vocal Arts Society.

In 2005, Ms. Phillips won four of the world's leading vocal competitions: Operalia (both First Place and the Audience Prize), the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the MacAllister Awards, and the George London Foundation Awards Competition. She has also claimed the top honor at the Marilyn Horne Foundation Competition, and has won first prizes from the American Opera Society Competition and the Musicians Club of Women in Chicago. Ms. Phillips has received grants from the Santa Fe Opera and the Sullivan Foundation, and is a graduate of Lyric Opera of Chicago's Ryan Opera Center. She holds both a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School and continues collaboration with her teacher Cynthia Hoffmann.

A native of Huntsville, Alabama, over 400 people traveled from her hometown to New York City in December 2008 for Ms. Phillips' Metropolitan Opera debut in La Bohème. She returns frequently to her native state for recitals and orchestral appearances.

Baritone Franco Vassallo is one of Italy's leading baritones and has there been acclaimed at Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Teatro La Fenice di Venezia, Teatro San Carlo di Napoli, Teatro Regio di Torino, Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova, Teatro Comunale di Firenze, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Regio di Parma and at the Arena di Verona.

He has also made several significant international debuts at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Royal Opera House at Covent Garden in London, Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Vienna State Opera, Deutsche Oper and Staatsoper in Berlin, Opernhaus Zürich, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Baden-Baden Festival, Hamburg State Opera, Semperoper Dresden, Teatro Real de Madrid, Teatro de São Carlos in Lisbon as well as in Bilbao, Amsterdam, Paris, Washington, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Highlights of the last seasons included a new production of RIGOLETTO at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich as well as a new staging of MACBETH at Teatro alla Scala under Valery Gergiev. Franco Vassallo returned to the Metropolitan Opera in the fall of 2013 as Ford in the new production of FALSTAFF conducted by James Levine. Besides that, he starred in Zurich Opera's revival of Bellini's rarely heard LA STRANIERA along with Edita Gruberová. He returned to the Arena di Verona as Amonasro in AIDA and starred as Count Di Luna in IL TROVATORE at Teatro alla Scala in Milan and again as RIGOLETTO in Munich and as well as in Hamburg.

He made his debut at the Teatro Real Madrid as Monforte in a concert version of I VESPRI SICILIANI. Vassallo opened the 2014/15 season in Geneva in September as RIGOLETTO and made his debut at Theater an der Wien in LA STRANIERA and returns to the Royal Opera House Covent Garden as Germont in LA TRAVIATA, to Vienna State Opera as Amonasro in AIDA and to the Bavarian State Opera as the Duke of Nottingham in ROBERTO DEVEREUX.

In the last season (2015/16) he was heard as Amonasro in AIDA and the title role of RIGOLETTO at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. At Teatro Felice in Genoa, Franco gave his role debut as SIMON BOCCANEGRA. Also he sung the role of Don Carlo di Vargas in a concert version of LA FORZA DEL DESTINO followed by the title role of FALSTAFF at Grand Théâtre de Genève. With the title role of RIGOLETTO he made his house debut at Opera Bastille in Paris.

Current and future engagements include RIGOLETTO at Hamburg State Opera. He will return to the Bavarian State Opera to sing MACBETH as well as Ford/FALSTAFF. At the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam he will be heard as Don Carlo/LA FORZA DEL DESTINO and will return to Paris to sing Ford/FALSTAFF. In Munich he will sing Don Alfonso/LUCREZIA BORGIA.

Davide Luciano was born into a musi­cal family in Bene­vento and began play­ing the piano and seve­ral music instru­ments, such as per­cus­sions, bass and clas­si­cal gui­tar.

At the age of 19, he was encou­ra­ged by his father to pur­sue vocal stu­dies under the gui­dance of M° Gioac­chino Zar­relli, one of the clo­sest stu­dent of the great Rodolfo Cel­letti. At the same time, he atten­ded some master­clas­ses with Marco Berti, Alfonso Anto­niozzi, Ste­fano Gian­nini, Tiziana Fab­bri­cini, Daniela Bar­cel­lona and Dome­nico Cola­ianni.

At the age of 24 he ente­red his first com­pe­ti­tion, As.Li.Co, and obtai­ned the Award of Best Debu­tant. He made his debut as Papa­geno (Die Zau­ber­flöte) in the pro­ject Opera domani.

He was selec­ted to per­form Don Pro­fondo in Il viag­gio a Reims at the Ros­sini Opera Festi­val after having atten­ded the Acca­de­mia Ros­si­niana in Pesaro direc­ted by M° Alberto Zedda. He won the third edi­tion of Pre­mio inter­na­zio­nale di canto lirico Santa Chiara in Napoli and was awar­ded the First Prize and the People's Choice Award.

He is taking part in the Cir­cuito Lirico Lombardo's pro­duc­tion of L'Italiana in Algeri at the Thea­tres of Pavia, Bre­scia, Cre­mona, Como, Novara and Ravenna where he is sin­ging both roles of Haly and Tad­deo.

His recent and future enga­ge­ment: Conte Robi­son in Il Matri­mo­nio segreto at Spo­leto Festi­val, his return at ROF in Pesaro as Haly in L'italiana in Algeri, Lepo­rello in Don Gio­vanni at Muni­ci­pal of Sao Paulo, Figaro in Il bar­biere di Sivi­glia and Lord Cecil in Maria Stuarda at Deu­tsche Oper Ber­lin, Pacu­vio in La pie­tra del para­gone at Théâ­tre du Châ­te­let in Paris, Lepo­rello in Don Gio­vanni at Nor­ske Opera in Oslo, Figaro in Il bar­biere di Sivi­glia at Terme of Cara­calla, Sil­vio in I pagliacci in Sao Paulo, Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro at Tea­tro Real of Madrid, Nothin­gam in Roberto Deve­reux at Deu­tsche Oper Ber­lin where he also appe­ars as Figaro in Il bar­biere di Sivi­glia, Bel­core in L'elisir d'amore, Mar­cello in La bohéme and in the lea­ding role in Don Gio­vanni, Mala­te­sta in Don Pasquale at La Fenice, Ger­nando in Jommelli's L'isola disa­bi­tata at San Carlo in Nea­ples, Figaro in Il Bar­biere di Sivi­glia in Dre­sden, Batone in L'Inganno felice at ROF, again Figaro in Il bar­biere di Sivi­glia in Sevilla, Malta, Venice, Ber­lin and Dre­sden, the title role in Le nozze di Figaro at the Glyn­de­bourne Festi­val, Guglielmo in Cosi fan tutte in Oslo, Macro­bio in La pie­tra del para­gone at the ROF. He will also take part in the pro­duc­tions of Il viag­gio a Reims as Don Alvaro in Cope­n­ha­gen and as Don Pro­fondo at Deu­tsche Oper and of Le nozze di Figaro as Conte again in Ber­lin and as Figaro in Mar­seille. In 2018 he will debut at the Metro­po­li­tan Opera in New York.

He is fol­lo­wing his stu­dies with M°Gioacchino Zar­relli.

Italian bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni has established himself as one of the most charismatic and versatile singers performing today. Since his debut at age 26 with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival, led by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Pisaroni has continued to bring his compelling artistry to the world's leading opera houses, concert halls, and festivals.

Pisaroni begins the 2017/18 season as Mahomet II in Rossini's Le Siège de Corinthe in his first performances at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, followed by role debuts as Golaud in Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande  at Opera de Paris and Mustafà in Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeriat the Wiener Staatsoper. Mr. Pisaroni returns to the Metropolitan Opera stage as Count Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro and he sings Méphistophélès in Gounod's Faust at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow.  He will perform the roles of Alidoro in Rossini's La Cenerentola  and Leporello in Don Giovanni at the Wiener Staatsoper, and he then debuts in the role of Don Pizarro in Beethoven's Fidelio at Teatro alla Scala, under the baton of Myung-Whun Chung.

This season, Mr. Pisaroni's international concert appearances include Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle at the Konzerthaus Wien and with the Luxembourg Philharmonie; Beethoven's C Major Mass with the Symphonierorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, conducted by Mariss Jansons; Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with the LSO and Michael Tilson-Thomas; Händel's Rinaldo (Argante) on tour with the English Concert under the baton of Harry Bicket; Schubert's Orchestrated Songs with the Filarmonica della Scala, led by Fabio Luisi; Mozart's C Minor Mass with the Concentus Musicus Wien at the Musikverein; and a Rossini Gala with the Orchestra Sinfonica della Rai with Maestro Luisi. Pisaroni also presents an all-Schubert program of recitals with pianist Malcolm Martineau in Berlin and Essen, and additionally he performs a program of Italian/American songs in Firenze, Trento, and Philadelphia.

Luca Pisaroni's diverse operatic repertoire includes portrayals of Méphistophélès in Gounod's Faust at Houston Grand Opera; Enrico VIII in Anna Bolena at Opernhaus Zürich; Conte Rodolfo in Bellini's La Sonnambula  at Wiener Staatsoper; Giorgio in I Puritani and Caliban in The Enchanted Island at the MET; Le nozze di Figaro at Opéra National de Paris, San Francisco Opera, and at the Bayerische Staatsoper; Leporello in Don Giovanni at Teatro alla Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, Salzburg Festival, and at Tanglewood with the Boston Symphony under James Levine; Guglielmo in Così fan tutte  at Glyndebourne and the Salzburg Festival; Conte Dorval in Martin y Soler's Il Burbero di Buon Cuore at Teatro Real; Maometto in Rossini's Maometto II at the Canadian Opera Company; and Tiridate in Radamisto at Santa Fe Opera. He sang Argante in Rinaldo at Lyric Opera of Chicago; the title role in Cavalli's Ercole Amante with De Nederlandse Opera; Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas for the Wiener Festwochen; and Don Fernando in Beethoven's Fidelio with the San Francisco Symphony.

In concert, Pisaroni has performed Berlioz' Roméo et Juliette with Michael Tilson-Thomas, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with Jeffrey Tate; Haydn's Die Jahreszeiten at the Musikverein Wien, under the direction of Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Rossini's Stabat Mater with Franz Welser-Möst; Schumann's Das Paradies und die Peri with Sir Simon Rattle and the Philadelphia Orchestra; and Schumann's Faustszenen with Daniel Harding and the Berlin Philharmonic. He has also been a featured soloist in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with Jaap van Zweden; Mozart's Requiem with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem under the baton of Edo de Waart; Bach's B Minor Mass with the Gewandhausorchester under Herbert Blomstedt; Mendelssohn's Die erste Walpurgisnacht with the Orchestra of St. Luke's at Carnegie Hall, led by Pablo Heras-Casado; Hasse's I Pellegrini al Sepolcro di Nostro Signore and Cherubini's Missa Solemnis under Riccardo Muti; Haydn's Die Schöpfung with Daniel Harding; and Testi's Sacrae Symphoniae under the direction of Daniele Gatti, with the Orchestre National de Radio France.

In addition to his extensive opera and concert appearances, Pisaroni has presented critically lauded recitals at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Teatro de la Zarzuela, the Concertgebouw, Edinburgh Festival, Vienna's Musikverein, the Vancouver Recital Society, and the Dortmund Konzerthaus, among other prominent international venues.

Mr. Pisaroni has recorded for all major labels, and his discography includes Don Giovanni and Rinaldo from the Glyndebourne Festival; Le nozze di Figaro with the Opéra National de Paris; Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni and Le nozze di Figaro from the Salzburg Festival; and a recording of Don Giovanni with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Additional releases include Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, and most recently, the title role in Le nozze di Figaro with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Luca Pisaroni lives in Vienna with his wife, Catherine. Their golden retriever Lenny 2.0 and miniature dachshund Tristan are the singer's constant traveling companions.

Paul Plishka is a notable American bass singer, known for a wide range of major and supporting roles. Both his parents were American-born children of Ukrainian immigrants. As a boy, he was interested in farming and football, but also took guitar lessons. His teacher insisted that he learn to sing while playing, so he would sing popular songs such as Love is a Many-Splendored Thing. When his father moved to a new job in Paterson, New Jersey, Paul, joined the school chorus. Soon, he was offered the part of Judd Fry in the school production of Oklahoma! He was spotted by Armen Boyajian, who was starting a local opera workshop. Plishka joined Boyajian's Paterson Lyric Opera Theatre.

Paul Plishka sang major roles - Raimondo in Lucia di Lamermoor, Guardiano in La Forza del Destino, and King Philip in Don Carlos - when he was only 21. Meanwhile, Boyajian taught him singing. Plishka was his first student, and Boyajian was Plishka's only teacher. Plishka attended Montclair State College in New Jersey, where he met his future wife, Judy. At the age of 23, he won the Baltimore Opera Auditions, and then won a prize in the Metropolitan Opera Regional Auditions. This earned him a contract with the national touring company of the Met during what turned out to be its final year. After that, they offered him a contract to be a cover (understudy) singer in buffo parts. He accepted the offer, becoming a member of the company in 1966 and debuting on-stage as the Monk in La Gioconda in 1967, followed by "all these real ham, basso-buffo roles" (Plishka's description), parts such as the Sacristan in Tosca and Benoit in La Bohème.

As a member of the Met company, Paul Plishka earned a reputation as a "house singer," a term which, when the house is of the caliber of the Met, is respectable, but which also carries an implication that the singer somehow lacks some ingredient required for stardom. He was reliable; he did 118 performances in his second season, with Boyajian listening carefully to all of them and making needed corrections at any sign of strain from this heavy schedule. The roles were generally small ones, but each season Plishka got opportunities the next season to sing roles of increasing importance and depth, so he remained attached to the Met. The roles he was singing included King Marke in Tristan, Oroveso in Norma, and both Pimen and Varlaam in Boris Godunov. Eventually, he got to sing more important parts, like Leporello in Don Giovanni and King Philip.

After several years, Paul Plishka began appearing widely in other houses, taking major parts. He appears regularly with major opera companies in North American cities such as San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, Baltimore, Houston, Pittsburgh, Dallas, San Diego, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. In Europe, he has performed in Geneva, Munich, La Scala, Hamburg, Barcelona, Vienna, Berlin, Zürich, Paris, Lyon, Marseilles and Covent Garden, London. He debuted as Mephistofeles in Berlioz's Damnation de Faust in Strasbourg in 1974, and began getting the more important bass parts. He made his Milan's La Scala debut with the same role, also in 1974.

Paul Plishka has been admired in many important roles since his debut at the Metropolitan Opera, where he sung well over 1,000 performances. The Met graduated him from Pimen and Varlaam to the part of Tsar Boris in 1983. But his voice is most often associated with Italian opera, especially Don Carlo, Ernani, Simon Boccanegra, Nabucco, Aida, I Vespri Siciliani, Luisa Miller and La Forza del Destino. During the 1992-1993 season, to mark his 25^th anniversary as a principal member of the company, he sang the title role of Falstaff there for the first time. He is also renowned for his appearances in the title role of Boris Godunov. 

Among his many recent credits have been performances in San Francisco of War and Peace and I Capuletti e i Montecchiand appearances with the Metropolitan Opera in The Flying Dutchman, La Bohème, L'Elisir d'Amore, Parsifal, Khovanshchina, and Aida. His concert appearances have included engagements with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra. He has travelled to Geneva for Benvenuto Cellini, to Montréal for Nabucco, to Barcelona for Simon Boccanegra and to Mexico City for the Verdi Requiem. He has sung Boris Godunov in Kiev and has toured with La Scala to Japan and Korea, singing in Nabucco, Turandot, I Capuletti e i Montecchi and the Verdi Requiem. He continues to perform, and in the 2008-2009 season, he is appearing in La bohème at the Met.

Paul Plishka has an extensive discography on Angel, ABC, Columbia, Erato, London, RCA and Vox Records. His recording of the Verdi Requiem with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Robert Shaw won a Grammy award for the best classical album of 1988. He has also recently recorded Luisa Miller and the Marriage of Figaro, both with James Levineand the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for Sony Classical, and L.v. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Andre Previn, for London/Decca.

Paul Plishka has sung in almost all the major bass parts in several leading opera theaters. He is also a renowned concert singer, and has sung with many leading symphony orchestras and conductors. His extraordinary voice and impeccable artistry combine to make him one of the world's foremost singers, praised by critics for his smooth, beautifully produced bass and polished dramatic skills. His singing and physical acting (including a daring fall) electrified the audience. This distinguished American artist has become one of the most widely acclaimed and sought-after singers of our time.

Paul Plishka's artistry was recognized in 1992 when he received the Pennsylvania Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts and when, several years earlier, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Great American Opera Singers in a celebration at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia.

Tenor Neal Ferreira, especially noted for his dynamic and captivating stage presence, is quickly gaining national recognition.

Mr. Ferreira opened last season with his Boston Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Hall debut as Ein Tierhändler in Der Rosenkavalierunder the baton of Maestro Andris Nelsons. He made another company debut with Odyssey Opera in March 2017, singing the role of Jack in Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's setting of The Importance of Being Earnest. The tenor will return to Odyssey Opera in October 2017, singing the role of Giovanni d'Aire in Donizetti's rarely heard L'assedio di Calais at the Huntington Avenue Theatre. Upcoming engagements include performances with the Shakespeare Concerts this fall, his role debut as Le Remendado in Carmen with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, and a return to Boston Lyric Opera in May of 2018 as the Jazz Tenor in Trouble in Tahiti.

His 2015-16 season was highlighted by a successful performance as The Visitor in Boston Lyric Opera's production of Philip Glass' In the Penal Colony, for which the Wall Street Journal called him "poignant" and the Boston Globe lauded his "firm yet sweet tenor." In addition to performing roles in Otello with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and The Merry Widow with Boston Lyric Opera, the tenor sang the role of Alan in Joseph Summer's The Tenor's Suite with the Shakespeare Concerts at Jordan Hall.

In the 2014-15 season, Mr. Ferreira debuted the role of Ferdinand in the world premiere of Joseph Summer's The Tempest with the Shakespeare Concerts. He can be heard on the original cast recording, recently released on Albany Records. He returned to Syracuse Opera as Alfred in Die Fledermaus to great acclaim and sang multiple roles with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra in Un ballo in maschera.

Other recent engagements include Tancredi in John Musto's The Inspector with Boston Lyric Opera, for which Opera News praised his "moving performance" and "beautiful" singing, Charlie Gould (Orlofsky) in Die Fledermaus with Anchorage Opera, and Spoletta in Tosca with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra. His performance as Basilio/Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro with Syracuse Opera garnered him the company's 2012-13 Artist of the Year Award.

Mr. Ferreira made his Opera Colorado debut performing Spalanzani and Andres in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, roles he first performed with Boston Lyric Opera under the direction of Maestro Keith Lockhart and reprised with the Florida Grand Opera. Other appearances have included Sheldon Segal in Later the Same Evening and Charlie Davenport (cover) in Annie Get Your Gun with Deborah Voigt at the Glimmerglass Festival.

The tenor was awarded the 2009 Stephen Shrestinian Award for Excellence from Boston Lyric Opera, and has since performed there in many roles including Monostatos in The Magic Flute, Traveler in Clemency, as Spoletta in Tosca, Snout in A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Gran Sacerdote in Mozart's Idomeneo, re di Creta and Ein Officer in Ariadne auf Naxos, in which he also covered the roles of Tanzmeister and Brighella.

As an oratorio soloist, Mr. Ferreira has performed the role of Uriel in Haydn's The Creation with world-renowned soprano Jayne West, as well as noted performances in Orff's Carmina Burana, Bach's Mass in B minor and Magnificat, Mozart's Requiem, Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle, and Dvořak's Stabat Mater throughout the New England area. He is a regular guest soloist at his alma mater, Providence College, where he most recently appeared in Handel's Messiah and Dubois' Seven Last Words of Christ with the Providence College Orchestra and Chorus.

Mr. Ferreira holds a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from New England Conservatory, graduating with Academic Honors in 2005. There he studied with international opera singer Patricia Craig, and he sang the role of Tamino in The Magic Flute as part of New England Conservatory Outreach Opera's inaugural production.

As a recipient of the Roberts Music Scholarship for musical aptitude and achievement, Mr. Ferreira completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Providence College in 2002, graduating cum laude. While at Providence College, he studied voice with David Harper and appeared in many stage productions with both the Music and Theater Departments. Mr. Ferreira has returned several times as a guest artist to perform in recital as well as teach masterclasses to undergraduate students.

David Cushing's versatile bass-baritone range is effortlessly demonstrated in a variety of roles including recent appearances in the title roles of Don Pasquale and Le nozze di Figaro, Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette, and Bottom inA Midsummer Night's Dream. Of a recent performance, the Boston Herald exclaimed, "his portrayal of hoodwinked old Pasquale, filled with pathos and unself-conscious humor, was a revelation. He could easily specialize in Italian opera's wealth of foolish-old-man roles and become the basso buffo of his generation." This season, Mr. Cushing will return to Boston Lyric Opera for their production of The Threepenny Opera, as Angelotti in Tosca and Donald in The Nefarious, Immoral But Highly Profitable Enterprise of Mr. Burke & Mr. Hare, sings the title role of Don Pasquale  with Bar Harbor Music Festival, performs Banquo in Macbeth and reprises the role of Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia  with Opera Tampa, Sun Tze in the world première of Rev. 23 with White Snake Projects, and Tiresias in Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex  with Emmanuel Music.