Giuseppe Verdi | Rigoletto
Wed, Nov. 22, 2023, 7.30 pm - 10.00 pm
Musikalische Leitung
Paolo Arrivabeni
Conductor
Birthplace:
Italy
Studies:
Composition at the Conservatorio di Musica Arrigo Boito in Parma with Camillo Togni, and conducting with Daniele Gatti, advanced courses with Daniele Gatti at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome
Repertoire:
Focus on 19th century Italian composers such as Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini, but also Wagner, R. Strauss and Mussorgsky
Career stages:
Music director of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège (2008-2017), assistant conductor at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna (1997-2000)
Stages:
Opéra Royal de Wallonie, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Teatro San Carlo, Teatro La Fenice, Opernhaus Zürich, Oper Leipzig, Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opéra Bastille, Metropolitan Opera, Theater an der Wien, Wiener Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper, Semperoper Dresden, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Opéra Municipal de Marseille, Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Munich Opera Festival, New National Theatre Tokyo, Chorégies d'Orange, Teatro Auditorio San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Teatr Wielki, Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse, Opéra de Lausanne, Teatro de La Maestranza, Santa Fe Opera, et al.
Cooperation with orchestras:
Orchestra Sinfonica Haydn di Trento e Bolzano, Orchestra Sinfonica Giuseppe Verdi di Milano, Orchestre de l'Opéra de Marseille, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Radiosymphonieorchester Wien, Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin, Orchestra National de France, et al.
photo: Lorraine Wauters/Opéra Royal de Wallonie
Il Duca di Mantova
Sergei Romanovsky
Tenor
Birthplace:
Mineralnye Vody, Russia
Studies:
Tchaikovsky State Conservatory and the Academy of Choral Arts in Moscow
Prizes:
International Bella Voce Competition in Moscow (2005), et al.
Important parts:
Alfredo (La Traviata), Raoul (Les Huguenots), Roberto Devereux (Roberto Devereux), Mérowig (Frédégonde), Duca (Rigoletto), Rodolfo (La Bohème), Don Ramiro (La Cenerentola), Giasone (Medea), Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Ernesto (Don Pasquale), Antenore (Zelmira), Don Carlos (DonCarlos), Leicester (Elisabetta), Marzio (Mitridate), Faust (Faust), Lensky (Eugen Onegin), Tito (La Clemenza di Tito), Belfiore (Il viaggio a Reims), Italien Tenor (Der Rosenkavalier), Lindoro (L’Italiana in Algeria), Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore), Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Tebaldo (I Capuleti e I Montecchi), et al.
Stages:
The Royal Opera House in Muscat, Semperoper Dresden, Theater Dortmund, Teatro Alla Scala, Opernhaus Zürich, Bregenzer Festspiele, Rossini Opera Festival. Dutch National Opera, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, Opera Royal de Wallonie, Gothenburg Opera, Wexford Festival Opera, Theatre du Capitole, Den Norske Opera, Opera National de Lyon, Theatre de la Monnaie, Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Opera de Lille, Landestheater Salzburg, Bolshoi Theatre, Mariinsky Theatre, Stanislavsky Theatre, Moscow State Philharmonic Society, Sinfonica Simon Bolivar, et al.
Cooperations with directors:
Robert Carsen, Denis Krief, Stefano Mazzonis Di Pralafera, Luca Ronconi, et al.
Cooperations with conductors:
Lorin Maazel, Evelino Pidò, Leo Hussain, Alberto Zedda, Christophe Rousset, Michele Mariotti, Daniele Callegari, Antonino Fogliani, Yuri Bashmet, Ottavio Dantone, et al.
photo: Yury Panfilov
Rigoletto
Yngve Søberg
Baritone
“His vocal range is one that reminds us what a real Rigoletto should sound like. I am convinced that him having his own style, and presenting the evolution of the role through his vocal abilities, will make this interpretation one of the most impressive and complete (Rigoletto) performances on the world opera scene” – Rigoletto 15.09.2018, Simone Tomei, Archivio giornale
Yngve Søberg made his role debut as Rigoletto at the Opera di Firenze under the baton of Fabio Luisi and continued to sing the iconic role at the Norwegian National Opera, the Staatstheater Hannover and at the Bregenzer Festspiele. In Bregenz, Yngve took over the role on very short notice to great critical acclaim. He is scheduled to sing the same role at Staatsoper Hamburg this season.
Other previous engagements have included Sharpless in Madama Butterfly and Heerrufer in Lohengrin at the Opernhaus Zürich, and Alfio in Cavalleria rusticana and Tonio in Pagliacci at the Oper Graz. Yngve also sang Angelotti in Tosca at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Amonasro in Aida, Silvio in I Pagliacci, Marcello in La Bohème all with the Oscarsborg Opera and Germont in La Traviata with Nordnorsk Opera. He recently performed, once again, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, at the Bregenzer Festspiele.
Yngve’s roles as a beloved principal artist of the Norwegian National Opera represent a wide cross section of baritone repertoire, including: Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Marcello in La Bohème, Germont in La Traviata, Escamillo in Carmen, Lorenzo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana and Tonio in I Pagliacci, as well as the title role in Le Nozze di Figaro. Last season he added to this repertoire by performing Orest in Elektra and Amfortas in a concert version of Parsifal, as well as Scarpia in Tosca.This season he will sing Don Carlo in concert version of La forza del Destino alongside Lise Davidsen.
Much in demand also on the concert stage, Yngve has performed Fauré’s Requiem with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and the Carmina Burana with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. He has also recently performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, in Trondheim, with an international star cast and Carl Nielsen’s Symphony No. 3, with Bergen Philharmonic orchestra, as well as Arnold Schönberg’s Gurre-Lieder in Prague.
Yngve has performed with many of the leading orchestras in the Scandinavian area. He has collaborated with some of today’s finest conductors including Ingar Bergby, Oleg Caetani, Jonathan Darlington, John Helmer Fiore, Patrick Fournillier, Roy Goodman, Eivind Gullberg Jensen, Pietari Inkinen, Kirill Karabits, Stefan Klingele, Pier Gerhard Markson, Giorgio Morandi, Jun Märkl, Rudolph Piehlmayer, Patrik Ringborg, Marc Soustrot, Ward Stare, Peter Szilvay, Muhai Tang and Keri- Lynn Wilson.
Yngve has been decorated with both the Ruud Wallenberg Award and the Tom Wilhelmsen Award.
photo: Max Emanuelson_
Gilda
Siobhan Stagg
Highlights in Siobhan Stagg’s 2017/18 season include Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) for the Royal Opera House Covent Garden; Gilda (Rigoletto) for the Hamburgische Staatsoper; Najade (Ariadne auf Naxos) for her debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper and Pamina, Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Musetta (La bohème) and Contessa di Folleville (Il viaggio a Reims) for the Deutsche Oper Berlin.
A member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin since 2013/14, her roles in the house have so far included Pamina, Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier), Blonde (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Gilda, Marguerite de Valois (Les Huguenots) and Waldvogel and Woglinde in “The Ring Cycle” conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.
Elsewhere she has sung Cordelia in Aribert Reimann’s “Lear” for the Hamburgische Staatsoper; Blonde for the Hamburgische Staatsoper and the Dutch National Opera; Woglinde for the Deutsche Staatsoper, the title role in Luigi Rossi’s “Orpheus” for the Royal Opera and Morgana (Alcina) and Marzelline (Fidelio) for the Grand Théâtre de Genève.
Siobhan Stagg’s upcoming engagements include her U.S. debut with the Lyric Opera of Chicago in the title role of “Cendrillon”, her debut for the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and Mélisande (Pelléas et Mélisande) in her debut for Australia’s Victorian Opera.
Highlights on the concert platform include Brahms’ “Ein Deutsches Requiem” (Berliner Philharmoniker/Christian Thielemann), Zemlinsky’s “Lyric Symphony” at the BBC Proms (BBC Symphony Orchestra/Simone Young), Haydn’s “Creation” (Melbourne Symphony Orchestra/Sir Andrew Davis), Mozart arias with Rolando Villazon at the Salzburg Mozartwoche (Mozarteumorchester Salzburg/Kristiina Poska) and a tour of Australia with Roberto Alagna.
photo: Simon Pauly
Il Conte Monterone
Chao Deng
Bass-baritone
Birthplace:
Tianjin, China
Studies:
Vocal studies in Tianjin, China; diploma in voice at the Hochschule für Musik Würzburg with Cheryl Studer; master studies with Christian Elsner and in the Lied class of Gerold Huber and opera studio at the Hochschule für Musik Weimar with Prof. Dr. Michail Lanskoi; master class exam at the Hochschule für Musik Dresden with KS Prof. Matthias Henneberg.
Master classes:
With Liang Li, Michaelis Doukakis, John Norris, KS Camilla Nylund, KS Helen Donath, KS Brigitte Fassbaender, Sonja Prina, Alberto Triola, Catherine Foster, Georg Zeppenfeld, Juliane Banse, Roberto Scandiuzzi, KS Deborah Polaski.
Awards:
Prize for Opera Singing of the Concerto Foundation Würzburg (2015), Prize Winner of the International Singing Competition of the Chamber Opera Schloss Rheinsberg (2014), Scholarship Holder of the Richard Wagner Association Bayreuth Festival (2014), et al.
Relation to the State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera since the 2020/21 season.
Important roles:
Peter (Hänsel und Gretel), Häuptling Abendwind (Chief Evening Wind), Ramfis (Aida), Gianni Schicchi/Betto di Signa (Gianni Schicchi), Papageno/Sprecher /2. Geharnischte (Die Zauberflöte), Frank (Die Fledermaus), Don Fernando (Fidelio), Schaunard (La Bohème), Mr. Fluth (The Merry Wives of Windsor), Kilian/Ottokar (Der Freischütz), Buonafede (Il mondo della luna), Förster (Das schlaue Füchslein), Le Duc (Romeo et Juliette), Angelotti (Tosca), Colas (Bastien et Bastienne), Priamus (Les Troyens), Antonio (Le nozze di Figaro), Marullo/Ceprano (Rigoletto), Zuniga (Carmen), De Retz (Les Huguenots), Lord Syndham (Zar und Zimmermann), Spielmann (Königskinder), Journalist (Lulu), Osias, High Priest (Judith), et al.
Stages:
Hamburg State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Dresden Semper Opera, German Opera on the Rhine, Dresden Philharmonic, Braunschweig State Theater, German National Theater Weimar, Dresden State Operetta, Erfurt Theater, Weimarhalle, Saar Music Festival, Shanghai Opera House, et al.
Collaboration with directors:
Peter Konwitschny, Lydia Steier, Barrie Kosky, Mariame Clément,Yona Kim, Manfred Weiß, Sabine Hartmannshenn, Hasko Weber, Anette Leistenschneider, Guy Montavon, Andrea Moses, et al.
Collaboration with conductors:
Kent Nagano, Sebastian Weigle, Stefano Ranzani, John Fiore, Stefan Soltész, Xu Zhong, Daniele Callegari, Speranza Scappucci, Giampaolo Bisanti, Ivan Repušić, Riccardo Minasi, Giacomo Sagripanti, Roberto Rizzi Brignoli, Thomas Leo Cadenbach, Moritz Gnann, Felix Krieger, Christoph Gedschold, Kristiina Poska, Tomáš Netopil, Antonino Fogliani, Omer Meir Wellber, Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, Stefan Lano, Martin Hoff, Georg Fritzsch, et al.
Find further information about Chao Deng here.
photo: Jie Chen
Il Conte di Ceprano
Liam James Karai
Bass-Baritone
Birthplace:
Hongkong, China
Studies:
MMUS & PGDip - Royal Northern College of Music, taught by Quentin Hayes
BSC – University of Leicester
Master class:
Olga Peretyatko (2022 Hamburg)
Piotr Beczała (2022 Salzburg Festspiele)
John Tomlinson (2022 RNCM)
Ann Murray (2022 RNCM)
Graham Vick (2021 RNCM)
Christopher Purves (2021 RNCM)
Prizes:
Sir John Tomlinson Scholarship (RNCM)
Andrew Lloyd Webber Scholarship (RNCM)
Frederic Cox Award (RNCM)
RNCM Silver Medal
Joaninha Trust Award Competition
Pomerance Prize (University of Leicester)
St Cecilia Opera Prize (Leicester festival of music & dramatic art)
Winner of the Opera solo Award (Leicester festival of music & dramatic art)
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera since the 2022/2023 season
Important parts:
Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Leporello/Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Alidoro (Cenerentola), Escamillo (Carmen), Colline (La bohème)
Stages:
Salzburg Festspiele, Staatsoper Hamburg, English National Opera, Opera Holland Park, RNCM
Cooperation with directors:
Christof Loy, Angelina Nikonova, Victoria Newlyn, Sam Brown, Stuart Barker, Jonathan Cocker
Cooperation with conductors:
Kent Negano, Franz Welser-Möst, Peter Whelan, Adrian Kelly, Peter Robinson, Nicholas Kok, Paul Jenkins
Find further information about Liam James Karai here.
photo: Jörn Kipping
La Contessa di Ceprano
Yeonjoo Katharina Jang
Soprano
Birthplace:
Pohang, South Korea
Studies:
Bachelor’s degree in singing at the Seoul National University with Heion Seo, Master’s degree in singing at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar with Marietta Zumbült owning a DAAD scholarship
Prizes:
First prize at the Piero Boni international singing contest (2020), second prize at the Anton Rubinstein internhational music competition (2019), first prize at the Vienna Grand Prize Virtuoso international music competition (2019), special award at the international music competition Paris (2019), second prize at the korean singing competition (2016), first prize at the international singing competition of the korean singing club (2015), third prize at the Dong-A music competition (2015), u. a.
Refernce to the Staatsoper:
Member of the international opera studio at the Staatsoper Hamburg since the 2022/23 season
Master classes:
with Samuel Yoon (2021), Edda Moser (2019)
Important parts:
Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Königin der Nacht / Erste Dame / Papagena (Die Zauberflöte),
Gilda (Rigoletto), Olympia (Les Contes d‘Hoffmann), Ida (Die Fledermaus)
Stages:
Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar, Daegu Opernhaus, et al.
Cooperations with directors:
Christian Weise, Roman Hovenbitzer, Stephanie Koch, et al.
Cooperations with conductors:
Stefan Lano, Joongbae Jee,et al.
photo: Jörn Kipping
Marullo
Mateusz Ługowski
Baritone
Birthplace:
Działdowo, Poland
Studies:
Solo sining and chor conducting, Vocal- and Conducting isntitute Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań (graduated 2022)
Prizes:
Special Prize by Prof. Tadeusz Pszonka in 10th National Vocal Competition in Mława, Poland (2022), 2nd Prize 10th National Vocal Competition, Mława (2022), Grand Prix International Festival of Arts “Sakura Blossom” (2021), 1st Prize MAP International Music Competition Los Angeles (2021), 1st Prize 4th International Moscow Music Compeitions (2021), Award of Excellence in Angel Voice Classic/2nd Prize Angel Voice Classic in “Opera-Youth”/1st Prize in “Slavic” (2021), 1st Prize International Competition ArtSong Opucs (2021), Grand Prix International vocal and choral competition (2021)
Master classes:
Mariusz Kwiecień, Marcin Koziel, Eytan Pessen, Bogdan Makal, Izabela Kłosińska, Maestro Adi Bar, Maestro Marco Guidarini, Viorica Cortez, Ubaldo Fabbri, et al.
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera since the 2022/2023 season
Important parts:
Gianni Schicchi (Gianni Schicchi), Guglielmo (Cosí fan tutte), et al.
Cooperations with directors:
Rares Zaharia, Krzysztof Cicheński, Paweł Szkotak, et al.
Cooperations with conductors:
Noar Shani, Adi Bar, Grzegorz Wierus, Marco Guidarini, et al.
Find further information about Mateusz Ługowski here.
photo: Jörn Kipping
Borsa
Florian Panzieri
Tenor
Birthplace:
Paris, France
Studies:
History and Politics, University of Warwick
Singing, Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera since the 2022/2023 season
Important parts:
Peter Quint (The Turn of the Screw), Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore), Primo Pastore (Orfeo), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Berthold (Scoring a Century), Erasmus (Silvesternacht), 1. und 3. Vorarbeiter (Lady Macbeth von Mzensk), Un Venditore di Canzonette (Il trittico), et al.
Stages:
Garsington Opera, Reggio Emilia Teatro Valli, The Merry Opera, British Youth Opera, Royal Opera House London, Staatsoper Hamburg, et al.
Cooperations with directors:
Paul Curran, John Caird, Keith Warner, Fabio Condemi, Axel Ranisch, Mart Van Berckel, et al.
Cooperations with conductors:
Kent Negano, Giampaolo Bisanti, Francesco Bossaglia, Ivan Repusic, et al.
Find further information about Florian Panzieri here.
photo: Benjamin Reason
Sparafucile
Soloman Howard
Bass
Birthplace:
Washington, DC, USA
Studies:
Bachelor of Music, Morgan State University; Master of Music, Manhattan School of Music; Graduate, Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, Washington National Opera
Prizes:
Washington Performing Arts’s Ambassador of the Arts Award (2021), Kennedy Center’s Marian Anderson Vocal Award (2019), Anti-Defamation League's Making a Difference Award (2016)
Important parts:
Sarastro (The Magic Flute), Fafner (Das Rheingold), Hunding (Die Walküre) Colline (La bohème), Timur (Turandot), Grand Inquisitor (Don Carlo), Ramfis (Aida), Commendatore (Don Giovanni), Banqo (Macbeth), Wurm (Luisa Miller), Fiesco (Simon Boccanegra), et al.
Stages:
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Metropolitan Opera, The Dallas Opera, San Francisco Opera, Teatro Real, Washington National Opera, et al.
Cooperations with directors:
Robert Carsen, Sir David McVicar, Francesca Zambello, Tazwell Thompson, Barbora Horáková, et al.
Cooperations with conductors:
Sir Antonio Pappano, Enrique Mazzola, Nicola Luisotti, Fabio Luisi, Jakub Hrůša, Harry Bicket, Jader Bignamini, Fabio Luisi, Eun Sun Kim, Gustavo Dudamel, James Conlon, Christoph Eschenbach, et al.
Maddalena
Ida Aldrian
mezzo-soprano
Birthplace:
Bruck an der Mur, Austria
Studies:
University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with Leopold Spitzer and Karlheinz Hanser; studies for Stage Performance (Opera and Musical Drama), Art Song and Oratorio with KS Marjana Lipovšek with honors; member of International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera (2012/13–2013/14)
Master class:
With Ann Murray, Bernarda Fink, Reri Grist, Peter Kooij, Andrew Watts, Thomas Hampson, Wicus Slabbert, Alan Titus, Brigitte Fassbaender, et al.
Prizes:
Dr.-Wilhelm-Oberdörffer-Preis of Stiftung zur Förderung der Hamburgischen Staatsoper (2014), prize winner of the jury ranking at international singing competition „Stella Maris“ (2014)
Relation to the State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera since the season 2019/20
Important parts:
Wellgunde (Das Rheingold and Götterdämmerung), Siegrune and Rossweiße (Die Walküre), Blumenmädchen and Stimme aus der Höhe (Parsifal ), 2. Maid (Daphne), Feodor (Boris Godunov), Maddalena (Rigoletto), Hansel (Hansel and Gretel), Isabella (L'Italiana in Algeri), Adalgisa (Norma), Idamante (Idomeneo), Third Lady (The Magic Flute), Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Penelope (Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria), Mercedes (Carmen), Tisbe (La Cenerentola), Laura (Luisa Miller), Flora and Annina (La Traviata), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Meg Page (Falstaff), Dryade (Ariadne auf Naxos), Orlofski (Die Fledermaus), et al.
Stages:
Elbphilharmonie, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Kölner Philharmonie, Wiener Konzerthaus, Musikverein Wien, Staatstheater Nürnberg, Grafenegg Festival, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Barocktage Melk, Styriarte, International Brucknerfest Linz, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, et al.
Cooperation with directors:
Andreas Homoki, Georg Schmiedleitner, Laura Scozzi, Mariame Clément, Verena Stoiber, Peter Konwitschny, Stéphane Braunschweig, David Bösch, et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Simone Young, Kent Nagano, Martin Haselböck, Marcus Bosch, Yutaka Sado, Pablo Heras-Casado, Christopher Moulds, Cornelius Meister, Fabio Luisi, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Simon Gaudenz, et al.
Find further information about Ida Aldrian here.
photo: Christoph Ziegler
Giovanna
Jana Kurucová
Mezzosoprano
Birthplace:
Kežmarok, Slovakia
Education / Studies:
Classical singing at the Konzervatórium J. L. Bellu in Banska Bystrica, in Bratislava as well as at the Musikhochschule in Graz, opera studio of the Bayerische Staatsoper (season 2005/2006), ensemble member of the Theater Heidelberg (2006 to 2009), ensemble member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin ( 2009 to 2018)
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera since the 2019/20 season
Important parts:
Niklausse/Muse (Les contes d‘Hoffmann), Prinz Orlovsky (Die Fledermaus), Isolier (Le comte Ory), Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Marta (Faust), Carmen (Carmen), Elisabetta (Maria Stuarda), Romeo (I capuleti e i Montecchi), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Meg Page (Falstaff), Fuchs (Das schlaue Füchslein), Maffio Orsini (Lucrezia Borgia), Melisande (Pelléas et Mélisande), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Mercedes (Carmen), Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Fenena (Nabucco), Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Idamante (Idomeneo), Sesto (La clemenza di tito), Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Ramiro (La finta giardiniera), Zweite Dame (Die Zauberflöte), et al.
Stages:
Teatro de la Maestranza in Sevilla, Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Staatstheater Stuttgart, Nationaltheater Prag, Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, Oper Peking, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Oper Oslo, Semperoper Dresden, Bayerische Staatsoper, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, New National Theater Tokyo, Musikfestival Klangvokal in Dortmund, Banská Bystrica, Festival Svátky hudby v Praze, Filharmonie Reduta in Bratislava, Bratislava Nationaltheater, et al.
Cooperation with directors:
Laurent Pelly, David Alden, Robert Borgmann, Philipp Himmelmann, Katharina Thalbach, David Herrmann, Roland Schwab, Philipp Stölzl, Christof Loy, Kirsten Harms, Andreas Homoki, et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Pedro Halffter, Enrique Mazzola, Michele Mariotti, Ido Arad, Donald Runnicles, Daniel Cohen, Stefan Soltesz, Fabio Luisi, Zubin, Mehta, Alessandro de Marchi, Jacques Lacombe, Omer Meir Wellber, Carlo Rizzi, Ivan Repusic, Moritz Gnann, Jonathan Darlington, Marco Letonja, Francesco Ivan Ciampa, Giacomo Sagripanti, Constantin Trinks, Yves Abel, Ottavio Dantone, Matteo Beltrami, Jonathan Nott, et al.
Find further information about Jana Kurucová here.
photo: Martina Cyman
Il Paggio della Duchessa
Yeonjoo Katharina Jang
Soprano
Birthplace:
Pohang, South Korea
Studies:
Bachelor’s degree in singing at the Seoul National University with Heion Seo, Master’s degree in singing at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar with Marietta Zumbült owning a DAAD scholarship
Prizes:
First prize at the Piero Boni international singing contest (2020), second prize at the Anton Rubinstein internhational music competition (2019), first prize at the Vienna Grand Prize Virtuoso international music competition (2019), special award at the international music competition Paris (2019), second prize at the korean singing competition (2016), first prize at the international singing competition of the korean singing club (2015), third prize at the Dong-A music competition (2015), u. a.
Refernce to the Staatsoper:
Member of the international opera studio at the Staatsoper Hamburg since the 2022/23 season
Master classes:
with Samuel Yoon (2021), Edda Moser (2019)
Important parts:
Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Königin der Nacht / Erste Dame / Papagena (Die Zauberflöte),
Gilda (Rigoletto), Olympia (Les Contes d‘Hoffmann), Ida (Die Fledermaus)
Stages:
Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar, Daegu Opernhaus, et al.
Cooperations with directors:
Christian Weise, Roman Hovenbitzer, Stephanie Koch, et al.
Cooperations with conductors:
Stefan Lano, Joongbae Jee,et al.
photo: Jörn Kipping
Un Usciere di Corte
Grzegorz Pelutis
Bass-baritone
Birthplace:
Słupsk, Poland
Studies:
Bachelor and Masters at Academy of Art in Szczecin, both graduated with honours, Janusz Lewandowski’s singing class (2016-2021)
Master classes:
Opera Academy Young Talent Development Programme of the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera In Warsaw (since 2021):
Consant tutelage by: Izabela Kłosińska, Olga Pasiecznik, Eytan Pessen, Matthias Rexroth, Michał Biel, Katelan Tran Terrell;
Guest masterclasses: Edith Wiens, Ewa Podleś, Mariusz Kwiecień, Maciej Pikulski, Hedwig Fassbender, Tobias Truniger, Adrian Kelly, Vesselina Kassarova, Fausto Nardi, Małgorzata Walewska
Prizes:
3rd prize and Juan Pons Prize at I International Juan Pons Singing Competition - Palma de Mallorca, Spain, June 2022
2nd prize winner at 1st Swiss International Music Competition – online, July 2021
2nd prize winner and special prize winner of the Director of the K. Namysłowski Symphony Orchestra in Zamość at 7th Krystyna Jamroz National Vocal Competition - Kielce/Busko-Zdrój, Poland, February 2022
3rd prize winner at 7th National Vocal Competition in Drezdenko, Poland, November 2021
3rd prize winner in"Opera Singers" category at"Prague Romansiada" competition, Prague 2017
Only Polish contestant of Plácido Domingo's Operalia 2022
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera since the season 2023/24
Important parts:
Chorąży “Ensign” (Hrabina - "The Countess"), Dudziarz (Halka), The Mayor “Burmistrz” (Szarlatan, czyli wskrzeszanie zmarłych - “Charlatan, or resurrection of the dead”), Escamillo (Carmen), Archiereios (King Roger), et al.
Stages:
Teatr Wielki – National Polish Opera, The Castle Opera in Szczecin, Polish Philharmonic "Sinfonia Baltica" named after Wojciech Kilar in Słupsk, Gorzów Philharmonic, Tadeusz Baird Philharmonic in Zielona Góra, Stanisław Moniuszko Philharmonic in Koszalin, Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic in Cracow, Various concerts across Europe, e. g. Berlin, Kaliningrad, Prague, Magdeburg, Warsaw, Varna
Cooperation with directors:
Mariusz Treliński, Barbara Wiśniewska, Rafał Matusz, Jitka Stokalska, et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Jerzy Wołosiuk, Małgorzata Bornowska, Tadeusz Kozłowski, Michał Klauza, Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny, Stefan Plewniak, et al.
photo: Jörn Kipping
Orchester
Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg
Orchestra
The Philharmonic State Orchestra is Hamburg’s largest and oldest orchestra, looking back on many years of musical history. When the “Philharmonic Orchestra” and the “Orchestra of the Hamburg Municipal Theatre” merged in 1934, two tradition-steeped orchestras combined. Philharmonic concerts have been performed in Hamburg since 1828, artists such as Clara Schumann, Franz Liszt and Johannes Brahms being regular guests of the Philharmonic Society. The history of the opera company goes back even further: Hamburg has been home to musical theatre since 1678, even if a regular opera or theatre orchestra was only formed later. To this day, the Philharmonic State Orchestra has embodied the sound of the Hansa City, a concert and opera orchestra in one.
During its long history, the orchestra encountered great artist personalities. Apart from composers of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, such as Telemann, Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Mahler, Prokofiev and Stravinsky, since the 20th century chief conductors such as Karl Muck, Joseph Keilberth, Eugen Jochum, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Horst Stein, Aldo Ceccato, Christoph von Dohnányi, Gerd Albrecht, Ingo Metzmacher and Simone Young have shaped the orchestra’s sound. Renowned conductors of the pre-war era such as Otto Klemperer, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter, Karl Böhm and Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt gave brilliant performances, as did outstanding conductors of our times: suffice it to mention Christian Thielemann, Semyon Bychkov, Kirill Petrenko, Adam Fischer and Sir Roger Norrington.
Starting with the 2015/2016 season, Kent Nagano has taken on the position of Hamburg’s General Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Philharmonic State Orchestra and the Hamburg State Opera and since June 2023 also its honorary conductor. In his first season Kent Nagano initiated a new project, the Philharmonic Academy, focusing on experimentation and chamber music. In 2016, Nagano and the Philharmonic toured South America, followed by concert tours to Spain and Japan in 2019, and in the spring of 2023, the Philharmonic State Orchestra made its debut at New York's Carnegie Hall under his direction, which was acclaimed by audiences and the press. Since 2017 Kent Nagano and the Philharmonic State Orchestra have continued the traditional Philharmonic Concerts at the new Elbphilharmonie, for which they commissioned Jörg Widmann to compose the oratorio ARCHE, which was given its world premiere during the hall’s opening festivities. The concert recording has been released by ECM, for which Widmann received the OPUS KLASSIK as Composer of the Year 2019, and ARCHE was performed again in 2023 to great acclaim.
The Philharmonic State Orchestra offers approximately 35 concerts per season and performs more than 240 performances per year at the Hamburg State Opera and the Hamburg Ballet John Neumeier, making it Hamburg’s busiest orchestra. The stylistic bandwidth covered by the 140 musicians, ranging from historically informed performance practice to contemporary works and including concert, opera and ballet repertoire, is unique throughout Germany. Chamber Music has a long tradition at the Philharmonic State Orchestra: what began in 1929 with a concert series for chamber orchestra has been continued since 1968 by a series of chamber music only.
In 2008 Simone Young and the Philharmonic State Orchestra won the Brahms Award of the Schleswig-Holstein Brahms Society. The orchestra has recorded the complete Ring by Wagner as well as the complete symphonies of Johannes Brahms and Anton Bruckner – the latter in the rarely-performed original versions – as well as works by Mahler, Hindemith and Berg, and has released DVDs of opera and ballet productions by Hosokawa, Offenbach, Reimann, Auerbach, J.S. Bach, Puccini, Poulenc and Weber.
The members of the Philharmonic State Orchestra feel equally beholden to Hamburg’s musical tradition and responsible for the city’s artistic future. Since 1978 the musicians have been participating in education programmes in Hamburg’s schools. Today, the orchestra maintains a broad education programme, including school and kindergarten visits, patronage for music projects, introductory events for children and family concerts. The orchestra’s own academy prepares young musicians for their professional careers. The Philharmonic’s musicians thereby make an equally enjoyable and valuable contribution to tomorrow’s music education in the music metropolis of Hamburg.
photo: Foto: Felix Broede
Chor
Chor der Hamburgischen Staatsoper
The chorus members appear on stage at the Hamburg State Opera in a different role almost every night. From one day to the next, they might be sailors, pilgrims or conspirators, then courtiers, hunters, the deranged or the imprisoned. In the role of crusaders in I Lombardi alla prima Crociata they travel to Jerusalem, other nights they are invited to Madama Butterfly's marriage or acclaim Prince Igor. The ladies and gentlemen of the opera chorus demonstrate their artistic prowess, their flexibility, and their love of the stage in every performance.
With a membership around 70, the chorus of the Hamburg State Opera has been one of the world’s best opera choruses for many years. The varied repertoire – almost always in the original language – is multifaceted and includes baroque operas and dramatic operas, major works by Verdi and Wagner as well as contemporary pieces. At the start of the 2013/14 season, Eberhard Friedrich took over the post of Chorus Master.
photo: Niklas Marc Heinecke
