Francesco Castoro has begun his vocal studies at a very young age and he graduated with honour from the Conservatory “Niccolò Piccinni” in Bari under the guidance of Domenico Colaianni. After that, he had the chance to refine his singing at Belcanto Academy “Rodolfo Celletti” in Martina Franca, within the Festival della Valle d’Itria (2013-2014). He is a winner of several international singing competitions, including the “Ottavio Ziino” Competition in Rome. Moreover, he graduated at “Accademia di Perfezionamento per Cantanti Lirici del Teatro alla Scala” (2015-2017), where he performed in La bohème, Falstaff (conductor Zubin Mehta), Die Zauberflöte, La fanciulla del West (conductor Riccardo Chailly) and La cena delle beffe.

He has already made his debut in many important theatres and festivals in Italy and abroad, such as Teatro alla Scala, Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Royal Opera Copenhagen, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Festival della Valle D’Itria, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Teatro Verdi di Trieste, Teatro Municipale di Piacenza, Arena di Verona, Ópera de Tenerife, Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari, National Theatre Prague, singing under the baton of such conductors as Roland Böer, Riccardo Chailly, Adam Fischer, Fabio Luisi, Zubin Mehta, Evelino Pidò, Stefano Ranzani, and working with leading stage directors as Gianni Amelio, Robert Carsen, Damiano Michieletto, Leo Muscato, Ferzan Ozpetek, Peter Stein, Alessandro Talevi, Federico Tiezzi. 

Among the leading roles that he has already performed, it can be mentioned Alfredo Germont in La traviata, Rodolfo in La bohème; Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, Gennaro in Lucrezia Borgia,Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte, Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Giambarone in Jommelli’s Don Trastullo, Camille de Rossillon in The merry widow, Salvini in Bellini’s Adelson e Salvini, il Conte Libenskof in Il viaggio a Reims, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Alfred in Die Fledermaus.

He sang also in several important recitals and concerts, including the opening gala of Arena di Verona 2013 season, the European tour of Verdi concerts with the Orchestra Nazionale dei Conservatori conducted by Antonino Fogliani; the inauguration gala of the Silk Road in Xi’an (China) in 2014; Stravinskij’s Pulcinella at Teatro alla Scala with Ottavio Dantone in 2016.

LATEST PERFORMANCES: I Capuleti e i Montecchi in Vienna;La traviata at Teatro Coccia di Novara; Così fan tutte (debut as Ferrando) at Teatro Comunale di Bologna; Macbeth (Macduff) at Theater St. Gallen; La traviata in Nantes, Rennes and Angers; Gianni Schicchi at Teatro Comunale di Bologna; Roméo et Juliette in Tallin; Die Fledermaus in Bologna; La bohème in Prague, in Warsaw and in Bologna; Lucrezia Borgia at Bavarian State Opera in Munich; La traviata at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli.

FORTHCOMING PROJECTS: La bohème at Auditorio Nacional in Madrid and in Zaragoza; Christmas concert at Teatro Real in Madrid; Pagliacci (Beppe) in Reggio Calabria; Madama Butterfly at Auditorio Nacional in Madrid; Nicola Campogrande’s Olympia (world premiere) at Teatro Comunale di Bologna.

Marco Ciaponi began his musical training with Rebecca Berg and Cinzia Forte and achieved great recognition in important international competitions: prize for zarzuela at Plácido Domingo’s Operalia Competition and second prize at the Renata Tebaldi Competition in 2017, first prizes at the Voci Verdiane International Competition in Busseto and the Flaviano Labò Competition in Piacenza in 2015.

At a very young age he made his debut on an important stage and with a leading role, as Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore opposite Leo Nucci at the Teatro Municipale di Piacenza, a role he later performed also at the Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari, in Livorno and in Rovigo.

Other roles that he has established himself with on the Italian and European stages are: Alfredo in La traviata (Deutsche Oper Berlin, Semperoper Dresden, Komische Oper Berlin, Oper Leipzig, Macerata Opera Festival, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Tokyo), Tonio in La Fille du Régiment (Vienna State Opera, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari), Elvino in La sonnambula (Semperoper Dresden with M° Evelino Pidò, Deutsche Oper am Rhein with M° Antonino Fogliani, Opèra Grand Avignon, Ancona), Beppe Arlecchino in Pagliacci (Dutch National Opera  Amsterdam in a new production staged by Robert Carsen and conducted by Lorenzo Viotti), Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni (Teatro Regio di Parma, Teatro Verdi in Trieste with M° Gianluigi Gelmetti, Oper Koeln, Teatro Perez Galdos in Las Palmas); Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto (Teatro la Fenice di Venezia, Opera Lombardia, Opéra de Toulon), Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte (Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Teatro Filarmonico di Verona, Teatro Municipale di Piacenza, Teatro Comunale di Modena, Saint-Etienne), Fenton in Falstaff (Cagliari, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Modena), Ernesto in Don Pasquale (Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Teatro Bolshoi Moscow, Nancy, Cagliari, Verona), Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi (Piacenza, Modena, Reggio Emilia, Ferrara). He also sang as soloist Rossini’s Stabat Mater with Stefano Montanari and the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and with Speranza Scappucci at the Spring Festival in Tokyo. He took part in the new productions of La Fanciulla del West and Manon Lescaut at Teatro alla Scala in Milan with M° Riccardo Chailly.

LATEST PERFORMANCES: Don Giovanni at Teatro Municipale in Piacenza, at Teatro Comunale in Modena, at Teatro de la Maestranza in Sevilla and in Las Palmas di Gran Canaria; Il barbiere di Siviglia (role debut as Count Almaviva) at Teatro Verdi di Trieste; Così fan tutte at Teatro Comunale di Bologna; Romeo et Juliette (Tybault) at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli;  Salieri’s Falstaff o Le Tre Burle (Mr Ford) at Teatro Filarmonico di Verona; Il cappello di paglia di Firenze (Fadinard) at Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova; Auber’s Manon Lescaut (Des Grieux) at Teatro Regio di Torino; La sonnambula at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma; Anna Bolena (Percy) at Teatro Verdi di Trieste.

FORTHCOMING PROJECTS: Falstaff at Teatro Filarmonico di Verona; Don Pasquale at Royal Opera in Muscat; Don Giovanni at Palau de la Musica in Valencia; Il barbiere di Siviglia at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino; L’italiana in Algeri in the theatres of Opera Lombardia; La sonnambula at Òpera de Oviedo.

Oreste Cosimo in 2016 was selected by Riccardo Muti for his Italian Opera Academy in Ravenna and s ince then, his career has led him to some of the word’s leading opera houses, including the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, the Los Angeles Opera and the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome.

Among the leading roles that has already debuted, Rodolfo in La bohème (Los Angeles, Festival Puccini, Opéra de Nice, Filarmonico di Verona, Prague, Trieste, Bern), Don Josè in Carmen (Deutsche Oper Berlin, La Coruña), Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto (Modena, Ferrara, Tel Aviv), Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni (Filarmonico di Verona), Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and Nadir in Les Pêcheurs de perles, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor (Aalto Theater Essen, Nice, Dusseldorf, Tel Aviv), Alfredo in La traviata (Tel Aviv, Prague, Berlin), Hoffmann in Les contes d’Hoffmann (Berlin, Tel Aviv).

Particularly gifted for music since he was a child, Oreste Cosimo studied piano and then he devoted himself to singing, and graduated with honors from the “Arrigo Boito” Conservatory in Parma. He debuted at the age of 21 as Ismaele in Nabucco at Teatro Verdi in Busseto. In 2018 he moved to Vienna to study under the guidance of Ramon Vargas.

In the two-years period 2016/2017 he was a member of Accademia del Teatro alla Scala, where he had the chance to study with such artists as Renato Bruson, Gregory Kunde, Luciana D’Intino, Vincenzo Scalera and where he could take part to the productions of La traviata, Nabucco and Hänsel und Gretel on La Scala main stage, working with some of the world leading conductors as Antonio Pappano and Daniel Barendoim. During his period at La Scala he had the opportunity to sing the role of Alfredo alongside Anna Netrebko for an orchestra rehearsal of La Traviata under the baton of Nello Santi.

He distinguished himself in several international singing competition: in 2019 Grand Prix awarded at “Bibigul Tulegenova” Competition in Kazakhstan and among the awarded at Internaional Singing Competition “Ferruccio Tagliavini” in Graz (Austria), in 2013 ha was a finalist at “Voci Verdiane” Competition in Busseto, in 2018 he was a winner of ASLICO Competition, which gave him the opportunity to debut the role of Fenton in Falstaff in the theatres of Opera Lombardia.

His symphonic repertoire includesPuccini’s Messa di gloria, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Mozart’s Requiem, Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, Dvorak’s Stabat Mater and Rossini’s Stabat Mater.

LATEST PERFORMANCES: La bohéme at Los Angeles Opera and at Palm Beach Opera; Tosca in Saarbrücken; La traviata at Terme di Caracalla with Opera di Roma and in Tirana; Carmen in La Coruña and at Deutsche Oper Berlin;Rigoletto, Madama Butterfly at Lithuanian National Opera Vilnius; Lucrezia Borgia at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma;Rigoletto andLa rondine at Teatro Regio in Turin; La traviata and Fidelio (Florestan) at Deutsche Oper Berlin;Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with Montreal Symphony Orchestra.

FORTHCOMING PROJECTS: Madama Butterfly in Sydney and La traviata in Melbourne with Opera Australia; Il tabarro and Gianni Schicchi in Vilnius; Carmen in Vienna; Lucia di Lammermoor in Basel.

Roberto Covatta studied singing under the guidance of soprano Rosetta Noli, then he specialized with Roberto Coviello, Luciana Serra e Ugo Benelli. He made his debut at Teatro Regio di Torino in 1999, in Turandot staged by Zang Yimou, Oscar awarded director. In the following years he did his debuts at Opera Theatre of Dublin (Norma in 2003), Dutch National Opera Amsterdam (Rigoletto in 2004), La Fenice di Venezia (Parsifal in 2005).

Since then he has been regular guest of many leading theatres in Europe: La Scala di Milano (Turandot with Riccardo Chailly), Bayerische Staatsoper Munich (La fanciulla del West), La Monnaie de Bruxelles (Lucrezia Borgia, Trovatore, Guillaume Tell, Rigoletto, La Gioconda), Dutch National Opera Amsterdam (Simon Boccanegra, Lucia di Lammermoor, Turandot), Festspielhaus Baden-Baden (Tosca), Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Gianni Schicchi, Orphée aux Enfers, Madama Butterfly), Opéra de Nice (Turandot), Aalto-Musiktheater Essen (Turandot), Arena di Verona (Carmen, Nabucco, Tosca), Teatro San Carlo di Napoli (Il cappello di paglia di Firenze, Tosca, Evgenij Onegin), Opera Lombardia (Il cappello di paglia di Firenze, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Carmen, Rota’s Napoli milionaria), Teatro Regio di Parma (Turandot, Carmen), Théâtre National du Capitole de Toulouse (La forza del destino, La Gioconda).

His repertoire includes 18th-century opera buffa (Cimarosa’s L’impresario in angustie, La finta semplice, Mozart’s Bastien et Bastienne, Galuppi’s Il filosofo di campagna), French operetta (Offenbach) and 20th-century operas (Wolf-Ferrari’s I quatro rusteghi, Dallapiccola’s Volo di notte, Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream).

He has worked with such conductors as Riccardo Chailly, Zubin Metha, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Daniel Oren, Fabio Luisi, Paolo Arrivabeni, Alain Altinoglu, Carlo Rizzi, Evelino Pidò, Jurai Valčuha, Daniele Callegari, Alexander Anissimov, Daniele Rustioni, and with stage directors such as Nikolaus Lenhoff, Robert Carsen, Denis Krief, Hugo de Ana, Olivier Py, Tobias Kratzer, Barrie Kosky, Arnaud Berbard.

LATEST PERFORMANCES: Don Quixote in the theatres of Opera Lombardia; Falstaff at Teatro Regio di Parma for Festival Verdi; Dall’Ongaro’s Robin Hood (Little John) at Royal Opera House Muscat; Rigoletto and La traviata at Teatro La Fenice di Venezia; La traviata at Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova; Madama Butterfly in Rovigo, Padova and Treviso; La fanciulla del West at Bayerische Staatsoper Munich; Il tabarro e Gianni Schicchi at Teatro Regio di Torino and at La Monnaie in Brussels; La Gioconda, Evgenij Onegin and Tosca at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli; Werther at Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova; Falstaff in Busseto for Festival Verdi; Carmen and Tosca at Arena di Verona; Turandot with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta.

FORTHCOMING PROJECTS: Carmen in Treviso and in Padua; La Gioconda at Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona; Lucrezia Borgia at Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège; Werther and Adriana Lecouvreur at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli; L’incoronazione di Poppea at Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse.

Ragaa Eldin, born in Cairo, completed his musical studies at the conservatory in his hometown and had there his stage debut as a member of Cairo Opera ensemble (Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte), among other roles. In 2014 he graduated from the École Normale de Musique in Paris and in 2015 he received a scholarship at the Scuola dell’Opera of Teatro Comunale di Bologna. He also specialised attending masterclasses with Rolando Villazón and also at Savonlinna Music Academy.

He already performed on stage many leading roles such as Don Josè in Carmen, Manrico in Il trovatore, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Turiddu in Cavalleria rusticana, Rodolfo in La bohème, Alfredo in La traviata. In the concert repertoire, he sang Dvorak’s Stabat mater and Puccini’s Messa di Gloria.

Highlights of his career are Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and Calaf in Turandot at Deutsche Oper Berlin, his debut as Loris Ipanoff in Fedora at Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania under the baton of Daniel Oren, Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto at Wielki Teatre / Poland National Opera in Warsaw, Madama Butterfly and Ernani (title role) at Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Manrico in Il trovatore at Fjodor-Schaljapin Opera Festival in Kazan, Vaudèmont in a new production of Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta at Theater Kiel, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor on tour in France with Opera Nomade, Giancarlo Facchinetti’s Viaggio musicale all’inferno at Teatro Grande in Brescia; Jérusalem at Teatro Regio in Parmafor Verdi Festival, Cavaradossi in Tosca at Teatro Coccia Novara, Madama Butterfly at Opera Carlo Felice Genoa.

In 2017 he won the First Prize as Male Singer at the Spazio Musica International Competition, been award also the opportunity to debut the role of Alfredo in La traviata. In 2018 he was member of the Puccini Festival Academy in Torre del Lago, where he received the “Best Tenor” award.

LATEST PERFORMANCES: Hisham Gabr’s Sindbad: The Omani Sailor (world premiere) at Royal Opera House in Muscat; La forza del destino (Don Alvaro debut) at the Immling Festival; Turandot in Ostrava; Carmen at Cologne Opera and at Staatstheater Mainz; Madama Butterfly in Kazan and at Teatro Lirico di Cagliari; Carmen at Macerata Opera Festival.

FORTHCOMING PROJECTS: Turandot in Nürnberg; Sindbad: The Omani Sailor at Budapest Spring Festival; Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci in Bern.