Saimir Pirgu
The Albanian tenor Saimir Pirgu is considered one of the world's leading interpreters in his field, regularly performing at the most prestigious opera houses, including La Scala in Milan, the Vienna State Opera, the Royal Opera House in London, the Berlin State Opera Unter den Linden, and the Bavarian State Opera. He maintains close relationships with renowned conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Christian Thielemann, Philippe Jordan, Zubin Mehta, and Sir Antonio Pappano. Recently, he performed as Don José in Carmen at the Edinburgh International Festival and as Cavaradossi in Tosca at the Roma Caracalla Festival.
Highlights of the 2024/25 season include his return to the Zurich Opera House with a role debut as Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut, a reprise of the title role in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, and performances as Roméo in Roméo et Juliette, Rodolfo in La Bohème, and Macduff in Macbeth. His recent opera highlights include his role debut as the title character in Ernani at the Bregenz Festival, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at the Teatro di San Carlo, Rodolfo in La Bohème at the Vienna State Opera, Il Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto and Rodolfo at the Royal Opera House, Don José in Carmen at the Zurich Opera House, Lenski in Eugene Onegin at the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome, the title role in Idomeneo at the Berlin State Opera Unter den Linden, and title roles in Les Contes d'Hoffmann and Faust at the Zurich Opera House. He is also highly successful as a concert singer worldwide.
In 2009, Pirgu received the Franco Corelli Prize from the Teatro delle Muse in Ancona for his performance in La Traviata, and in 2013, he was awarded the prestigious "Pavarotti d'Oro." The DVD/Blu-Ray recording of Król Rogerfrom the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, featuring Pirgu as the Shepherd, received a nomination for Best Opera Recording at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2016. In the same year, Pirgu released his latest solo album, Il Mio Canto, on Opus Arte.
Since 2013, Pirgu has served as an ambassador for Down Syndrome Albania, a foundation dedicated to supporting children with Down syndrome.