The European Commission has made a final assessment of the project led by Auditorio de Tenerife, the opera L'elisir d'amore. In 2019, this project received a grant through the European Commission’s framework programme Creative Europe. This edition of Opera (e)Studio was jointly developed with the partners Opera and Ballet Theatre of Tbilisi and the Comunale di Bologna. The project was rated as outstanding with a score of 90 out of 100 points. 

The European Commission's report praises "the high quality of your interesting project" and notes that "activities carried out helped to reach a wider audience who would not normally attend opera performances". According to the European body, staging a production with a young artistic team has enabled them to connect with an audience that may have had so far "an approach to opera as an inaccessible or too old-fashioned performance". 

Among the strengths of the project, the European Commission's assessment highlights its capacity for training young singers who start their professional careers. Likewise, the report remarks that young people from over 30 countries have participated in the call for entries; the project has also collaborated with universities that have offered their facilities for recitals and conferences, thus bringing part of the production closer to the educational sphere. 

Ten singers chosen through international auditions starred in the Opera (e)Studio's production L'elisir d'amore, which premiered in October 2019 at the Auditorio de Tenerife. It was subsequently staged in Tbilisi in February 2020 and concluded in Bologna in September 2020. Functions in Italy were already affected by COVID-19.

The European Commission recognised that despite this major setback, the three partners showed strong collaboration and worked together to overcome it. The Commission's final report highlights that "their adaptation and proactive reaction to resolve some of these difficulties related to the global crisis reflected the strong commitment they had to implement their activities in the best possible way."

More information about the project, videos and photos

Tickets for Friday and Saturday are sold out

Tomorrow, Thursday the 18^th of March at 6:00 pm, Auditorio de Tenerife premieres the opera Il matrimonio segreto, by Domenico Cimarosa. This will be the first of four performances planned for this piece, a coproduction driven by Auditorio de Tenerife together with Teatro Regio di Parma and Teatro Massimo di Palermo. The singers who comprise the eighth edition of Opera (e)Studio will feature this opera. The four daily performances until Sunday the 21^st of March, will all start at 6:00 pm; tickets are sold out for Friday and Saturday. This initiative is promoted by the Department of Culture of Tenerife Island Council -managed by the Councillor Enrique Arriaga - through Ópera de Tenerife. 

Il matrimonio segreto will situate the scene in New York in the 1950s, where the patisserie Geronimo & Co. specialising in babàs (a typical sweet from Naples) is run by an Italian who misses his home-town. His youngest daughter, Carolina, has secretly married Paolino, a delivery boy at the bakery; both of them dream of starring in Broadway musicals. Geronimo's idea of marrying off his daughters to great noblemen will lead to the plot, originally set in Bologna in the 18^thcentury. 

During this first performance, Italian sopranos Giulia Mazzola and Eleonora Nota will respectively take on the roles of Carolina and Elisetta; French mezzo-soprano Claire Gascoin will be Fidalma, while the male roles will be played by Turkish tenor Bekir Serbest (Paolino), Italian bass Francesco Leone (Geronimo) and Chilean baritone Ramiro Maturana (Count Robinson). This cast will be the same as in Saturday's performance.

The performances on Friday and Sunday, both starting at 6:00 pm, will feature German soprano Veronika Seghers (Carolina), Italian soprano Marilena Ruta (Elisetta), Italian mezzo-soprano Mara Gaudenzi (Fidalma), Italian tenor Antonio Mandrillo (Paolino), Lithuanian bass Ignas Melnikas (Geronimo) and Spanish baritone Jan Antem (Count Robinson). 

These singers have been on the island since 27 January when they began a training programme coordinated by Giulio Zappa, artistic director of Opera (e)Studio since 2013. Roberto Catalano is the stage director and the music will be played by the Symphony Orchestra of Tenerife conducted by Davide Levi; Emanuele Sinisi is in charge of the set design, the costumes were created by Ilaria Ariemme and the lighting designer is Fiammetta Baldiserri. All of them feature for the first time at Opera de Tenerife, except Baldiserri.

Opera (e)Studio is a project of Opera de Tenerife that aims to train singers after a comprehensive artistic improvement programme that began last January. During this multi-purpose initiative, artists work on many aspects such as techniques of musical interpretation to stage performance; style, diction, body language or dramaturgy, which will alternate with sessions resembling the real professional pace of a theatre: costume tests, make-up and rehearsals with the orchestra. 

Tickets can be purchased until two hours before the concert on the website www.auditoriodetenerife.com and by dialling the phone number 902 317 327 from Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. By purchasing tickets, you accept the measures implemented by the cultural centre to combat Coronavirus, such as the correct use of masks and attendance to the event only with people you live with. All of the measures, as well as the contingency plan certified by AENOR, can be checked on the Auditorium’s website.

Alejandro Krawietz pointed out that this Opera (e)Studio edition has seen a record participation

Tenerife's Island Council presents the opera Il matrimonio segreto, by Domenico Cimarosa. It will be performed from March 18^th to 21^st in the Symphonic Hall of Auditorio de Tenerife. This opera is a co-production with Teatro Reggio di Parma and Teatro Massimo di Palermo, both of which will host it during the 2021/22 season. The staging is set in the 1950s and takes place in a New York bakery. The opera will be performed by the twelve singers who comprise the eighth class of Opera (e)Studio, a comprehensive learning project organised by Ópera de Tenerife.

The details of this production were announced today [Thursday 11] by Alejandro Krawietz, Island’s Director of Culture, and Giulio Zappa, Artistic Director of Opera (e)Studio; Roberto Catalano, Stage Director and Davide Levi, Conductor. Details were announced during an informative event at which all twelve singers who will star during the four performances were also present. 

According to the Island's Director of Culture "the programme has a comprehensive character in the operatic field", qualifying it as a highlight during this season of Opera de Tenerife. Krawietz explained the difficulties inherent in this edition due to the pandemic. He also pointed out that "during their stay on the island, the twelve singers undergo a learning process with a very intense professional pace". He also declared that "singers were chosen through an international call for applications, which attracted 195 candidates, a record number in all editions that have been held".

Giulio Zappa, Artistic Director, stressed the importance of this project in which almost hundred singers have participated over the last eight years. He thanked the whole team for their involvement in bringing this work to fruition. He also hoped that "the singers will always remember this time in Tenerife, despite the fact that this year has been a bit peculiar due to the health situation"; he was confident that this experience will be "important and fun for their life and professional career". 

Roberto Catalano, Stage Director of Il matrimonio segreto, said he was "very happy to be here during this peculiar historical moment. “We have made a team effort and I thank everyone for making me feel at home. Davide Levi, Conductor, emphasised that "the Symphony Orchestra of Tenerife is doing a marvellous job". He also valued how "incredible" it is to offer a concert with audience under these circumstances, so "I am very fortunate to be part of this project".

Catalan singer Jan Antem spoke on behalf of his colleagues. "It is a challenge to perform this opera because it has a very peculiar style," said the Spanish baritone. He added that "the experience in Tenerife has been very pleasant" and also recognises that he is fulfilling a dream by being able to perform this same title in Italy, namely "in two theatres with a long tradition", such as Teatro Reggio di Parma and Teatro Massimo di Palermo.

Il matrimonio segreto is set in New York in the 1950s, where Geronimo & Co. patisserie specialising in babàs (a typical sweet from Naples) is run by an Italian who misses his hometown. His youngest daughter, Carolina, has secretly married Paolino, a delivery boy at the bakery, and both dream of starring in Broadway musicals. Geronimo's idea is to marry off his daughters to noblemen. This will lead to the plot development, which was originally set in 18th century in Bologna.

The young artists are Giulia Mazzola (Italy), Veronika Seghers (Germany), Eleonora Nota (Italy), Marilena Ruta (Italy), Mara Gaudenzi (Italy), Claire Gascoin (France), Bekir Serbest (Turkey), Antonio Mandrillo (Italy), Ignas Melnikas (Lithuania), Francesco Leone (Italy), Jan Antem (Spain) and Ramiro Maturana (Chile). In addition to Roberto Catalano and Davide Levi, the staff is rounded up with Emanuele Sinisi as set designer; Ilaria Ariemme as costume designer and Fiammetta Baldiserri as lighting director.

Opera (e)Studio is a project of Ópera de Tenerife whose aim is to train singers after a process of comprehensive artistic improvement that began last January. During this multi-purpose initiative, artists work on multiple aspects, from different techniques of musical interpretation to stage performance; style, diction, body language or dramaturgy, which will alternate with sessions resembling the real professional pace of a theatre: costume tests, make-up and rehearsals with the orchestra. 

Tickets for any of the four performances can be purchased until two hours before the concert on the website  www.auditoriodetenerife.com and by dialling the phone number 902 317 327 from Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. By purchasing tickets, you accept the measures implemented by the cultural centre to combat Coronavirus, such as the correct use of masks and attendance to the event only with people you are living with. All of the measures, as well as the contingency plan certified by AENOR, can be consulted on the Auditorium’s website.

Cast and Crew

Art Director of Opera (e)Studio: Giulio Zappa

Conductor: Davide Levi

Stage Director: Roberto Catalano

Choreographer: Sandhya Nagaraja

Scenic Designer: Emanuele Sinisi

Assistant Scenic Designer: Francesca Sgariboldi

Costume Designer: Ilaria Ariemme

Lighting Designer: Fiammetta Baldiserri

Coproduced by: Auditorio de Tenerife, Teatro Reggio di Parma and Massimo di Palermo

Symphony Orchestra of Tenerife 

Figurants

The following dancers of "Centro Internacional de Danza de Tenerife" take part in all four performances: Tania Peña, Olaya Hernández, Víctor Rodríguez, Guillermo Vera and Eduardo Díez, as well as the actor Juan Pablo Domínguez.

Twelve young singers will take part in the eighth Opera (e)Studio

Ópera de Tenerife has chosen the twelve singers who will participate in the eighth Opera (e)Studio, following the selection of the programme’s artistic director Giulio Zappa from 195 candidates from 36 countries. The young singers will reach the Island on 28 January to start their intense comprehensive training  that will end with the performance of Domenico Cimarosa’s Il matrimonio segreto, from 18 to 21 March at the Sala Sinfónica of the Auditorio de Tenerife, a venue under the Cabildo de Tenerife’s Department of Culture run by councillor Enrique Arriaga.

Geronimo will be played by Lithuanian  Ignas Melnikas  and Italian Francesco Leone; the Italian  singers Eleonara Nota and Marilena Ruta sing the role of Elisetta; Italian Giulia Mazzola and German Veronika Seghers will play Carolina; Fidalma is to be performed by Italian Mara Gaudenzi and French Claire Gascoin; Catalan singer Jan Antem and Chilean Ramiro Maturana have been chosen for the part of Conte Robinson, while Turkish Bekir Serbest and Italian Antonio Mandrillo will play the role of Paolino.

Il matrimonio segreto is one of the most interesting and best-known operas of Cimarosa, a clear example of 18^th century opera buffa. The plot is full of impossible situations, disguises, and a happy end: A rich merchant wishing to climb up the social ladder tries to marry his two daughters to members of the aristocracy. But he ignores that one of his daughters has secretly married one of his employees.

This opera by Cimarosa has six roles that will be played by the twelve singers in the four performances of this co-production between Auditorio de Tenerife, Teatro Regio di Parma and Teatro Massimo di Palermo. The music director for this show is Davide Levi while Roberto Catalano is the stage director.

The singers, whose age range from 22 year-old Seghers to Serbest, who is 31, will have several master classes on the island by director Giulio Zappa, soprano Mariella Devia and stage director Silvia Paoli.

Opera (e)Studio is a programme Ópera de Tenerife set up in 2013 with the aim of boosting young talents through comprehensive artistic improvement. Its permanent base is at Auditorio de Tenerife and in the previous years they staged Così fan tutte (2013), La Cenerentola (2014), Le nozze di Figaro (2015), Don Pasquale (2016), I Capuleti e i Montecchi (2017), L’italiana in Algeri (2018) and L’elisir d’amore (2019).

Check last information about how to participate in Opera (e)Studio here.

The tests are for the cast of `Il matrimonio segreto´, the title chosen for the 8th year of this renowned programme

Auditorio de Tenerife, a cultural venue under the Cabildo de Tenerife’s Department of Culture run by Enrique Arriaga, has announced the dates of the auditions for Ópera de Tenerife’s project Opera (e)Studio. The international tests will take place from 30 November to 18 December in four Italian and Spanish cities: Parma, Palermo, Madrid and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. If you are interested and have not applied yet you can do it until 6:00 pm on 10 November. 

The singers chosen will take part in the eighth Opera (e)Studio, the comprehensive training academy for young artists directed by Giulio Zappa. They will go on stage on 18, 19, 20 and 21 March 2021 to perform Cimarosa’s Il matrimonio segreto, a co-production with Teatro Regio di Parma and Teatro Massimo di Palermo.

Apart from Zappa, the project, which is known internationally, will have Davide Levi as musical director and Roberto Catalano as stage director; the costumes will be designed by Ilaria Ariemme and the lighting design will be by Fiammetta Baldiserri.

The auditions were meant to take place between 11th and 19th May 2020 but had to be put off because of the health crisis. So, the new dates for the 2020 auditions, unless the health situation prevents it again, are as follows: 30 November and 1 December in Parma, 3 December in Palermo; 15 and 16 December in Madrid, and on 18 December  in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

All the information about the auditions and how to apply is available on www.operaestudio.eu. The regulations are in Spanish, Italian and English. Those who have already applied will receive the information individually via email but for any specific query please write toThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The purpose of this programme for young artists is to provide highly specialized training in the international opera field while it is also a springboard for many of the young talents. Singers from more than 24 different countries -including the auditions- have taken part in previous years. Ópera (e)Studio also highlights Auditorio de Tenerife’s technical production work and in 2019 and 2020 was recognised by the European Commission’s programme Creative Europe, which shows the development, sustainability, job creation and training.

Check last information about how to participate in Opera (e)Studio here.

Auditorio de Tenerife, part of the Department of Culture, Education, Youth and Sport of the Cabildo de Tenerife, keeps working with the specialization academy Opera(e)Studio, which has made changes in its usual calendar. The current situation and its consequences in terms of safety and international mobility have led to the relocation of the auditions and the staging of the eighth opera, which is co-produced with Teatro Regio di Parma and Teatro Massimo di Palermo.

The auditions were meant to take place between 11 and 19 May 2020 in the Spanish municipalities of Madrid and Santa Cruz de Tenerife and in the Italian cities of Parma and Palermo. We are currently trying to find the best date at the end of the present year to carry out these tests safely and with all the health and quality guarantees for participating singers.

Therefore, the calendar of this Ópera de Tenerife programme has changed. The production of Il matrimonio segreto by Domenico Cimarosa, that was scheduled for October 2020, will now take place in the first quarter of 2021, provided that this exceptional situation allows it. Later, the production and the same cast will travel to the two co-producing theatres.

Although the registration deadline was on 19 April, Ópera de Tenerife announced registration is to be kept open. In fact, with the aim of offering the best options to interested artists, the registration period is extended until further notice. The audition dates will be published as soon as possible on this website.

All those who are already registered will individually receive this information on their email. If candidates have any doubts or need further information they can write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Ópera de Tenerife thanks you for your support and understanding in this complex situation.

This programme for young artists aims to provide highly specialised training in the international opera field while also acting as a showcase and springboard for many of the singers. In past years candidates from more than 24 countries have taken part in the auditions. Ópera (e)Studio also shows the technical production work done at Auditorio de Tenerife, which in 2019 and 2020 was recognised by the European Commission’s Creative Europe programme which reflects its development, sustainability, job creation and training.

Check last information about how to participate in Opera (e)Studio here.

ATENCIÓN / ATTENTION / ATTENZIONE

Ópera de Tenerife, ante la situación extraordinaria y de emergencia de salud en la que se encuentra el mundo y dadas las restricciones de movilidad vigentes en toda Europa, está analizando la mejor solución para llevar a cabo las audiciones de Opera Estudio 2020. 

Check last information about how to participate in Opera (e)Studio here.

Ópera de Tenerife has opened the call to take part in the eighth Opera (e)Studio, the high specialization academy for young artists, a scheme shared with two theatres in Italy: the Teatro Regio di Parma and the Teatro Massimo di Palermo. This time Ópera de Tenerife has chosen the title Il matrimonio segreto by Domenico Cimarosa. At the auditions, to take place at the two Italian theatres, at the Auditorio de Tenerife and at the Escuela Superior de Canto de Madrid, the young artists will have the chance to show the talent, quality and excellence of their work.

Ópera de Tenerife’s team of professionals will start working with the selected singers in September through to the production of the opera which is to be put on four times from 22 to 25 October 2020 at Auditorio de Tenerife’s Sala Sinfónica. The same cast will also perform Il matrimonio segreto at theTeatro Regio di Parma and at the Teatro Massimo di Palermo in 2021.

Opera (e)Studio will be holding the auditions in four cities - on 11 and 12 May at the Escuela Superior de Canto de Madrid; on 14 and 15 May at the Teatro Regio di Parma; on 17 May at the Teatro Massimo di Palermo and finally, at the  Auditorio de Tenerife on 19 May.

The candidates entering the selection process will have to perform, according to the role they are applying for, the compulsory arias of Il matrimonio segreto by Domenico Cimarosa; and two arias of other comic operas (or intermezzi) in Italian by Pergolesi, Galuppi, Piccinni, Paisiello, Cimarosa, Haydn, Salieri, Mozart or Rossini, one of which must include a recitative. All the arias, including the excerpts of the role in Il matrimonio segreto, are to be sung by heart.

Candidates can enter for more than one role. The titles requested for the five roles are the following: Geronimo (bass, baritone or bass-baritone) the aria Udite, tutti, udite, the recitative Questa invero è curiosa and the duet Se fiato in Corpo avete; Elisetta (soprano or mezzo soprano) the aria Se son vendicara; Carolina (mezzo soprano or contralto) the aria E vero che in casa; Conte Robinson (bass, baritone or bass-baritone) the introduzione entitled Cara, non dubitar, the recitative Or sappi, sposa mia and the aria Pria che spunti in ciel l’aurora.

For further information, please see the Regulations on Opera (e)Studio website www.operaestudio.eu . The call is open for opera singers who were born on or after 1 January 1988 and the deadline is on 19 April 2020 before 6:00 pm.

The aim of Ópera de Tenerife’s scheme for young artists is to provide holistic, highly specialized training in international opera singing. In these eight years singers from more than 24 different countries have taken part. Ópera (e)Studio has been the showcase and springboard for artists who are nowadays part of the opera world.

This programme by Ópera de Tenerife has also highlighted the work done at Auditorio de Tenerife’s production workshops, having been recognised by the European Commission’s Creative Europe scheme, which shows the development, sustainability, job creation and training in 2019 and 2020.

Tenors César Arrieta and Klodjan Kaҫani lend their voices to Nemorino, the young peasant who is in love with Adina, in L’elisir d’amore, one of the most often performed and acclaimed operas by Bergamo composer Gaetano Donizetti, that will open the 2019/2020 Ópera de Tenerife season with four performances by the members of Opera (e)Studio.

This coproduction of Ópera de Tenerife, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre, will first be performed tomorrow, [Thursday, the 24th] and then on Friday, the 25^th, Saturday, the 26^th and Sunday, the 27]. All the performances of this project, which this year is funded by the European Commission programme Creative Europe, will be on at Auditorio de Tenerife’s Sala Sinfónica at 7:30 pm except for the last one which starts at 6:00 pm.

Both singers will play the role on alternate days: Kaҫani will be on stage tomorrow and on Saturday while Arrieta is singing on Friday and Sunday. Tickets can be purchased through Auditorio de Tenerife’s usual sale channels: at the box office from 10:00 am to 7:30 pm, Monday to Saturday except holidays, via www.auditoriodetenerife.com or by phone on 902 317 327.

Venezuelan singer, César Arrieta, started training from an early age in the Sistema Nacional de Orquestas y Coros Juveniles e Infantiles [National System of Young and Children Orchestras and Choirs] in his native city and at the Escuela Superior de Canto de Madrid. Although this is his first time on the island, he has heard of the work done at Ópera de Tenerife because of “the high artistic level of the productions”.

The tenor learned about the Opera (e)Studio programme through some friends who had taken part in Don Pasquale (2016) and decided to enter this year because of the title chosen. The singer says that Nemorino is an essential role for tenors”. Although he has never been on stage with this opera, he has sung many of its pieces in concerts and admits that “there was a lot of Nemorino in my life before we met face to face”.

Klodjan Kaҫani, an Albanian singer who studied at Universiteti i Arteve di Tirana, came to the island for the first time last season for the production of Lucia di Lammermoor in the role of Normanno, so he knows the work Ópera de Tenerife carries out very well.

For Kaҫani, who took part in the production of Adriana Lecouvreur at the Fondazione Arena di Verona, this is the first time he is tackling L’elisir d’amore, a title in which the complexity of Nemorino stands out as it also puts the stress on the evolution of the character through the opera.

These two young tenors, along with eight other singers, came to the island to take part in the seventh Opera (e)Studio, the comprehensive programme for singers’ artistic improvement. The training, directed by Giulio Zappa from the beginning, consists of different masterclasses given by international first-rate professionals and goes on with the typical rehearsals of every opera production, which is the phase that is currently in progress. The programme concludes with the performance of the opera.

L’elisir d’amore marks the beginning of the season and has Antonio Méndez -principal conductor of Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife- as musical director. This Ópera de Tenerife show is done in coproduction with Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre is the debut in Europe of stage director Pablo Maritano, who transports us to the Golden Age of Hollywood. It all comes with the stage design of Serena Rocco, costumes by Lorena Marin and Virginio Levrio as lighting designer.

The bass voices of Italian Matteo Andrea Mollica and Georgian Givi Gigineishvili will play the role of Dr. Dulcamara in the opera L’elisir d’amore, which is on this week -from Thursday to Sunday- at the Auditorio de Tenerife. Dulcamara is a trickster who sells Nemorino a love potion to help him win Adina’s love, but it is really just wine. Mollica and Gigineishvili, members of Opera (e)Studio, are taking part in this co-production between Ópera de Tenerife, Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre, which this year is funded by the European Commission programme Creative Europe.

The Georgian singer started his singing career at the age of 15 at schools in Batumi, his native city. He furthered his education at the Youth Music Theatre and at Tbilisi State Conservatoire V. Sarajishvili, and he is currently resident artist at Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre, a stage where he performed in L’elisir d’amore two years ago. “I love this title and working on the character of Dulcamara is particularly interesting”.

Mollica, who is playing the role on the Friday and Sunday performances, started his singing studies at Università di Torino and at Giuseppe Verdi Conservatoire in the same city. This is the first time he is on the island, but he knew about the Ópera de Tenerife productions and its high specialisation academy for artists, Opera (e)Studio, through his teachers and colleagues. “I believe it’s a great opportunity for young artists”, he says regarding taking part in the seventh Opera (e)Studio and highlights that, above all, the training programme has a “very high level”. It is divided in one month of general training followed by one month of working on a real production.

As for Dulcamara, this is the first time the Italian singer is performing the role and his main concern is for the character not “to be ridiculous”, while the Georgian artist explains that the role he is playing on Thursday and Saturday “requires plenty of energy: he talks a lot, and the text is very difficult and fast”. He points out that the singer “needs to be well trained to perform this role. Therefore, he also needs to play well on the stage and have a lot of energy to be able to show all the details”.

Regarding future projects, both singers focus on making the most of their experience in Opera (e)Studio and L’elisir d’amore, but they wish to keep evolving in other characters. Givi Gigineishvili admits that “every character is interesting for me… but I’d like to play the role of Philip II in Verdi’s Don Carlo”. Matteo Andrea Mollica’s answer is more categorical: “My favourite role, in my favourite title, by my favourite composer: Ezio in Attila by Verdi”.

L’elisir d’amore marks the beginning of the 2019-2020 season with Antonio Méndez -principal conductor of Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife- as musical director. This new Ópera de Tenerife show is done in coproduction with Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre and has the funding of the European Commission through the Creative Europe programme. It is also the debut in Europe of stage director Pablo Maritano, who transports us to the Golden Age of Hollywood. It all comes with the stage design of Serena Rocco, costumes by Lorena Marin and Virginio Levrio as lighting designer

This is the first time sopranos Leonora Tess and Sofía Esparza are in Tenerife where they have come to play the role of Giannetta, Adina’s friend in  L’elisir d’amore. One of the best-known comic operas by Gaetano Donizetti, it will open the Ópera de Tenerife 2019-2020 season with performances starting on Thursday next week and running till Sunday. Both singers are playing the role on alternate days. Esparza will perform on Thursday and Saturday while Tess will be on stage on Friday and Sunday.

Sofía Esparza, who started to study singing when she was seven years old, is a Spanish soprano who trained at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Navarra and at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya. The singer, who is visiting the island for the first time, heard “very, very good” references of Ópera de Tenerife and the high specialisation academy for artists Opera (e)Studio from “singers who have taken part in the programme in previous years”.  The soprano says she decided to enter the auditions for L’elisir d’amore, a title she is performing for the first time, because “it’s a great chance for singers to train professionally” and also because “it’s a major boost to my career”.

Italian Leonora Tess started to study singing when she was 19 after studying piano at the Conservatorio di Musica Giuseppe Verdi in Milan. The singer, who like the Spanish soprano, had never been to the island, hopes to return soon as she says she is “in love with Tenerife”. Regarding Opera (e)Studio, a programme she had already heard of, she stated that “it’s a good opportunity to grow as an artist” adding that for a singer L’elisir d’amore is the perfect opera “to connect with the feelings of the audience”. Unlike her partner, this is not the first time she deals with this character; she played it in Milan and explains that the difficulty of the role lies in “bringing a character to life that can actually attract the audience’s attention”.

As far as future projects, Sofía Esparza would like to make the most of the boost this opportunity has given her and carry on with her career by “taking the right steps” and continuing with her training as a singer and artist. No doubt, she dreams of playing the roles of Norina in Don Pasquale, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro or Micaela in Carmen. Similarly, Leonora Tess’s main goal is to keep on growing as an artist and concludes that after her experience in Tenerife she expects “her career to grow from now on”. Like her colleague, she hopes to be on stage one day playing the role of Musetta in La bohème, Despina in Così fan tutte or Marie in La fille du régiment.

These two young sopranos, along with eight other singers, arrived on the island to take part in the seventh Opera (e)Studio, the comprehensive programme for singers’ artistic improvement. The training, directed by Giulio Zappa, consists of different masterclasses given by international first-rate professionals and goes on with the typical rehearsals of every opera production, which is the phase that is currently in progress. The programme concludes with the performance of L’elisir d’amore from 24 to 27 October.

L’elisir d’amore marks the beginning of the 2019-2020 season with Antonio Méndez -principal conductor of Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife- as musical director. This new Ópera de Tenerife show is done in coproduction with Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre and has the funding of the European Commission through the Creative Europe programme. It is also the debut in Europe of stage director Pablo Maritano, who transports us to the Golden Age of Hollywood. It all comes with the stage design of Serena Rocco, costumes by Lorena Marin and Virginio Levrio as lighting designer.

The Cabildo de Tenerife presents the opera L’elisir d’amore, by Donizetti, to be performed at Sala Sinfónica of Auditorio de Tenerife from 24 to 27 October. It is a coproduction between Ópera de Tenerife, Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre, and this year it is funded by the European Commission programme Creative Europe. The cast on stage are the members of the seventh Opera (e)Studio, the high specialisation academy.

The details of the production were revealed today, Wednesday the 16th at Auditorio de Tenerife by the Councillor for Culture of the Cabildo, Concepción Rivero; the artistic director of the Auditorio, José Luis Rivero; Opera (e)Studio’s artistic director, Giulio Zappa; the musical director, Antonio Méndez, and the stage director, Pablo Maritano.

The ten singers were chosen in auditions held in Bologna, Tbilisi, Madrid and Tenerife last February which were entered by 181 candidates of 33 different nationalities. The singers taking part are María Rita Combattelli (soprano); Beatriz de Sousa (soprano); Klodjan Kaçani (tenor); César Arrieta (tenor); Alberto Bonifazio (baritone); Jacobo Ochoa (baritone); Givi Gigineishvili (bass); Matteo Andrea Mollica (bass); Sofía Esparza (soprano) and Leonora Tess (soprano).

Concepción Rivero admitted that “it’s a pleasure to present L’elisir d’amore”, that will be performed “on this wonderful stage” and that opens Ópera de Tenerife’s new season.  For his part, the artistic director of Auditorio de Tenerife, José Luis Rivero, presented this production of Opera (e)Studio, “the academy specialising in opera singing where we are honoured to have had Giulio Zappa as director from the beginning; singers training at the academy in previous years are now following an international career”.

The artistic director explained that “different reasons make this year unique: this is the first time the principal conductor of Sinfónica de Tenerife is musically directing one of our operas, for which we thank Antonio Méndez’s generosity; it is the European debut of one of the most renowned stage directors in Latin America, Pablo Maritano; and this project is a coproduction between Ópera de Tenerife, Teatro Comunale di Bolognia and Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theatre, chosen among more than 500 European projects in the Creative Europe programme, and the only opera project that was chosen”.

In Giulio Zappa’s view, “this seventh year is special because of the support of Creative Europe”. Opera (e)Studio artistic director stated that “in my over 20-year-long career I’ve never met such a passionate, committed team as the one in Ópera de Tenerife, who I now regard as family”. Regarding the participants, Zappa thanks them for “these two months together in which I’ve also learnt a lot from them”.

Sinfónica de Tenerife’s principal conductor, Antonio Méndez, admits that “I’m looking forward to making my debut with Ópera de Tenerife; it’s a pleasure to be leading this title by Opera (e)Studio, a very interesting and necessary project in the opera world which this year has brought us two great high-level casts. They are all very different from each other which, in turn, offers a richer result as audiences can value each voice, each character”. For his part, Pablo Maritano thanked the invitation from Ópera de Tenerife intendant, Alejandro Abrante, and Jorge Cabrera, head of technical production of Auditorio de Tenerife, and his “tireless” team. “The whole team has surrounded us with their enthusiasm and although this sector is always full of challenges, we’re very happy about how we’ve dealt with them and with the final result”.

This Ópera de Tenerife production is a melodramma giocoso by Gaetano Donizetti with the libretto by Felice Romani, based on the text Le philtre by Eugène Scribe for Daniel François Esprit Auber’s opera. One of the most praised operas by the composer thanks to unforgettable melodies like ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ and a lively plot about the love affair between beautiful Adina and naive Nemorino. It was premiered at Teatro della Canobbiana in Milan on 12 May 1832.

Opera (e)Studio is the high specialisation academy for Ópera de Tenerife artists, which has had Giulio Zappa as artistic director since 2012. This project was set up with the aim of providing training in all the opera disciplines for young artists while at the same time meeting the demands of the present work market. The selected artists arrived on the island last September and have been working on different areas ranging from musical and stage performance techniques to style, diction, body language or dramaturgy which are combined with rehearsals done at the professional pace set by a theatre: costume fittings, make-up and rehearsing with the orchestra.

The performances on Thursday, the 24th, Friday, the 25th and Saturday the 26th are taking place at 7:30 pm. The show in at 6:00 pm on Sunday, the 27^th. Tickets can be purchased at Auditorio de Tenerife box office from 10:00 am to 7:30 pm Monday to Saturday; via www.auditoriodetenerife.com or calling 902 317 327.