Hadrian

Praised by the New York Times for his “genuine originality,” Rufus Wainwright has established himself as one of the great male vocalists, songwriters, and composers of his generation. The New York-born, Montreal-raised singer-songwriter has released ten studio albums to date, three DVDs, and three live albums including the GRAMMY® nominated Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall. He has collaborated with artists such as Elton John, Burt Bacharach, Miley Cyrus, David Byrne, Boy George, Joni Mitchell, Pet Shop Boys, Heart, Carly Rae Jepsen, Robbie Williams, Jessye Norman, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Sting, and producer Mark Ronson, among many others. He has written two operas and numerous songs for movies and TV. His 2020 GRAMMY® nominated studio album of original songs, Unfollow the Rules, finds Wainwright at the peak of his powers, entering artistic maturity with passion, honesty, and a new-found fearlessness. In 2023, he embarked on a journey to his family folk roots with his newly-released, GRAMMY® nominated album Folkocracy featuring reinvented folk duets with artists like Chaka Khan, Brandi Carlile, John Legend and Anohni and many more. His first musical of John Cassavetes’ Opening Night for the West End with Ivo van Hove premiered at the Gielgud Theater in March 2024. During this time he also completed a Requiem which premiered with the Orchestre Philharmonique de la Radio France in June of 2024. Co-commissioners for the Requiem are the Master Chorale in Los Angeles, the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona, the Helsinki Symphony Orchestra, the RTE Orchestra in Ireland, and the Royal Ballet London.

The orchestra was founded in April 1968, when musicians from the recently disbanded “Commander-in-Chief” (C-in-C) orchestra of the Malta-based British Mediterranean Fleet regrouped as the Manoel Theatre Orchestra. It continued to serve as the theatre’s resident orchestra until September 1997, when it became an independent orchestra, taking up the name National Orchestra of Malta. The orchestra became the MPO in 2008 when it expanded into a full-size symphony orchestra, bringing together musicians from Malta, Europe and beyond. Joseph Sammut, who was the C-in-C’s last conductor and the Manoel Theatre Orchestra’s first, was succeeded by Joseph Vella, John Galea, Michael Laus, Brian Schembri and Sergey Smbatyan. The MPO’s current resident conductor is Michael Laus. The orchestra also works with local artists including Joseph Calleja, Simon Schembri, Carmine Lauri and Miriam Gauci, as well as international guest artists including Ray Chen, Diana Damrau, José Cura, Mikhail Pletnev, Camille Thomas, Gautier Capuçon, Daniel Lozakovich and Enrico Dindo. As Malta’s leading musical institution, the MPO averages more than one performance a week including symphonic concerts, opera productions in Malta and Gozo, community outreach and educational initiatives, as well as various concerts of a lighter nature. During the past seasons, the MPO embarked on a Digital Transformation reaching audiences worldwide through its Online Programme. The orchestra has performed in leading venues across the globe, including in the United States, Russia, Dubai, Germany, Austria, China, Italy, Spain and Belgium. The MPO is a keen exponent of Maltese composers, regularly performing their works in Malta and overseas, as well as frequently premiering and commissioning new compositions. It is also responsible for the training and professional development of the next generation of Maltese musicians.

Johannes Debus’s musical journey began as a child conducting Beethoven’s "Eroica" in front of a mirror, but his true understanding of conducting came at 14 when he saw Günter Wand conduct Bruckner. Fascinated by how gestures and body language can create a shared musical experience, Debus believes music emerges from a reciprocal dialogue between conductor and orchestra, with trust, listening, and vision at its core. His role, he says, is to create space for music to emerge naturally and passionately. Debus began his professional career at the Frankfurt Opera in 1998, working as a répétiteur and Kapellmeister, developing a diverse repertoire. In 2009, he became the music director of the Canadian Opera Company, contributing to its growth and international reputation. He is also an educator, serving as director of the North American orchestral academy for opera in Toronto, conducting the Royal Conservatory Orchestra, and offering masterclasses at the Aspen Music Festival. A sought-after guest conductor, Debus has worked with major orchestras like the Cleveland Orchestra and Boston Symphony, and performed with the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra and Bavarian State Opera. His repertoire spans Monteverdi to contemporary works, which he believes open doors to new and limitless musical possibilities.

Jorn Weisbrodt was born in Hamburg on January 26, 2973. He studied opera directing at the music conservatory "Hanns Eisler" in Berlin. He is married to Rufus Wainwright and currently manages his career and produces his work. Until 2016 he served as the artistic adviser to the Music Center in Los Angeles where he produced a large birthday concert for Joni' Mitchell's 75th birthday that was released as an album and movie across the globe. Between 2012 and 2016 he was the Artistic Director of the Luminato Festival in Toronto where he commissioned and produced new works with artists such as Marina Abramovic, Lemi Ponifasio, and R. Murray Schafer. Before this appointment he was working as the executive director of RW Work Ltd. representing and managing the work of Robert Wilson and as the director of The Watermill Center. He has been instrumental in producing productions such as The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic and the worldwide tour and revival of Robert Wilson’s and Philip Glass’ opera Einstein on the Beach. He has been the artistic production director at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin from 2002 until 2007 producing contemporary operatic performances with artists such as John Bock, Jonathan Meese, Dan Graham, Tony Oursler and Gregor Schneider and has been part of the artistic leading team of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden and involved in all programming with the artistic director Peter Mussbach and the music director Daniel Barenboim. At the Staatsoper Unter den Linden he worked on the world premiere of Hans Werner Henze’s new opera Phaedra with set designs by Olafur Eliasson that toured internationally, Dmitry Cerniakoff’s first European opera premiere outside of Russia, Tristan and Isolde with the set design debut of Herzog and de Meuron and a new opera by French composer Pascal Dusapin with the set design debut of the Scandinavian artist duo Elmgreen and Dragset among others. In 1998 and 2000 he was Robert Wilson’s personal assistant working at institutions such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Salzburg Festival,the Festival d’Automne, the Golden Mask Festival in Moscow and many other institutions around the world.

John Torres is a New York based lighting designer working in theatre, motion, print, exhibitions and live music. Professionally trained in theatrical lighting design, John has designed for artists including director Robert Wilson, photographer Steven Klein, choreographers Lucinda Childs and Trisha Brown and musicians such as Drake and Solange Knowles. Recent and upcoming engagements include: Tristan und Isolde at the Metropolitan Opera (director: Yuval Sharon), PIT by choreographer Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber at Paris Opera Ballet, Drake's recent arena tour, It's All A Blur, Solange Knowles's In Service to Whom at the Sydney Volume Festival, Off-Broadway Danny and the Deep Blue Sea starring Aubrey Plaza and Christopher Abbott, and Adam Pendelton's Who Is Queen? at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington D.C. In Fashion, clients have included Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Michael Kors, Louis Vuitton and Proenza Schouler.

Robert Mapplethorpe was born in 1946 in Queens, NY. In 1963, Mapplethorpe enrolled at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where he studied drawing, painting, and sculpture. He experimented with various materials in mixed-media collages, including images cut from books and magazines. Mapplethorpe was gifted a Polaroid camera in 1970 and began using his own photographs to create collages. In 1975, Sam Wagstaff, benefactor and mentor, gave Mapplethorpe a Hasselblad 500 camera, and he began photographing his circle of friends and acquaintances—artists, musicians, socialites, stars, and members of the S&M underground. Throughout the 1980s, Mapplethorpe produced images that simultaneously challenge and adhere to classical aesthetic standards: stylized compositions of male and female nudes, delicate flowers and still lifes, and portraits. He introduced different techniques, including photogravures, platinum prints and dye transfer color prints. In 1986, Mapplethorpe was diagnosed with AIDS. Despite his illness, he accepted challenging commissions. The Whitney Museum of American Art mounted his first American museum retrospective in 1988, the year before his death in 1989. His vast, provocative, and powerful body of work has established him as one of the most important artists of the twentieth century. Today, Mapplethorpe’s work is represented by galleries on four continents and is in the collections of major museums around the world. Beyond the art historical and cultural significance of his work, his legacy lives on through the work of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation.

The Argentine baritone Germán Enrique Alcántara was a member of the prestigious Jette Parker Young Artist Programme at the Royal Opera House, London, where he appeared in numerous productions. He rose to international prominence at Covent Garden in 2022, captivating audiences as Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro under the baton of Sir Antonio Pappano, in a production broadcast in cinemas worldwide. A compelling interpreter of Verdi, Alcántara has garnered acclaim for his performances throughout 2024. In April, he recorded Simon Boccanegra in its original 1857 version with the Hallé Orchestra, conducted by Sir Mark Elder. October marked his role debut as Rigoletto with Welsh National Opera, followed by his portrayal of Renato in Un ballo in maschera at Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, in November. Looking ahead to 2025, he will take on the roles of Rodrigue in Don Carlos and Giorgio Germont in La traviata. His artistry has been recognized in prestigious international singing competitions, including the 2021 Tenor Viñas Competition in Barcelona, where he won Third Prize and the Audience Award. His operatic repertoire spans a wide range of roles, including Enrico Ashton in Lucia di Lammermoor at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Marcello in La bohème at Welsh National Opera, Don Giovanni at both New Israeli Opera (Tel Aviv) and San Diego, and Belcore in L’elisir d’amore in Buenos Aires and at the Royal Opera House Muscat. Recent highlights include Un ballo in maschera at Teatro Colón, Rigoletto with Welsh National Opera, Albert in Werther (concert performance) at the Klangvokal Festival Dortmund, and Lucia di Lammermoor at the Royal Ballet & Opera, London.

Sonia Ganassi, one of the leading mezzo-sopranos of her generation, is a regular guest at some of the world’s most prestigious opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Teatro Real in Madrid, Liceu in Barcelona, and the Bayerische Staatsoper, among many others. She has collaborated with esteemed conductors such as Riccardo Chailly, Riccardo Muti, Myung-Whun Chung, Daniele Gatti, Antonio Pappano, and Daniel Barenboim. In recognition of her numerous achievements, she was awarded the prestigious Premio Abbiati by Italian music critics in 1999. Her extensive repertoire includes many iconic roles, many of which have been recorded on CD and DVD. Among them are Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Angelina in La Cenerentola, Ermione, Elisabetta in Elisabetta, regina d’Inghilterra, Romeo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Adalgisa in Norma, Leonora in La Favorita, Zaide in Dom Sébastien, Giovanna Seymour in Anna Bolena, Elisabetta in Maria Stuarda, Idamante in Idomeneo, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Eboli in Don Carlo, Charlotte in Werther, Carmen, Marguerite in La Damnation de Faust, Fenena in Nabucco, Amneris in Aida, Isoletta in La Straniera, and Cuniza in Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio. Alongside her operatic career, Ganassi maintains an intense concert schedule, performing in some of the world’s most renowned concert halls. She has sung Rossini’s Stabat Mater at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Avery Fisher Hall in New York, and Teatro alla Scala in Milan. She has performed Verdi’s Requiem at the Philharmonie in Berlin and La Scala under Daniel Barenboim, at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under Antonio Pappano, at Teatro San Carlo in Naples under Riccardo Muti, and in Parma under Yuri Temirkanov. Notable engagements include Roberto Devereux in Madrid, Munich, and Genoa; Don Carlo in Munich and Tokyo; Nabucco in Rome and Salzburg; Oedipus Rex in Paris with Daniele Gatti and at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome; Aida in Marseille, Madrid, Naples, and Macerata; Anna Bolena in Vienna; Norma in Lyon, Paris, Seville, and Berlin; Carmen in Genoa; Maria Stuarda in Verona; I Capuleti e i Montecchi in Venice; La Straniera in Berlin; Le Cidin Paris; Cavalleria Rusticana in Dresden, Palermo, and Genoa; a new production of Norma in London; Anna Bolena in Marseille and Parma; a return to La Scala in Anna Bolena; Don Carlo in Marseille; La Favorite in Liège; Fra Diavoloin Rome and Palermo; Roberto Devereux in Parma; and Enrico di Borgogna at the Donizetti Festival in Bergamo. Recent and upcoming engagements include Hadrian at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, La Fille du Régiment in Bari and Naples, Il Cappello di Paglia di Firenze in Genoa, Werther in Venice and Reggio Emilia, La Favorite in Palermo, Macbeth in Cagliari, Mozart’s Requiem at the Arena di Verona, Cavalleria Rusticana in Bologna, Reggio Emilia, Stuttgart, Verona, Dresden, and Valencia, Verdi’s Messa di Requiem in Valencia, Stuttgart, and Lisbon, Anna Bolena and Beatrice di Tenda in Genoa, Adriana Lecouvreur in Parma, and Gianni Schicchi in Rome.

Argentinian/Italian tenor Santiago Ballerini is recognized as one of the leading tenors in the Bel Canto repertoire, having performed at many of the major opera houses throughout North and South America, such as Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Canadian Opera Company, Ópera de Bellas Artes, and The Dallas Opera, as well as alongside leading international orchestras and opera houses in Europe such as Teatro Regio di Torino, Opéra national de Bordeaux, Teatro Real, Gran Teatre del Liceu, and more. The 2024/25 season features his return to the Atlanta Opera, where he will perform as Tamino in The Magic Flute. He will also take on leading roles in Spain as Alfredo Germont in a production of La Traviata and Fernando in Doña Francisquita. Ballerini will participate in three productions of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, with the Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, the Orquesta y Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid, and at the Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari. Additional highlights include performances at the Teatro Filarmonico di Verona with Salieri’s La Passione di Gesù Cristo and a special production of Mozart’s Coronation Mass at the Granada Cathedral with the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada. Among his main roles are Ernesto (Don Pasquale), Count Almaviva (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Don Narciso (Il turco in Italia), Lindoro (L'italiana in Algeri), Italian Singer (Der Rosenkavalier), Jünge Graf (Die Soldaten), Nemorino (L'elisir d'amore), Tonio (La fille du regiment), among others.

Kristýna Kůstková, soprano, was born in 1994 and is currently pursuing a doctorate at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. She earned her master’s degree from the Mannes School of Music in New York, supported by numerous scholarships, including grants from the Czech Ministry of Culture. During her time in New York, she performed at the Mannes Sounds Festival, appearing on prestigious stages such as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and maintained a close collaboration with the Czech Center NY. In recognition of her dedication to promoting Czech culture in the United States, she was honored with the Gold Crystal Heart Award. A winner of numerous vocal competitions, Kristýna was named Best Student of the Academy of Performing Arts in 2022. In 2024, she won second prize at the Teatro Lirico Sperimentale singing competition and, during its 78th season, performed as Anita Garibaldi in Anita by Gilberto Cappelli and Vanda in Smorfia by Bruno Bettinelli, earning the Spoleto Gioielli Award for the season. Alongside her operatic career, she is an active concert performer and regularly appears on Czech stages, including the National Theatre in Prague and the Moravian Theatre in Olomouc. Her repertoire includes Pamina and First Lady (The Magic Flute, Mozart), Musetta (La Bohème, Puccini), Gretel (Hansel and Gretel, Humperdinck), First Nymph (Rusalka, Dvořák), and Kaťuška (The Devil’s Wall, Smetana).

Nicola Di Filippo, tenor, was born in 1989. Initially trained in piano and violin as a teenager, he turned to vocal studies in 2015 at the Conservatorio di Perugia, refining his technique under the guidance of Maestro Anatoli Goussev. He has further honed his craft through masterclasses with distinguished artists such as Mariella Devia, Roberto De Candia, Marina Comparato, Donata D’Annunzio Lombardi, Enza Ferrari, and Raffaele Cortesi. He made his operatic debut in Die Zauberflöte, staged by Europa InCanto at the Teatro Argentina in Rome and the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples. In 2020, he placed third in the 74th edition of the Teatro Lirico Sperimentale’s singing competition. His stage credits include Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto (2020, conducted by Marco Boemi), Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly (2021, under Carlo Palleschi), Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni (2022, directed by Henning Brockhaus), and in 2024, Dottor Polcevera in Procedura Penale, Luigi del Fante in Smorfia, and Malcolm in Macbeth. He has also performed as Schmidt in Massenet’s Werther, staged by AsLiCo in the 2020/2021 season at the Teatro Sociale di Como, Teatro Grande di Brescia, and Teatro Comunale di Modena. In 2024, he took on the role of Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore as the winner of the third edition of the G. Aliverta Competition and portrayed Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi at the Teatro Coccia di Novara. Beyond opera, Di Filippo collaborates with various early music ensembles, including Anonima Frottolisti, I Trobadores, and Cremona Antiqua, under the direction of Antonio Greco, performing in several productions at the Monteverdi Festival in Cremona.

Paolo Mascari, tenor, was born in 1997. He began his vocal studies at a young age and, in 2016, he enrolled at the Conservatorio di Latina, where he continues his training. Currently, he is perfecting his technique under the guidance of tenor William Matteuzzi. In 2019, he became a student at the prestigious Accademia Musicale Chigiana, and in 2022, he was admitted to the Alto Perfezionamento Courses at the Accademia del Belcanto “Rodolfo Celletti” in Martina Franca. In March 2023, Mascari won the 77th edition of the Comunità Europea competition at the Teatro Lirico Sperimentale. He made his professional debut in May 2019, and since then, he has performed in numerous renowned theatres both in Italy and internationally, including the Teatro dei Rinnovati and Teatro dei Rozzi in Siena, the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, the Teatro Nuovo in Spoleto, and the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre in Kuwait. His operatic repertoire includes roles such as Count Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia, Paisiello), Edoardo (La Cambiale di Matrimonio, Rossini), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni, Mozart), Count Alberto (L’occasione fa il ladro, Rossini), Don Ramiro (La Cenerentola, Rossini), Ferrando (Così fan tutte, Mozart), Alessandro (Il Re pastore, Mozart), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte, Mozart), Pang (Turandot, Puccini), Dr. Sinisgalli (I due Timidi, Rota), An Honorable (Gli occhi di Ipazia, Manzoni), Bill (A Hand of Bridge, Barber), Peter Quint/Prologue (The Turn of the Screw, Britten), Dr. Polcevera (Procedura Penale, Chailly), Adone Vigorelli (La Smorfia, Bettinelli), and Macduff and Malcolm (Macbeth, Verdi).

Nicolò Lauteri, bass, born in 2002 in Terni, began studying opera music at a young age and currently trains with baritone Marzio Giossi. In 2018, he performed at the Terme Classic Festival in Chianciano Terme. Throughout his artistic journey, he has taken part in numerous concerts, including Le Memorie di Adriano, a charity event for children in Uganda held at the CET of Mogol, with the special participation of Terence Hill. In September 2023, he performed at the 23rd edition of the Festival Verdiano at the Teatro Girolamo Magnani in Fidenza. In October, he had the honor of singing the Inno di Mameli at the Palazzetto dello sport in Terni during the Paralimpic World Fencing Championships, celebrating the victory of Italian fencer Bebe Vio. In 2024, Nicolò placed third at the Comunità Europea competition at the Teatro Lirico Sperimentale. In March, he made a brief appearance on the Viva Rai 2 program and in the official Rai magazine Radiocorriere TV in Rome, hosted by Rosario Fiorello. In April, he performed the role of Conte di Monterone in Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi at the Palazzo Gazzoli in Terni. In September, he portrayed Banco in Macbeth, Verdi's opera, during the regional tour of the Teatro Lirico Sperimentale, which included performances in Spoleto and major theatres across Umbria. Recently, he participated in the Sogno d'amorconcert at the Basilica of Terni, celebrating the patron Saint Valentine.