Artistic Director prof. Alessandra Schettino

predsednik žirije / presidente giuria / president of the jury

Born to Slovenian parents in Buenos Aires (Argentina), mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink received her singing and music education at the Theatre Colón High School of the Arts in Buenos Aires, where she also performed regularly. Her repertoire is wide-ranging, from early music to works by contemporary composers. A singer known for her versatility, she regularly performs with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, and with the finest Baroque orchestras under conductors such as Barenboim, Blomstedt, Bichkov, Chailly, Gardiner, Gergiev, Jacobs, Jansons, Muti, Norrington, Pinnock, Prêtre, Rattle, Saraste and Welser-Möst. As an opera singer she has impressed critics in Argentina and in the main European opera houses. Some of her most prominent roles include Cecilia in Mozart’s Lucio Silla (Theater an der Wien), Idamante in Idomeneo (Teatro Real, Madrid) and Irene in Handel’s Theodora (Salzburg Festival). In 2017 she made her debut at the Vienna State Opera in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande. She regularly appears in recitals and concerts in Vienna, Schwarzenberg, Amsterdam, London, Berlin, New York and Buenos Aires. In recent seasons she has appeared in Mahler’s Second Symphony with Andris Nelsons at the Tanglewood Festival and with Mariss Jansons in Copenhagen, in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater in Rome, with Jakub Hrůša in Bamberg, at the Beethoven Festival in Warsaw, and on a concert tour of America with the Camerata Salzburg. The artist’s extensive repertoire is reflected in a rich discography, which has won numerous awards (including Grammy and Diapason dʼor). Bernarda Fink is a recipient of the Austrian Badge of Honour for Science and Arts and the honorary title Kammersängerin. In 2013, together with Mark Fink, she received the Prešeren Fund Prize in Slovenia.

Born in Monfalcone (Italy), he studied piano at the Giuseppe Tartini Conservatory of Music in Trieste and recorder, specialising in the International Advanced Courses of Ancient Music in Urbino (FIMA). At the same time, he began singing in the children’s choir of the city of Monfalcone, directed by maestro Pietro Poclen, from whom he received his first notions of vocal technique. After graduating in singing with top marks and honours from the Conservatory of Venice, in 1994 he won the As.Li.Co. competition in Milan, where he attended specialisation courses with Leyla Gencer and Renata Scotto.  He enrolled in courses at the Autan Pneumophony Centre in France where he learnt Serge Wilfart’s functional breathing techniques for classical singing. After meeting Maestro Alan Curtis in Venice, with whom he undertook the study and in-depth study of the performance practice of early music, he began to devote himself to the Baroque vocal repertoire and collaborated professionally with Concerto Italiano conducted by Rinaldo Alessandrini, La Cappella della Pietà dei Turchini conducted by Antonio Florio, the Baroque Ensemble conducted by Alan Curtis and with I Barocchisti conducted by Diego Fasolis. With these groups he has performed at the most important European and international festivals. He attended specialisation courses on baroque and pre-classical operatic vocality with Maestro Jean-Claude Malgoire, with whom he debuted the role of Telemachus in The Return of Ulysses to his homeland at the Theatre des Champs Elysées in Paris and Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. In the classical and romantic repertoire, he has debuted numerous solo roles with public and critical success, working with prestigious conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Zubin Meta, René Jacobs Claudio Scimone, and Corrado Rovaris. He has performed in many important theatres including La Scala in Milan, San Carlo in Naples, Comunale in Florence, Comunale in Bologna, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, The Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York and Champs Elysée in Paris. Chosen by Maestro Roberto De Simone, he sang in De Simone’s Requiem, premiered at the Teatro dell’Aquila in the city of Fermo, and in De Simone’s Eleonora, a dramatic oratorio, inauguration of the 1999 opera season of the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. In 2000, he took part in the staging of Paisiello’s opera Nina ossia la pazza per amore conducted by maestro Riccardo Muti at the Alighieri Theatre in Ravenna (Ravenna Festival 2000). In 2003, again with Maestro Muti, he performed with the Wiener Philharmoniker at the Salzburg Festival and at the St. Denis Festival with the Radio France orchestra. From 2004 to 2006, he was a guest at the Cremona Festival dedicated to Claudio Monteverdi for the Monteverdi trilogy at the Ponchielli Theatre. In 2008, he performed in New York as part of the Mostly Mozart Festival and in Tokyo at the Hokutopya Early Music Festival in the performance of Haydn’s opera Orlando Paladino. From 2009 to 2014, as part of the project of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan in collaboration with the Opéra National in Paris, he took part in the production of Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, Il Ritorno di Ulisse in Patria and L’Incoronazione di Poppea, directed by Robert Wilson and conducted by Rinaldo Alessandrini. He has recorded for numerous record companies including Opus 111, Fonit Cetra, Virgin, Bongiovanni, Glossa.

Soprano Elvira Hasanagić holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from the University of Music and Theatre and the August Everding Theatre Academy in Munich. Her artistic career has taken her to Staatsoper unter den Linden in Berlin, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires, Nationaltheater Mannhein, Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich, SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana and Maribor, Staatstheater Saarbrücken, Kassel, Schwerin, under the batons of conductors: Zubin Mehta, Ulf Schirmer, James Conlon, Julian Salemkour, Uroš Lajovic and Christian Schumann. In collaboration with Bavarian Radio and their orchestra, she recorded the opera »La Lodoiska« by the composer Simon Mayr in the role of Resiska. With Deutschlandradio Kultur she recorded a CD of autobiographical songs by Wolf, Berg, Lajovic, Babić, Zajc, Prebande and Osterc. In cooperation with the RTVSLO Cassette and Record Publishing House, her CD of ElSoprano’s self-penned works – Hrepenenje / Longing was released. Her second solo album will soon follow, this time with Verdi arias in collaboration with the RTV SLO Orchestra under the baton of Simon Krečič. For her artistic achievements in 2017, the City of Dresden and the German Association for the Support of Opera Singers awarded her the title Young Artist of the Year 2017. She is regularly invited as a jury member at international opera and solo singing competitions and as a mentor at solo singing courses – Stignani Competition Imola, Italy, Solo Singing Competition Bitola, Macedonia, Musica Goritiensis, Gorizia, Italy, Glasbena mladina, Slovenia.

Bass-baritone Eugenio Leggiadri-Gallani studied singing with the soprano Cecilia Fusco and after with Elena Baggiore, Katia Ricciarelli, Raina Kabainvanska, Luciana Serra, Yoko Takeda. He made his debut in 1995 in Tarragona (Spain) in the role of Colline in La Boheme, participating also in the 3rd Festival D’art Lirique of Never in France. He played the role of Sigismondo in the operetta “Al cavallino bianco”, Dulcamara in “Elisir d’amore”, Alidoro in “Cenerentola”, Blansac in “Scala di seta” (Manchester and Hannover theaters). He was the protagonist in “Il maestro di Cappella” at the Tibor Varga Festival and in “Una partita” by Zandonai at the Politeama of Lecce. Between 2002 and 2003 he sang in “Carmen”, “Barber of Seville”, “Bell of the Apothecary”, at the Operetta Festival at the Verdi Theatre of Trieste and at the Theatre of Istanbul. He sang at the Odeon Theatre in Athens “Le Avventure di Pinocchio”, an opera commissioned to represent Italy in the Olympic year under the direction of Mº Donato Renzetti. He also performed in “Cenerentola” at the Theatre of St. Gallen (Switzerland) and at the Theatre of Trieste (at the invitation of Maestro Daniel Oren). For the inauguration of the theater of San Severo (Foggia) he sang in the “Barbiere di Siviglia” directed by M° Michele Mirabella and in the “Trovatore”.  With “Barbiere di Siviglia” he also performed at the Theatre of Spoleto for the 60th anniversary of the Foundation and at the Theatre Regio of Turin in the summer season 2007. Intense is also the concert activity in Naples, Taranto, Rome and Foggia and in acclaimed recitals in St. Petersburg, Malaga, Naples, Bari, Rome, Florence, Pisa, Turin, Milan, Treviso, Pesaro, etc.. He has recorded for Naxos and Rai – Italian Radio Television. His latest engagements include performances in Florence and Vicenza, in the Region of Umbria for the circuit and the Pan Opera Festival in Panicale, in opera productions in Germany (Dortmund, Heidenhaim, Cottbus, Lubeck, Nuremberg, Koblenz) and in a tour in China.

The soprano Vlatka Oršanić was born in Zabok (CRO). She spent her childhood in Varaždin where she, at the age of seven, started learning piano at the School of Music, as 14-year old she transferred to solo singing with Prof. Ankica Opolski. At the age of 16 she entered Ljubljana Academy of Music, studying voice under Prof. Ondina Otta-Klasinc. Already during her studies she received The Prešern Student Award for the role of Susana in of The Marriage Figaro. In September 1978 she made her debut in the role of Sophie in opera Werther at Ljubljana Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet, where she graduated in spring 1979 in the role of Gilda in Rigoletto. In 1979 she won the 1st award at Mario del Monaco Opera International Vocal Competition for Singers in Italy and in 1980 she won the 2nd award at international television competition in Belgium. In the period 1985-1990 she took additional studies in Vienna with Kms Olivera Miljaković. In the first period of her career, as a very young soloist, she achieved great success in the roles of Gilda, Lucia and Violetta, with which she made guest appearances at all opera houses in the former Yugoslavia. At that time she sang The Queen of the Night, Adina, Rosina, Pamina, Olympia and Elvira (Puritans). Later on her most significant roles were, among others, Jenufa, Katerina Ismailova, Lady Macbeth, Tosca, Tatyana, Rosalinda, Vitellia, Katja Kabanova, Abigaila, Leonora (Trubadur), Donna Anna, Electra (Idomeneo), Rusalka, Marzenka (The Bartered Bride, The Sold Bride), Mila (Destiny), Cho-Cho-San, Aida, Magdalena (Andrea Chénier), Ariadne (Ariadne on Naxos) and Margaretha (Faust). She appeared at various opera houses, such as Semperoper Dresden, Komische Oper Berlin, Staatstheter Dramstadt, Aaltotheater Essen, Oper Leipzig, Festspielhaus Salzburg, Teatro Communale Firenca and Oper Bonn, at music festivals such as Salsburg Summer Festival, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Edinburgh Festival, Autumn Festival in Paris, The Wiener Festwochen (Vienna Festival) as well as at some most important European concert halls such as Musikverein and Konzerthaus (Vienna), Konzerthaus Berlin, Alte Oper (Frankfurt), Philharmonie (Köln), Théâtre du Châtelet (Paris) and Auditorio Municipal (Madrid). The conductors she collaborated with were, among others, Michael Gielen, Lovro von Matačić, Semyon Bychkov, Vladimir Jurowski, Kirill Petrenko, Uroš Lajovic, Hans Graf, Pinchas Steinberg, Daniel Harding, Stefan Soltesz and Michael Schønwandt. The directors with whom she revived the leading roles in opera performances, among others were Joachim Herz, Harry Kupfer, Christine Mielitz, Liliana Cavani, Andreas Homoki, Uwe Eric Laufenberg and Pet Halmen, its partners were Elina Garanča, Anja Harteros, Piotr Beczała and Peter Schreier. As the concert soloist, with the repertoire that includes works from baroque to contemporary music, she appeared with the orchestras like The Vienna Symphony, ORF Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, SWF and MDR as well as Zagreb Philharmonic, Slovenian Philharmonic and Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestar. In 2003 she became a professor of voice professor at the Academy of Music in Zagreb, where she was the head of Voice Department from 2007 to 2016. In the period from 2006 to 2010 she was a professor of voice professor the Academy of Music in Ljubljana. Her students are the soloists at the European opera houses among which is worth to mention Staatsoper (München), Deutsche Oper (Berlin), Semperoper (Dresden), Grand Bayerische Théâtre de Genève, Národní divadlo (Prague), Teatro Fenice (Venice), Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Gran Teatre del Liceu (Barcelona) as well as Slovenian and Croatian opera houses. She is the leader of the vocal-singing seminars for singers and vocal pedagogues, the member of the jury for home and international singing competitions as well as the cofounder and director of Zinka Milanov international competition for young opera singers in Rijeka.