Agnesi
International Music Competition
International Music Competition
Jury
Tiziana Fabbricini, internationally acclaimed soprano, made her debut as Violetta in "La Traviata" at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan conducted by Riccardo Muti, winning over audiences and critics who hailed her as "La Traviata" of the Nineties. She has performed on the stages of the world's greatest theatres, including the Metropolitan in New York, the Staatsoper in Vienna, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, the San Carlo in Naples, the Opera in Rome and many others. She has worked with legendary directors such as Franco Zeffirelli, Robert Carsen and Liliana Cavani and with world-renowned conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Chailly, Antonio Pappano, Sir Charles Mackerras and Fabio Luisi. Her repertoire ranges from the operas of Verdi and Donizetti to the masterpieces of Bel Canto, through to contemporary works and world premieres. She has interpreted iconic roles in Lucia di Lammermoor, Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda, Macbeth, Tosca, Manon Lescaut, La Voix Humaine and many others. She has taught at prestigious institutions such as the Accademia di Bel Canto "Rodolfo Celletti", the Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo and the Conservatorio A. Vivaldi in Alessandria. She currently collaborates with the Accademia dei Mestieri dell'Opera of the Teatro Carlo Coccia in Novara.
Italy
Italy
Bruno Cinquegrani, former Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Opera and the Crimea Symphony Orchestra, trained in Naples and Mannheim, furthering his studies at the Aspen Music Festival with David Zinman and attending masterclasses with James Levine. He has conducted over fifty concerts with the Crimea Symphony Orchestra and collaborated with important international institutions, including the Orchestra of the Teatro di San Carlo, the Polish National Radio Orchestra, the Belgrade Philharmonic, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Fondazione Arena di Verona. In the operatic field he has conducted major repertoire titles at prestigious international theatres, including La Traviata (Tokyo), Lucia di Lammermoor (Seattle Opera), L'elisir d'amore (Opera Holland Park, London) and Il Campanello at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. Throughout his career he has collaborated with some of the most important artists on the international opera scene, including Plácido Domingo, Mariella Devia, Ruggero Raimondi, Francesco Meli, Saimir Pirgu and Stephen Costello. Teacher of Orchestral Training, he currently teaches at the "Lucio Campiani" Conservatory in Mantua.
Rosa Maria Orani, mezzo-soprano, graduated with highest honours at the "G. P. da Palestrina" Conservatory in Cagliari. Winner of the AS.LI.CO competition and the "Voci nuove per la lirica" competition in Bergamo, she made her debut at a very young age as Charlotte in Massenet's Werther at the Teatro Carcano in Milan, quickly establishing herself in the operatic world. She has interpreted numerous roles from the great repertoire, including Carmen, Charlotte, Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Emilia (Otello), Maddalena (Rigoletto) and Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), performing in major theatres in Italy and abroad. Alongside her operatic activity, she has also distinguished herself in the concert field, performing works such as the Stabat Mater by Rossini and Pergolesi, Brahms's Rhapsody for Contralto and Mozart's Vesperae Solemnes de Confessore, collaborating with various prominent musical organisations. She has recorded for Stradivarius (La Calisto by Cavalli, role of Juno) and for RAI (Cavalleria rusticana, role of Lola alongside Shirley Verrett). She currently teaches Singing at the "Arrigo Boito" Conservatory in Parma.
Italy
Italy
Vincenzo De Vivo was born in Salerno in 1957. Since 1982 he has held artistic and advisory positions at European musical institutions: Artistic Director of the Teatro San Carlo in Naples (2012–2014), the Teatro Comunale in Bologna (2002–2006), the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome (1994–1997), the Fondazione Pergolesi-Spontini in Jesi (2001–2011; 2016–2018), Adjunto a Intendente of the Palau de les Arts in Valencia (2006–2009), Artistic Consultant of the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa (2009–2010) and the Teatro Comunale in Treviso (1989–1995).... He served as Consultant for the symphonic-vocal activities of the RAI Orchestra in Rome and Consultant for the SDR (Stuttgart Radio and Television) for Italian opera productions at the Schwetzingen Festival, as a member of the artistic board of the Cantiere Internazionale d'Arte in Montepulciano, and as a Board Member of the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena. He is currently Artistic Director of the opera season at the Teatro delle Muse "Franco Corelli" in Ancona and of the Accademia d'Arte Lirica in Osimo. Together with Peter Maag and Gianni Tangucci, he founded "La Bottega" for young singers and instrumentalists at the Teatro Comunale in Treviso, and promoted the establishment of the "Centre Perfeccionament Plácido Domingo" at the Palau de Les Arts in Valencia. He has taught on the advanced course in Music Management at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome and collaborated with the Accademia di Arti e Mestieri of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Scuola dell'Opera in Bologna, the Accademia Paolo Grassi in Martina Franca and the Accademia Verdiana of the Teatro Regio in Parma. He is a jury member at numerous international competitions. He has overseen the reconstruction of the score of L'Ape Musicale by Lorenzo da Ponte, in the Vienna 1789 version, in collaboration with Attilio Cremonesi and Anelide Nascimbene, and of Die Theatralische Abenteuer by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Christian Vulpius, in the Weimar 1797 version, in collaboration with Jean Yves Aizic. An author of articles and essays, he has edited the catalogue of works by Antonio Scontrino. He is the author of opera libretti: Mettici il cuore by Valentino Corvino (2019), Bach Haus by Michele Dall'Ongaro (2001), Il vagabondo delle stelle by Fabrizio Festa (2014), Lontano dagli occhi (1999) and Mozart a Recanati (2006) by Lorenzo Ferrero, Gli errori di Amadé by Lucio Gregoretti (2013), Passio et Resurrectio by Sergio Rendine (2000), Valigie d'occasione by J. Schittino (2022), Nûr by Marco Taralli (2012), Alienati (2020), a smart-working opera created during the lockdown period for the Teatro Coccia in Novara. He is the author of the dramaturgy of Tancredi appresso il combattimento by Claudio Ambrosini (2016), Il colore del sole by Lucio Gregoretti (2017) and L'ultima estate by Marcello Filotei (2021). He has prepared Italian verse translations of works by Bizet, Mozart, Offenbach, Poulenc, J. Strauss Jr., Stravinsky and P. Viardot.
Saadat Ismayilova began studying the piano at the age of six at the prestigious Bul-Bul State Music School in Baku, Azerbaijan, where she laid the foundations of her musical training. Having obtained her piano diplomas, she continued her studies at the Baku Music Academy, specialising in choral conducting and vocal performance — a path that enabled her to develop a particularly well-rounded grounding in both piano and voice.... In 2004 she was awarded First Prize at the 4th "Hyperion" International Music Performance Competition in Italy, in the chamber music section. Throughout her career she has combined her pianistic activity with extensive experience as a collaborative pianist and vocal coach, developing a solid expertise in singer preparation and opera production. In the field of education she has taught at the Suzuki Music School, the Scuola Civica di Musica in Peschiera Borromeo and the Accademia di Musica Paganini in Castellanza. She has collaborated on masterclasses and musical and operatic productions in Spoleto, Milan, Desenzano and Pavia, and has given masterclasses as a vocal coach in Bilbao, Baku and Tashkent. She is currently invited as vocal coach at the Baku Opera and Ballet Theatre. Her artistic activity has led her to participate as an accompanying pianist in festivals, concert seasons and international events, including the Leoncavallo Festival in Brissago, the Summer Festival of the Monastero di Bormida, events at the Royal Catalan Academy of Fine Arts in Barcelona and the Teatro Campos Elíseos in Bilbao. She has also collaborated in numerous concerts and performances with the Elena D'Angelo Operetta Company and the Associazione Clavicembalo Verde. Particularly significant is her work alongside performers on the international opera scene. She has collaborated with artists such as Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov, working as pianist and vocal coach. Notable engagements include the opening of the World Economic Forum in Davos, an opera concert in Istanbul and a recital in Buenos Aires. Throughout her career she has also worked with Francesca Patanè, Ottavio Palmieri, Oreste Cosimo, Daria Rybak and numerous other performers. Her concert and professional activity has taken her to Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Russia and Argentina. Admired for her technical precision, musical sensitivity and ability to establish a deep dialogue with the singer, Saadat Ismayilova has built over time a versatile professional profile, combining concert performance, vocal preparation, teaching and collaboration with internationally acclaimed artists.
Azerbaijan
Italy
Giuseppe Finzi graduated with honours in piano from the "N. Piccinni" Conservatoire in Bari, before continuing his studies in Composition and Orchestral Conducting at the "G. Verdi" Conservatoire in Milan with V. Parisi, and in Vocal Chamber Music with D. Uccello. He subsequently furthered his training at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena with G. Gelmetti and obtained the diploma of Maestro Collaboratore at the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala. Following a long period on the musical staff of the Teatro alla Scala from 1999 to 2008, where he worked alongside R. Muti and the most important names on the international scene, he embarked on a conducting career, drawing on the deep knowledge of repertoire and style he had acquired.... His conducting of La Bohème in 2008 marked the beginning of a long collaboration with San Francisco Opera, where he would also serve as Resident Conductor from 2011 to 2015. At the prestigious American house he conducted a large number of productions over the years, including Aida, Turandot, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Faust, La Fanciulla del West, Carmen, Tosca, Rigoletto, La Traviata and Madama Butterfly, as well as new productions of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Bohème and Don Pasquale, all of which received unanimous acclaim from audiences and critics alike. In 2012 came his German debut with Carmen at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, followed by an important series of debuts that brought him to the podium of major institutions including the Teatro Massimo in Palermo with Rigoletto, the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples (The Nutcracker and L'Elisir d'amore), the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona (Il Barbiere di Siviglia and La fille du régiment), the Bregenz Festival (Turandot), the Korean National Opera (Les Pêcheurs de perles, Pagliacci and Il Tabarro), the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville (Il barbiere di Siviglia), the Opéra de Monte-Carlo (Nabucco) and the Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari (Madama Butterfly). Equally at home in the classical and contemporary repertoire, he conducted the European premiere of La ciociara by Marco Tutino at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari, with A.C. Antonacci in the title role, a production subsequently broadcast by RAI. Recent seasons have seen him conduct Madama Butterfly and La Bohème at the Aalto-Musiktheater in Essen; La Cenerentola in Ancona; Les pêcheurs de perles at the Opéra de Nice; Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa; the inaugural concert of the new Royal House of Musical Arts in Muscat (Oman); as well as new productions of Turandot (Darmstadt and the Festival Oper im Steinbruch – Austria), La Bohème (tour of Oman with the Opéra de Monte-Carlo), La Vedova Allegra and Ernani at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari, Lucia di Lammermoor (Aalto Theater – Essen) and Il Trovatore (Mahón – Spain). Equally active in the symphonic field, he has collaborated with orchestras including the Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, the Orquesta de Galicia, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, the Essener Philharmoniker, the Orchestra del Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, the Orchestra del Teatro Carlo Felice, the Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, the PKF – Prague Philharmonia, the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala. Forthcoming engagements include La forza del destino with the Orquesta de Galicia and new productions of Il turco in Italia at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie (Liège) and Simon Boccanegra at the Aalto Theater in Essen. Alongside his conducting career he is also active as a teacher: he holds the chair of Vocal Chamber Music at the "G. Verdi" Conservatoire in Como.
Maria Gabriella Mafara, born in Palermo, has a humanistic background deeply intertwined with her passion for music and opera. She holds a degree in Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, specialising in German and English, from the University of Palermo, where she wrote her thesis on Thomas Bernhard. She also holds a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Arts Administration from the University of Zurich (UZH). Based in Vienna since 1993, she has built her career in the opera world, managing singers, conductors and directors and collaborating with international agencies, theatres and festivals.... She founded the agency Mafara Artists Promotion and, from 2019 to 2025, worked with Opera4u.com, focusing on the development of sustainable careers and high-level artistic paths. In September 2025 she was invited to join the international team of Crescendi Artists, where she continues her artistic management work within the European opera landscape. She follows the entire operatic repertoire with keen interest, from early music to the most recent works: from Monteverdi, Mozart and Rossini to the twentieth-century and contemporary repertoire. She believes that this broad perspective is essential for guiding artists towards the right opportunities through careful and informed choices. She works alongside them in defining their repertoire and developing their artistic identity. Complementing this vision, she also holds a diploma in style consultancy and integrates image management into the professional journey she offers the artists she represents.
Italy
The Agnesi International Opera Competition is open to opera singers of any nationality, in a single category at a high professional level. The selection process comprises a preliminary online round, followed by a semi-final and final held in person. An international jury of distinguished professionals — opera singers, orchestra conductors and artistic agents — assesses the performances to identify and promote the most promising and authentic voices.
The Agnesi International Opera Competition is open to opera singers of any nationality, in a single category at a high professional level. The selection process comprises a preliminary online round, followed by a semi-final and final held in person. An international jury of distinguished professionals — opera singers, orchestra conductors and artistic agents — assesses the performances to identify and promote the most promising and authentic voices.
The Agnesi International Opera Competition rewards excellence in opera singing. In addition to the prizes for the top three finalists, it awards a series of special recognitions dedicated to particular artistic and interpretative merits. The winners will perform in selected concert settings, with the visibility of a high-profile international competition. For every voice, a stage that can become history.
