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showing an unexpected loyalty to Handel: the composer who introduced Italian opera to England. In the Spring of 1735 Handel was in conflict with a rival company and on the verge of bankruptcy, but he achieved a resounding success with his opera Alcina. With a libretto based on Ariosto’s popular romance, a story full of fantastic scenes and surprises, Handel has never brought a more profound humanity to his characters, especially in their romantic misadventures. The beautiful melodies in this score have stood the test of time, and have now been restored to their original brilliance by Diego Fas.
supports the choir of the Opéra de LausanneDiego Fasolis began his career as a concert organist before turning to conducting. A regular guest at the Salzburg Festival, he conducted Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at the Musikverein with the Vienna Concentus Musicus and the Arnold Schönberg Choir. More recently, La Scala entrusted him with the creation of an orchestra playing on period instruments, which he then conducted in Handel’s Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno. In 2017, he also conducted Tamerlano there with Plácido Domingo. Among his recent or upcoming engagements: La finta giardiniera at La Scala and in Shanghai, L’incoronazione di Poppea at the Berlin Staatsoper, La sonnambula at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Paër’s Agnese and Così fan tutte at the Teatro Regio in Turin, Dorilla in Tempe at La Fenice, Il turco in Italia at La Scala, Cherubini’s Lo sposo di tre, e marito di nessuna at the Florence Opera, Vivaldi’s Farnace at the Teatro Malibran in Venice, Handel’s Alessandro with the Kammerorchester Basel in Göttingen, Paris and Basel. In 2019, Diego Fasolis was nominated in the Conductor of the Year category at the International Opera Awards.
At the Opéra de Lausanne: Faramondo (2009), Rinaldo (2011), Farnace (2011), L’Artaserse (2012), Dorilla in Tempe (2014), Die Zauberflöte (2015), Ariodante (2016), La clemenza di Tito (2018), Orpheus and Eurydice (2019), Meyerbeer’s Gli amori di Teolinda (2019) and Alcina (2022).
In search of a rigorous aesthetic and conceptual unity for a theater founded on all the arts, Stefano Poda has always developed his own language by combining the functions of director, set and costume designer, lighting designer, as well as choreographer. In 2019, he received the Claude Rostand Prize for his production of Ariane et Barbe-Bleue by Dukas at the Capitole de Toulouse. He has directed more than 100 productions worldwide, including: Rusalka (2022) at the Toulouse National Opera; the new production of Tosca (2021) at the Bolshoi in Moscow; Nabucco for the opening of the National Theatre of Korea in 2021 and at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires (2020/22); Romeo and Juliet (2018) at the National Center for Performing Arts in Beijing; Boris Godunov (2017) and Andrea Chénier (2015) at the Korean National Opera; Antônio Carlos Gomes’ Fosca and Mahler’s Titan at the São Paulo Municipal Theater (2016); L’elisir d’amore in Strasbourg (2016); Otello in Budapest (2015); Tristan und Isolde at the opening of the 77th Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. His Faust (2015), Turandot (2018) and Thaïs at the Teatro Regio in Turin, have been shown in cinemas around the world. Recent projects include: the opening of the Verona Arena Centennial Festival in the summer of 2023 with the new production of Verdi’s Aida, broadcast worldwide; the opening of the Rossini Festival in Pesaro 2023 with the first modern performance in the critical edition of Eduardo e Cristina; the launch of the 2023/24 season of the Teatro Regio in Turin with Halévy’s La Juive; Enesco’s Oedipus at the 2023 Enesco Festival in Bucharest.
At the Opéra de Lausanne: Ariodante and Faust (2016), Lucia de Lammermoor (2017), Les Contes d’Hoffmann (2019), Alcina (2022) and Norma (2023).
The Dutch soprano has been leading a brilliant international career in opera and concert for several years now, inviting her to the main stages of the world – Scala in Milan, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Mostly Mozart Festival in New York, Salzburg Festival, Edinburgh Festival… Among her current engagements, we can mention: Madame Herz in Mozart’s Schauspieldirektor, Marguerite de Valois in Les Huguenots and projects around Elizabeth I of England and bel canto at La Monnaie in Brussels, a stage version of Bach’s St. John Passion at Châtelet, Mahler’s Fourth Symphony and Strauss Lieder with the Hague Residence Orchestra, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Munich Philharmonic, excerpts from Così fan tutte (Fiordiligi) in concert version at the Schlosstheater in Potsdam, as well as Handel’s Il delirio amoroso with the Spanish National Orchestra in Madrid.
At the Opéra de Lausanne: Lucia de Lammermoor (2017) and Gli amori di Teolinda by Meyerbeer (2019).
A star in the countertenor world, Franco Fagioli stands out for the quality of his interpretations, the beauty of his voice and the excellence of his technique, which allows him to span three octaves. Highlights of his 2021/22 season include: Arsace in Handel’s Partenope in his debut at the Teatro Real in Madrid (where he has already been invited back for Achille in Sciro and Mitridate, re di Ponto), Nerone in Agrippina at the Hamburg Staatsoper, and his participation in a new production of Giulio Cesare at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. He has also recorded Mozart arias with the Kammerorchester Basel and will tour Europe with this program. In the future, Franco Fagioli will take part in a new production of Alessandro nell’Indie at the Bayreuth Baroque Festival, will tour Ariodante with Il Pomo d’Oro, and will conduct various projects around the “last castrato” Giovanni Velluti.
Lausanne-based soprano Marie Lys trained at the Haute école de musique de Lausanne and then at the Royal College of Music in London. First prize winner at the Cesti Baroque Opera Competition (2018) and the Vincenzo Bellini Belcanto Competition (2017), she has collaborated with renowned conductors such as Diego Fasolis, Christophe Rousset, Fabio Biondi, Leonardo García Alarcón, Emmanuelle Haïm and Michel Corboz. She has also performed with orchestras such as Europa Galante, Les Talens Lyriques, Sinfonia Varsovia, The English Concert, the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, the Cameristi della Scala and Les Musiciens du Prince-Monaco. She has sung the roles of Ginevra (Ariodante) and Adelaide (Lotario) at the Handel Festival in Göttingen, Dorinda (Orlando) at the Castell Festival in Peralada, Servilia (La clemenza di Tito), Yniold (Pelléas et Mélisande) and Clorinda (La Cenerentola) at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, and recently replaced Cecilia Bartoli at the last minute in the title role of Handel’s Alcina at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. She has played the role of Bellezza in Handel’s Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno alongside Biondi in Granada, and the title role in Donizetti’s Betly for the Chopin and His Europe Festival in Warsaw. She will soon appear in Vivaldi’s Tamerlano during an Italian tour conducted by Ottavio Dantone, as well as in Lully’s Thésée at the Theater an der Wien, at the Bozar in Brussels and at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées under the baton of Christophe Rousset. Marie was supported in her debut by the Migros Culture Percentage and the Leenaards, Dénéréaz, Colette Mosetti and Friedl Wald, Samling, Drake Calleja Trust and Josephine Baker Trust foundations.
At the Opéra de Lausanne: Orlando paladino (2017), La sonnambula (2018), Die Fledermaus (2018), Orpheus and Eurydice (2019), Alcina (2022) and Candide (2022).
After a flute diploma, Marina Viotti tried her hand at jazz, gospel, heavy metal and, with a diploma of high literary studies (hypokhâgnes) in her pocket, moved to Vienna to begin studying opera singing with Heidi Brunner in 2011. In 2013, she joins Brigitte Balleys’ class at the HEMU, where she obtains a master’s degree as a soloist. She then perfected her skills in belcanto with Raúl Gimenez in Barcelona. Elected in 2019 “Best young singer of the year” at the International Opera Awards, she won numerous prizes in different competitions: finalist of the Operalia competition in 2018, 3rd prize of the Geneva Competition in 2016, 1st prize of the Kattenburg competition in Lausanne in 2017, international belcanto prize at the Rossini Festival in Wildbad in 2015.
Her important operatic roles include: Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia) at the Bolshoi, Mélibéa (Il viaggio a Reims) and Nicklausse/La Muse (Les contes d’Hoffmann) at the Liceu in Barcelona; Arsace (Aureliano in Palmira) and Isabella (L’Italiana in Algeri) at the Rossini Festival in Wildbad and then at the Lucerne Theatre, where she also sang the Grand Duchess of Gerolstein and Elisabetta (Marie Stuart); Stéphano (Romeo and Juliet) at La Scala, Rosina and Olga (Eugene Onegin) at the Rhine Opera; Maddalena (Rigoletto) at the Opernhaus in Zurich and at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. She was also a member of the Young Soloists of the Grand Théâtre de Genève for two years. Eager to explore other avenues and to bring genres and people together, Marina Viotti creates projects that call upon the lyrical repertoire as well as cabaret, jazz and song.
At the Opéra de Lausanne: Die Zauberflöte (2015), Amahl et les visiteurs du soir (2017), “Music has no borders” (2020 – concert).
Considered one of the finest Handel specialists of his generation, Juan Sancho has performed the roles of Lurcanio (Ariodante) at the Opéra de Lausanne, Grimoaldo (Rodelinda) at the English National Opera, the Teatro Real in Madrid and the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Oronte (Alcina) at the Bolshoi, Bajazet (Tamerlano) in Madrid and Tempo (Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno) in Madrid. He has released a solo album dedicated to Handel called “The Seven Deadly Sins” and also recorded Handel with Nuria Rial for Deutsche Harmonia Mundi (“Human Love, Love Divine”). He has collaborated with many conductors, including Michel Corboz, William Christie, Fabio Biondi, Jordi Savall, Diego Fasolis, Marc Minkowski, Ivor Bolton, George Petrou, Leonardo García Alarcón, Riccardo Minasi, Hervé Niquet, Jan Tomasz Adamus and Václav Luks. His future engagements include: Vitalino in Vivaldi’s Il Giustino at Drottinghom, Handel’s Belshazzar in Göttingen, Corselli’s Achille in Sciro at the Teatro Real in Madrid, and the title role in Gluck’s Orpheus at Biel-Solothurn.
At the Opéra de Lausanne: Ariodante (2016).
Guilhem Worms won the “Talents lyriques de Reims, Voix sacrées” competition, which marked the beginning of his collaboration with Jean-Claude Malgoire in April 2015. A graduate of the Conservatoire de Paris (Yves Sotin’s class, 2017), he made a name for himself as Don Basilio (Il barbiere di Siviglia) and Palemon (Thaïs) at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. Since then, he has appeared as Gottfried (Les Fées du Rhin) in Tours and Biel-Solothurn; Lord Rochefort (Anna Bolena) in Bordeaux, a Lackey (Ariadne auf Naxos) at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées; First Priest and Second Man-at-Arms (Die Zauberflöte) in Marseille; Leporello (Don Giovanni) in Saint Etienne; Don Basilio in Tours; Zuniga (Carmen) at the Opéra national du Rhin; the Innocent (Yvonne princesse de Bourgogne by Boesmans); Angelotti (Tosca) and Wagner (Faust) at the Opéra de Paris, and Thrond (Hulda by César Franck) on tour with the Palazetto Bru Zane. Highlights of his 2022/23 season include: Colline (La bohème) and the Marquis d’Obigny (La traviata) at the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse; Sarastro with Le Concert Spirituel at the Opéra royal de Versailles; Zuniga at the Opéra de Paris; Mathisen (Le Prophète) at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence; Colline at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, as well as numerous concerts in Saint-Etienne and with Les Talens Lyriques. A socially engaged artist, Guilhem Worms has been working regularly for several years with people suffering from mental illness at the Conservatoire des deux vallées and also holds a degree in ethnomusicology from the University of Paris 8. He has published a book entitled Musique sans frontière.
At the Opéra de Lausanne: Alcina (2022).
Ludmila Schwartzwalder is a French mezzo-soprano, who graduated from the HEMU in 2021 with a Master of Arts in Music Performance and specifically concerts (Brigitte Balleys’s class). Passionate about foreign languages, she also holds a Bachelor’s degree in English, German and Swedish. She sings regularly with the self-run women’s Diaphane ensemble, as well as the Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne and the Cappella Amsterdam, directed by DanielReuss; and is a soloist for contemporary music creations in an oratorio repertoire. In 2020, she was a finalist in the Nuits lyriques de Marmande competition in the melodies category. In 2021, she won the special Prix Fauré-Séverac at the Concours d’interprétation de la mélodie française in Toulouse. In September 2021, she sang the role of Dorabella (Così fan tutte) at the Opéra de Lausanne and at the Opéra de Fribourg (a co-production of the HEMU, HEM Genève and Opéra de Fribourg). In May 2022, she premiered the title role of Le Chat botté by Etienne Crausaz at the Opéra des Champs.
At the Opéra de Lausanne: Alcina (2022).
The Opéra de Lausanne Choir is young, made up of students of singing from Lausanne’s University of Music and the Geneva HEM, and professional singers. Its members are selected by audition and periodically reheard. For each opera, they are distributed depending on their voice and/or aptitudes. Thanks mainly to their talent on stage, supported by an infectious enthusiasm, they are highly appreciated by all the theatre directors invited. For a few years the choir has benefitted from preparation by several experienced choir masters from different backgrounds, chosen depending on the works being sung and their specific interest.
Diego Fasolis began his career as a concert organist before turning to conducting. A regular guest at the Salzburg Festival, he conducted Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at the Musikverein with the Vienna Concentus Musicus and the Arnold Schönberg Choir. More recently, La Scala entrusted him with the creation of an orchestra playing on period instruments, which he then conducted in Handel’s Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno. In 2017, he also conducted Tamerlano there with Plácido Domingo. Among his recent or upcoming engagements: La finta giardiniera at La Scala and in Shanghai, L’incoronazione di Poppea at the Berlin Staatsoper, La sonnambula at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Paër’s Agnese and Così fan tutte at the Teatro Regio in Turin, Dorilla in Tempe at La Fenice, Il turco in Italia at La Scala, Cherubini’s Lo sposo di tre, e marito di nessuna at the Florence Opera, Vivaldi’s Farnace at the Teatro Malibran in Venice, Handel’s Alessandro with the Kammerorchester Basel in Göttingen, Paris and Basel. In 2019, Diego Fasolis was nominated in the Conductor of the Year category at the International Opera Awards.
At the Opéra de Lausanne: Faramondo (2009), Rinaldo (2011), Farnace (2011), L’Artaserse (2012), Dorilla in Tempe (2014), Die Zauberflöte (2015), Ariodante (2016), La clemenza di Tito (2018), Orpheus and Eurydice (2019), Meyerbeer’s Gli amori di Teolinda (2019) and Alcina (2022).
In search of a rigorous aesthetic and conceptual unity for a theater founded on all the arts, Stefano Poda has always developed his own language by combining the functions of director, set and costume designer, lighting designer, as well as choreographer. In 2019, he received the Claude Rostand Prize for his production of Ariane et Barbe-Bleue by Dukas at the Capitole de Toulouse. He has directed more than 100 productions worldwide, including: Rusalka (2022) at the Toulouse National Opera; the new production of Tosca (2021) at the Bolshoi in Moscow; Nabucco for the opening of the National Theatre of Korea in 2021 and at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires (2020/22); Romeo and Juliet (2018) at the National Center for Performing Arts in Beijing; Boris Godunov (2017) and Andrea Chénier (2015) at the Korean National Opera; Antônio Carlos Gomes’ Fosca and Mahler’s Titan at the São Paulo Municipal Theater (2016); L’elisir d’amore in Strasbourg (2016); Otello in Budapest (2015); Tristan und Isolde at the opening of the 77th Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. His Faust (2015), Turandot (2018) and Thaïs at the Teatro Regio in Turin, have been shown in cinemas around the world. Recent projects include: the opening of the Verona Arena Centennial Festival in the summer of 2023 with the new production of Verdi’s Aida, broadcast worldwide; the opening of the Rossini Festival in Pesaro 2023 with the first modern performance in the critical edition of Eduardo e Cristina; the launch of the 2023/24 season of the Teatro Regio in Turin with Halévy’s La Juive; Enesco’s Oedipus at the 2023 Enesco Festival in Bucharest.
At the Opéra de Lausanne: Ariodante and Faust (2016), Lucia de Lammermoor (2017), Les Contes d’Hoffmann (2019), Alcina (2022) and Norma (2023).
Born in Turin, Paolo Giani Cei has been assisting Stefano Poda all over the world since 2008 in the areas of staging, sets, costumes and lighting, basing his work on a theater that merges all the arts. He worked on the production of Tristan und Isolde conducted by Zubin Mehta for the opening of the 77th edition of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, as well as – as a dramaturge – on Titan, a choreographic show based on Mahler’s First Symphony presented by the National Dance Company of São Paulo, and Fosca by Antônio Carlos Gomes at the Municipal Theater of São Paulo. In recent years, he has directed Madama Butterfly, La traviata, I Capuleti e i Montecchi, La bohème, Cenerentola and Don Giovanni at the Teatro Verdi in Padua, La Voix humaine at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, and in 2021, Die lustige Wittwe at the Teatro Mario del Monaco in Treviso. As an assistant, he is working on Tosca at the Bolshoi in 2021, Nabucco at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires in 2020/22, Ariadne and Bluebeard at the Capitole in Toulouse in 2019, Turandot and Faust at the Teatro Regio in Turin in 2018 and 2015, Otello at the National Opera in Budapest in 2015, Boris Godunov and Andrea Chénier at the National Opera in Korea in 2017 and 2015, and La forza del destino at the Parma Verdi Festival in 2014.