Claudia Belluomini, soprano
Between Claudia and Music is love at first sight, she began studying singing at the age of 6, after a few years she participated in the TV show “Bravo Bravissimo” hosted by Mike Bongiorno. Graduated from the Liceo Artistico Musicale Multimediale in Lucca, in 2011 she obtained the Scholarship for the Bernstein School of Musical Theatre where she graduated as “Triple threat performer” with top marks. From 2015 to 2018 he works with the best Italian musical companies under the direction of Saverio Marconi. In 2019 she decided to board a “wonderful train” that would take her to discover the world of Lyric Opera, and in 2022 she graduated with honors from the G. Puccini Conservatory of La Spezia, where she is currently attending the second year of the two-year Lyric Singing program. During her studies she prepares and debuts principal roles such as: Contessa in “Le nozze di Figaro,” Violetta in ” La traviata,” Gilda in “Rigoletto” and Musetta in “Bohème.” Currently engaged in “Turandot, heart of ice,” an Aslico Opera Education production.

Cai Fengxun, tenor
Tenor Cai Fengxun, born in 1997 in Liaoning, is currently studying at the Giacomo Puccini Conservatory of Music in La Spezia. In 2018, he received the Advanced Individual Scholarship from Shenyang Conservatory of Music and graduated with excellent grades in Opera Singing from Shenyang Conservatory of Music in 2021. In 2017, he participated in such operas as “Thunderstorm” and “Die Lustige Witwe.” He also won second prize in the “Conservatory Category” of the Brandenburg International Music Competition.

Michelangelo Ferri, baritone
Michelangelo Ferri, born in Massa (MS) in 1999, has been cultivating his passion and study of singing since the age of 9. He received a bachelor’s degree in opera singing with highest honors from the Conservatory of Music “Giacomo Puccini” in La Spezia. He studied at the MDW University of Music in Vienna under Maestro Karlheinz Hanser where he was able to refine his flair for the lieder repertoire. In his concert activity he boasts performances on numerous stages including Maestro Gustav Kuhn’s Montegral Academy, the Romanian Academy in Rome where he represented Italy at the international review “Music and its Language,” the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, the Lerici Opera Festival, the Ehrbar Saal and the Schonbrunn Palace Theatre in Vienna. In the Opera Theatre, he made his debut in 2019 with the role of Masetto in Don Giovanni at the end of a Masterclass with soprano Barbara Frittoli at the Teatro Di Broni (PV). Among the roles tackled are Sciarrone in Tosca directed by M° A. Veronesi under the direction of Stefania Sandrelli and a Doganiere in La Bohème directed by M° E. Calesso directed by Ettore Scola during the 67th Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago; the Marquis d’Obigny in La Traviata at the Teatro Verdi in Pisa; the Sacristan in Tosca in Pienza(SI) following the winning of the role in the 11th edition of the OperaPienza competition. He plays Rinaldo Capitano di Siena at the premiere performance of Crescenzo Buongiorno’s opera La Pia in collaboration with the Regione Toscana at the Teatro di Gavorrano (GR). In 2023 he is the Conte d’Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro under the direction of M° G. Di Stefano at the Teatro Civico in La Spezia. In the summer of 2023, he debuted the role of Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore at the Chiostri di Santa Caterina (SV); he interpreted the role of Angelotti and Sagrestano in Tosca at the Lerici Opera Festival conducted by M° G. Marcianò alongside Sir Bryn Terfel. He is currently completing his master’s degree in opera repertoire at the Conservatory of Music “Giacomo Puccini” in La Spezia.

Huigang Liu, bass
In January 2024 he passed the academy of the Municipal Theater of Bologna. Alto Perfezionamento Professionale per Cantanti Lirici. In January 2024 participated international competition “Voices in Barcaccia” on Rai radio 3 in Italy.It was ex aequo first place. In December 2023 he won 2nd prize in the international opera singing competition XXVI edition “Valerio Gentile ” in Fasano . And two special prizes, a scholarship from the “Lions Club Fasano” and a “Lerici Festival” prize. In November 2023 he won 1st prize in the international scholarship competition at the “Paride Venturi International Academy of Opera” in Bologna, thanks to which he deepened his studies with bass Carlo Colombara and baritone Fulvio Massa. In April 2023 Huigang won the “Vicenza in Lirica” special prize at the “Giulio Neri International Opera Competition,” and thanks to this prize he had the opportunity to study with soprano Barbara Frittoli and give a concert organized by Andrea Castello at the Teatro all. ‘Antica in Sabbioneta on September 23, 2023. In August 2022 he attended a masterclass with vocal coach Sherman Lowe and pianist Sabina Arru for the role of Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro, Mozart). In March 2022 at the “Maurizio Graziani Opera Competition” in Adria, he won 2nd Prize. He had the great opportunity to deepen his repertoire with Vincenzo Scalera, Stefania Bonfadelli, Marco Boemi, Vivica Genaux, Carmen Santoro, Antonino Siragusa,Giulio Zappa and Renata Lamanda. In September 2021 he joined the choir “Iris Ensemble” directed by M° Marina Malavasi. With this Ensemble she sang at the Mario del Monaco Theater in Treviso, the Verdi Theater in Padua and the Rovigo Theater.

Born in the Golfo dei Poeti of La Spezia, Enrica is a 22-year-old mezzo-soprano. She approached music through piano at the age of eleven, continuing her studies until she graduated from the Liceo delle scienze umane, only to discover a passion for opera singing when she was nineteen. She is currently a student in the three-year academic program of opera singing at the Giacomo Puccini Conservatory of La Spezia. In her senior year, during the summer of 2023, she participated in the “IMPROVVISI” for the Lerici Music Festival, and attended M° Patrizia Cigna’s opera singing masterclass. She later participated in the opera ” Il Poeta di Campagna” at the Impavidi Theater in Sarzana, in the role of “Chiaretta”; took part in the concert for the Zhuhai Delegation accompanied by M° Giuseppe Bruno, and other events organized by the City of La Spezia and the Conservatory.

Lulama Taifasi, tenor
Lulama Taifasi is a 30 year old (27/12/1993) tenor from the province of Eastern Cape in South Africa whose talent was recognized by Maestro Kamal Khan, previous head of the UCT Opera School, SA College of Music. Lulama attended classes with Hanna and Albie van Schalkwyk, Grant McLachlan and Italian classes at the Italian School Dante Alighieri in Cape Town. Apart from concerts at the Italian Consulate in Cape Town and with the Musicumbrella Studio, he performed in concerts in Montagu and Swellendam. He made his opera debut during the SU Toyota Woordfees in the role of Gastone in Verdi’s La Traviata with Mamre Opera performing in Darling (2019) and the Endler Hall in Stellenbosch (2020). He performed with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Brandon Phillips at Artscape as part of a concert broadcast on television (2020) and took part in the 50th Youth Classical Music Concert in Artscape in 2021. In April 2021 he obtained his Level 4 Diploma in Music Performance (Singing) from Trinity College in London with distinction. He joined the Accademia del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence, Italy, in November 2021 where he is in the Young Artists Program under Mastro Gianni Tangucci. In April 2022 Lulama sang the role of Benvolio in Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet with Juan Diego Florez as Romeo under the direction of Maestro Henrik Nánási at Accademia del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino/Opera di Firenze. In May 2022 he sang the role of Fante del Consiglio de’ Dieci in Verdi’s I due Foscari under the direction of Maestro Carlo Rizzi with Placido Domingo in the leading role. In July 2022, Lulama reached the finals of the “Riccardo Zandonai Competition” in Italy and won the Opera Sāo Paulo Prize. He was the finalist in the “XII Concorso Internazionale per Cantanti Lirici” in Pienza. In 2023, he then won a second prize in the “Concorso Giulio Neri Internazionale Lirico”, then recently was a finalist in “Concorso Lirico Città d’Alcamo” in Sicily and he won Two special prizes: “Lyons Club Alcamo” and “Mettiamoci all’Opera”. He has done numerous Masterclasses with teachers like, Eva Mei, Sara Mingardo, Bruno De Simone, Giulio Zappa and Matteo Pais. In 2023 he was part of the Opera for Peace program founded by Julia Lagahuzere under the direction of Prof Kamal Khan and Rosetta Cucchi in Paris. He then joined the OperAvenir studio program at Theater Basel in Switzerland for season 2023/24. He has performed the role of Borsa in Verdi’s Rigoletto, Lucano in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, Wilhelm Meister in Ambroise Thomas’s opera Mignon and Mozart’s Requiem.

Zhang Shuai, bass
Zhang Shuai earned his master’s degree in opera from the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan, Italy. Zhang has participated in prestigious Young Artists Programs at Teatro di Regio Parma, the Accademia of Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, and Cape Town Opera House. Zhang has an impressive list of accolades, including first prizes in numerous international vocal competitions, such as those in Vicenza, Bari, Alessandria, Messina, Amsterdam, and more. He has also received the “GRAND PRIX” Classical Vocal Super Award in Bulgaria and the highest prize at the Quebec Music Competition in Canada. His operatic roles include Tobia Mill in Rossini’s “La Cambiale di Matrimonio,” Abbordafumo in Ghedini’s “Billy Budd,” Mustafa in Rossini’s “L’Italiana in Algeri,” Leporello in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” Banco and Sicario in Verdi’s “Macbeth,” Araldo Reale in Verdi’s “Don Carlo,” Angelotti in Puccini’s “Tosca,” and Plato in Paisiello’s “Don Quixote.” Zhang has performed globally, including at the Verdi Music Festival in Italy, Solitär Mozarteum in Salzburg, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and Immaculata University in the USA. He has also been selected for top vocal artist programs, such as “Opera for Peace,” Neue Stimmen in Germany, and Carnegie Hall’s Joyce DiDonato program in the USA, all with full scholarships.

Stefania Panighini, direction
Stefania Panighini is a director and author, teaches Theory and Techniques of Stage Interpretation at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Como and Opera Direction at the Scuola Civica Paolo Grassi in Milan. She studied at the Silvio D’amico National Academy of Dramatic Art and graduated from the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Turin. She also graduated in Musicology from the University of Turin. For almost twenty years she has been staging opera in theaters around the world, from the United States to Korea, passing through many Italian theaters, from the best known to the very old and remote ones in small provincial towns (which are the ones she likes best!). Recent productions include Ascent and Fall of the City of Mahagonny at Teatro Sociale di Como, L’elisir d’Amore at Teatro Pavarotti in Modena and Astor Piazzolla’s Maria de Buenos Aires at Teatro dell’Opera Giocosa and Teatro Pergolesi in Jesi, Le songe d’une nuit d’été at Wexford Festival Opera. She relentlessly investigates reality, to transform it into a transversal scene, where – by remixing elements such as opera and dance-theater, video art and prose, photography and storytelling – we can read the past, attempting to understand the future. Passionate about new technologies and young audiences, she has boundless faith in art as a means to save the world.

Joseph Bruno, director