Solisti dell’Opera di Parma

Having been the principal parts of the Orchestra of the Teatro Regio di Parma, The Solisti took the name Solisti del Teatro Regio from 2007 to 2012, and since 2013 the new name, Solisti dell’Opera di Parma, which recalls the original name of the group, the Parma Opera Ensemble.

The Parma Opera Ensemble was born in 1996 under the initiative of Sergio Pellegrini, with the purpose of joining the classical repertoire for chamber ensemble; a series of instrumental works, chamber arias, XIX Century’s divertissements from opera themes, transcriptions from arias and popular themes from operas by Mozart, Rossini, Verdi,  Tchaikovsky to the flourishing tradition of romance, with the aim of proposing a deserved recovery. From december 2000 the Ensemble took part in important international events, first in Paris and Madrid, where it represented the city of Parma during the celebrations of the Verdi Centennial of 2001, then in Tokyo, London and New York; the Ensemble has been a frequent guest of the concert seasons at the Paganini Auditorium in  Parma until 2012. Its members are among the best italian instrumentalists, employed as principal parts in the Orchestra del Teatro Regio di Parma from 2000 to 2012, as well as in the most prestigious orchestras and chamber groups of our Country.

The sound richness of the ensemble and its capacity to meet the needs of the voices, “very good instrumentalists, that achieve a kaleidoscope of colours and nuances…gleam and softness that reveal the singing’s lover who…while playing, breaths and sings” (Elvio Giudici, Opera), promoted important collaborations with several singers such as Carlo Bergonzi, Raina Kabaivanska, Michele Pertusi, Mariella Devia, Marco Berti, Eva Mei, Vincenzo La Scola, Francesco Meli, Annick Masis, Roberto De Candia, Annamaria Dell’Oste, Giuseppe Sabbatini, Roberto Servile and musicians like Joerg Demus, Boris Belkin, Bruno Canino…

In addition to the numerous concerts in Italy and abroad, the group joined a rich recording production, both with singers and instrumentalists, such as “Il teatro strumentale dell’800” and “Divertissement”, for Symphonia, receiving very good welcome from the critics (A.Foletto, E.Giudici, R.Celletti…). The CD with Mariella Devia, Sergej Larin and Michele Pertusi, “Complete Chamber Songs”, the CD of the complete edition of the chamber arias by Verdi (Stradivarius) has been reviewed by the most important musical reriews (Amadeus, Opera) as a “rarity able to draw the attention as one of the few new publishing initiatives worthy of the imminent Verdi Centennial (A.Foletto, La Repubblica).

In 2008, the Solisti played for MidAmerican Productions at The Carnegie Hall in New York. In 2010, under invitation of the Moscow Philharmonic, made a tour of five concerts in Russia, with dates in Saint Petersburg and at the  T Hall in Moscow. In 2011 they gave a concert at the Riga Opera House (Christmas concert). The Ensemble has recently recorded three CDs with international renowned singers:  Desirée Rancatore, Roberto Aronica and Roberto Scandiuzzi, the collection “Verdiana”, published along with the newspaper “ La Gazzetta di Parma” on the occasion of the Verdi Centennial 2013.

The ensemble took the Italian opera to Bilbao from 2005 to 2013. Also they gave a symphonic lyric recital in Bangkok in 2013. Mo. Pellegrini also conducted in Mongolia in Ulan Bator on the occasion of the opening of the Italian embassy in Mongolia.

Recently Apple and Naxos of America included Parma Opera Ensemble (POE) logo in their work, Apple putting it into classical / opera music.

SERGIO PELLEGRINI (Conductor)

President and Artistic Director of the Orchestra of the Theatre Regio di Parma, in 2007 Sergio Pellegrini debued as the director of the orchestra, leading the Orchestra of the Theatre Regio di Parma in various concerts in the theatres of Emilia Romagna. From 2008 he has been directing the Italian tours of the East European Philharmonic Orchestra, a collaboration of musicians from various Russian, Ukrainian, Moldovan and Romanian orchestras. He has also directed the Balkan Festival Orchestra for the ‘Amici della Musica’ (Friends of Music) in Milan in the 16th edition of the ‘Nottorni alla Villa Reale’ (Nightlife at the Villa Reale).

He participated in the concert season of 2009 in Bacau, Romania, directing the orchestra ‘Bacau Philharmonic’ and in 2010 in Oporto, Portugal, directing the Gaia Philharmonic. In the concert season of 2010/2011 in the Olympic Theatre in Vicenza, he directed the Olympic Theatre Orchestra. In September of 2011 he was invited to participate as the President of the Jury in the 2nd International Competition of lyric song of the Sibiu Philharmonic in Romania.

With the Orchestra of the Theatre Regio di Parma he has also directed soloists such as Nikolaj Luganski (at the International Piano Festival at the Theatre Grande in Brescia), Corrado Giuffredi, Andrea Oliva, Andrea Bacchetti and singers such as Leo Nucci, Luca Salsi, Riccardo Zanellato, Gladis Rossi, Silvia Dalla Benetta and Bruno Ribeiro. On the 17 March, 2012 he conducted the Chamber Orchestra of the Theatre Regio di Parma with soprano Barbara Frittoli at the Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb.
As a clarinettist, he has collaborated with numerous orchestras such as the Scala Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Theatre San Carlo di Napoli, the Italian Chamber Orchestra of M° Salvatore Accardo, the Chamber Orchestra of Mantova and the Orchestra of the Theatre Regio di Parma.

In 1997 he founded the Parma Opera Ensemble, composed of some of the most prestigious Italian instrumentalists. The group become The Soloists of the Theatre Regio di Parma. This ensemble took stage at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, the Theatre Regio di Parma, the Theatre Grande of Brescia, the Municipality of Piacenza, the Musical Union of Turin, the Music Festival of Umbra, the International Music Festival of Cambrils, The Chelsea Festival of London, the Kyoi Hall in Tokyo, the ‘Otobutai Festival’ at the Tofokuji Temple in Kyoto, the Ginko Hall in Fukuoka, the Festival of San Feliù de Guixols, the UN and Carnegie Hall in New York, the Reus Festival and, at the invitation of the Moscow Philharmonic, at the Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Liepaja and Riga.

In 2009 he was appointed as the Artistic Director of the lyric-symphonic season at the Theatre G.Verdi di Busseto (PR). He is currently the Artistic Director of the concert season of Theatre Nuovo di Salsomaggiore Terme (PR).

In June of 2012 he participated in the Festival of Irkutsk where he directed Rigoletto in the local Theatre. Also in June of 2012 he directed the Chamber Orchestra of the Theatre Regio di Parma in a tour of Venezuela.

He conducted the Parma Opera Orchestra for two recordings of Verdi with the renowned tenor Roberto Aronica in 2018 and the soprano Desiree Rancatore in 2019.