Simone Piazzola

INTRODUCTION

Simone Piazzola has a noble, radiant baritone of high standards with a singular, recognizable timbre. He has a strong and burnishing presence on stage and has established himself as one of the leading baritones of his generation on international scale.

RECENT AND FUTURE ENGAGEMENTS

Simone Piazzola’s future engagements include (among others):

• Giorgio Germont/La Traviata at San Francisco Opera (a new production by Director Shawna Lucey) and at Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège;
• Enrico/Lucia di Lammermoor at Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, Lisbon;
• the title role in Rigoletto at Teatr Wielki, Warsaw;
• Sharpless/Madama Butterfly at Hamburg State Opera;
• Ezio/Attila at Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari;
• Renato/Un Ballo in Maschera at Teatro Filarmonico di Verona;
• a role debut as De Siriex/Fedora in Piacenza and Modena;
• Ford/Falstaff at Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège;
• Giorgio Germont/La Traviataat Teatre Principal de Palma de Mallorca;
• Conte di Luna/Il Trovatore at Opera Hong Kong.

His most recent engagements include:

• Giorgio Germont/La Traviata and Amonasro/Aida at the Arena di Verona Opera Festival;
• a Canadian debut as Giorgio Germont/La Traviata at the Canadian Opera Company Toronto;
• Giorgio Germont/La Traviata at Semperoper Dresden, at Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Teatro Comunale di Rovigo, Teatro Verdi di Padova, Fondazione Teatro Goldoni di Livorno, and at Teatro Sociale di Treviso;
• Conte di Luna/Il Trovatore w. Auckland Philharmonic;
• Don Carlo/Ernani at Teatro Massimo, Palermo;
• Alphonse/La Favorite at Teatro di Piacenza and Teatro Regio di Parma;
• Ford/Falstaff  w. J. Lavine at Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino;
• Don Carlo di Vargas/La forza del destino at Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège;
• the title role in Rigolettoat Teatro Verdi di Padova;
• Verdi Galà with Domingo Hindoyan and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.

BIOGRAPHY

Simone Piazzola made his debut in 2005 at the Giordano Theater in Foggia in Il Re by U. Giordano, and subsequently, Rigoletto, directed by Maestro Bruno Campanella at the Opera Theater in Rome, an opera resumed on a tour in Japan, and then as Conte di Luna/Il Trovatore at the Teatro Nuovo in Spoleto.

During Season 2019/2020 Mr. Piazzola sang (among others) Ezio/Attila at Opera Australia, Ernesto/Il pirata and Rodrigo/Don Carlo at Teatro Real de Madrid, and the title role of Simon Boccanegra at Wiener Staatsoper. In 2020 Simone Piazzola took part in Gala Streaming online concerts (due to the Pandemic) in La Scala di Milano and Teatro Filarmonico di Verona, among others.

In 2018 and 2019 Simone Piazzola performed as Giorgio Germont/La Traviata at the Royal Opera House, London, the Royal Opera House of Muscat, Arena di Verona Opera Festival, Bayerische Staatsoper, München, and Staatsoper Hamburg. He also sang Amonasro/Aida at Wiener Staatsoper and at Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Don Carlo/Ernani at Teatro alla Scala Milano and Teatre Principal de Maó, Ford/Falstaff and Enrico/Lucia di Lammermoor at Teatro Real de Madrid, Ford/Falstaff at Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, Alphonse/La Favorite at Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Seid/Il corsaro at Fondazione Teatri di Piacenza, Renato/Un ballo in maschera at Bayerische Staatsoper München, Graf Luna/Der Troubadour at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Renato/Un ballo in maschera at Opéra National de Paris, Count de Luna/Il trovatore at Ópera de Oviedo, Enrico/Lucia di Lammermoor and Marcello/La bohème at Semperoper Dresden.

Outstanding performances between 2014 and 2018 also include:

Cecil/Maria Stuarda, conducted by M° Richard Bonynge, under the direction of Pier Luigi Pizzi at the Megaron Theater in Athens; Marcello/La Bohéme in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Count di Luna/Il Trovatore at Sferisterio Macerata Opera Festival and in Budapest, Marcello/La Bohéme in Tel Aviv, Don Carlo di Vargas/La forza del destino in al Palau de les Art in Valencia, Enrico/Lucia di Lammermoor in Berlin; The Duke of Nottingham/Roberto Devereux in Madrid and Bilbao and at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munchen.

In 2017 he was Don Carlo di Vargas/Forza del destino alongside Jonas Kaufmann in Munich.

In 2014 Simone Piazzola made his debut at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan as Count di Luna/Il Trovatore, then he returned to Milan to perform Silvio/I Pagliacci (2015), Marcello/La Bohème (2016), Rodrigue/Don Carlos (2017), Don Carlo/Ernani and an extraordinary recital of chamber arias (2018).

In 2012 Simone Piazzola took part in the Christmas Concert of the Senate of the Italian Republic, directed by Maestro Riccardo Muti.

EDUCATION & AWARDS

Simone Piazzola began his musical studies with the soprano Alda Borelli Morgan when he was 11 years old. In 2004 he took part in various concerts organized by Fondazione Arena di Verona. In 2005 he won the first prize in the “Marie Kraja” in Tirana and in 2007, the Competition “Comunità Europea” of Teatro Lirico Sperimentale in Spoleto.

In August 2013 he won the Second Prize as well as the Audience Award at the Plácido Domingo’s Operalia Competition in Verona; in June of this season he won the Abbiati Prize.

In 2017 Mr. Piazzola won the “Bastianini” Prize in Sirmione.

In 2020 he received the “Arrigo Boito” Prize in Padua and the Premio speciale per la Lirica “Rocca di Castruccio” in Serravalle Pistoiese.

He has twice won the prestigious Premio Abbiati della critica teatrale: in 2015 for his interpretation of the role of Simon Boccanegra and in 2019 for the L’incisione della Messa (Rossini) by Decca, w. conductor M° Riccardo Chailly.

Currently Simone Piazzola builds his skills further with Giacomo Prestia (bass) and he also collaborates with Maestro Giuseppe Vaccaro, pianist and conductor.