Tiroler Festspiele Erl – Georges Bizet: CARMEN (concert version)

Asher Fisch Musical Director

Asher Fisch is Chief Conductor of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and has been Music Director of the Tiroler Festspiele in Erl since the beginning of the 2024/25 season. He is internationally recognized as one of the leading conductors and has an extensive repertoire that covers both opera and concert areas. He began his career as an assistant to Daniel Barenboim and as a conductor at the Berlin State Opera. Since then, he has conducted at major European opera houses, including Vienna, Milan, Munich, Paris and Madrid. As an acknowledged Wagner specialist, Fisch has recorded two complete "Ring" cycles as well as "Tristan und Isolde". In addition, he has intensively studied the Italian repertoire and recently released a Puccini album together with tenor Jonas Kaufmann, the new Artistic Director of the Tiroler Festspiele Erl.

As a concert conductor, Asher Fisch has led renowned US American and European orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Munich Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de France and the London Symphony Orchestra. Asher Fisch is also active as a pianist and can be experienced in piano concerts, with chamber music and as a song accompanist.

Aigul Akhmetshina Carmen

Russian mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina studied at the Conservatory in Ufa (Bashkortostan, Russia) and in master classes with Ildar Abdrazakov, Barbara Frittoli, and Delfo Menicucci. At the age of 21, she caused a sensation as Carmen at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in London. Since then, she has also portrayed Bizet’s title character at venues including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Arena di Verona, the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, and the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. Engagements have taken her to venues including the Vienna State Opera, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Hamburg State Opera, the Zurich Opera House, the Teatro Real in Madrid, the San Francisco Opera, and the Opéra national de Paris. She made her debut at the Salzburg Festival in 2023 in I Capuleti e I Montecchi.

Michael Fabiano Don José

Tenor Michael Fabiano, born in Montclair, New Jersey, and of Italian descent, studied at the University of Michigan and the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. His international career has taken him, among other roles, to the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona and the Vienna State Opera as Calaf (Turandot) and Des Grieux (Manon); to the San Francisco Opera as Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly); to the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Vienna State Opera as Don José (Carmen) at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Vienna State Opera, as Rodolfo (Luisa Miller) at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, and as Manrico (Il trovatore) at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in London. He is also a co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit organization ArtSmart, which provides free music education in underserved communities in the United States.

Alexander Vinogradov Escamillo

Alexander Vinogradov is from Moscow and made his debut at the Bolshoi Theater at the age of 21 as Oroveso (Norma). Since then, the sought-after bass has performed worldwide at renowned opera houses and festivals, including the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, the Opéra national de Paris, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, the Hamburg State Opera, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, the New National Theatre in Tokyo, the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, and the Arena di Verona. Engagements for the current season include appearances at the Metropolitan Opera in New York as Rodolfo (La sonnambula), at the Vienna State Opera as the Water Sprite (Rusalka) and Zaccaria (Nabucco), and at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples as Timur (Turandot).

Pretty Yende Micaëla

South African soprano Pretty Yende was a scholarship recipient at the South African College of Music in Cape Town and graduated from the Accademia Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Her career has taken her to the world’s major opera stages, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Opéra national de Paris, the Vienna State Opera, the Bavarian State Opera, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in London, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. She has appeared on stage as Violetta (La traviata), Elvira (I puritani), Amina (La sonnambula), Pamina (The Magic Flute), Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro), as well as Manon and Lucia di Lammermoor. In the summer of 2026, she made her debut at the Tyrolean Festival Erl as Leonora (Il trovatore).

Vittorio De Campo Zuniga

Bass Vittorio De Campo is from Tirano. He studied opera singing with Patrizia Fabbri and furthered his training in master classes. He has won prizes at numerous prestigious competitions. He made his opera debut in 2017 as Sciarrone (Tosca) at the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago. He made his debut at the Ravenna Festival in 2019 as Ramfis (Aida). In 2021, he participated in the Riccardo Muti Italian Opera Academy, where he sang the role of Gran Sacerdote di Belo (Nabucco). His engagements to date include performances as Re d’Egitto (Aida) at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona and as Commendatore (Don Giovanni) as part of the Muti Academy, at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, at the Teatro Bunkamura in Tokyo, and at the Teatro Pérez Galdós in Gran Canaria, where he also appeared as Colline (La Bohème).

Maurizio Bove Moralès

Maurizio Bove was born in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, near Naples. At the age of 13, he began taking singing lessons. He graduated from the “Giuseppe Martucci” Conservatory in Salerno under Filippo Morace and subsequently furthered his training at the Accademia dell’Opera at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, as well as with Mariella Devia and Ernesto Palacio. He is a winner and finalist of numerous Italian opera competitions. Since 2019, he has appeared on stage at the Teatro Verdi in Salerno in several roles: as Sciarrone (Tosca), Bogdanovich (The Merry Widow), Un vecchio zingaro (Il trovatore), and Un doganiere (La bohème). He recently made his debut at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples in the role of Johann (Werther).

Vladislav Chizhov Dancairo

Russian baritone Vladislav Chizhov studied at the Sveshnikov Choir School in Moscow, the Institute of Contemporary Art, and the Galina Vishnevskaya Opera Center. He was a soloist with the Sveshnikov Choir and the Sretensky Monastery Choir. He has been a member of the Bolshoi Theater ensemble in Moscow since September 2024. In September 2024, he won third prize at the Operalia International Competition for Young Opera Singers. In his home country, he has already performed in numerous roles, including Dancairo (Carmen), Robert (Iolanta), Marcello (La Bohème), Fiorello (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Don Alvaro (Il Viaggio a Reims), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), and as Eugene Onegin (Eugene Onegin), a role he also recently performed at the Grange Festival in England.

Alberto Robert Remendado

Tenor Alberto Robert is from Mexico and began his vocal studies at the Conservatory in Celaya. He continued his training at the Mexico Opera Studio and the Accademia Rossiniana “Alberto Zedda” in Pesaro. He has won several awards, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Encouragement Award. Starting in 2021, he was a member of the Opera Studio at the Stuttgart State Opera and joined the company’s ensemble in 2024, where he has performed roles including Count Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Don Ramiro (La Cenerentola), Don Curzio (Le nozze di Figaro), Remendado (Carmen), Conte di Lerma (Don Carlos), Ernesto (Don Pasquale), Rodrigo (Otello), and Pang (Turandot). At the Theater an der Wien, he appeared as Count Alberto (L’occasione fa il ladro).

Eva Rae Martinez Frasquita

Colombian-American soprano Eva Rae Martinez studied at the Manhattan School of Music and the Yale School of Music and participated in training programs at the Georg Solti Accademia, the Merola Opera Program, the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, and the Tanglewood Music Center. She is the recipient of the New England Region Encouragement Award at the Metropolitan Opera’s 2023 Laffont Competition. In 2024, she made her debut at Carnegie Hall in *Carmina Burana*. Since the start of the current season, she has been a member of the Opera Studio at the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, a position supported by the New York Opera Foundation. There, she has performed the roles of the Voice of the Angel (The Maid of Orléans) and Elisabeth (Glass’s *Les enfants terribles*).

Lucy Baker Mercédès

Mezzo-soprano Lucy Baker studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and at the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. There she performed, among other roles, the part of Karolka (Jenůfa), and in Philadelphia she sang, among other roles, the title role in Ariodante and Dorabella (Così fan tutte). Since the beginning of the current season, she has been a member of the ensemble at the Deutsche Oper Berlin as a fellow of the Opera Foundation New York. There she performs the roles of Mercédès (Carmen), Bersi (Andrea Chénier), Kate Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Smaragdi (Francesca da Rimini), Second Maid (Korngold’s Violanta), a Flower Maiden (Parsifal), Hippolyta (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Zulma (L’italiana in Algeri), and the Novice Mistress (Suor Angelica).

Orchestra and Chorus of the Tiroler Festspiele Erl

Tiroler Festspiele Erl Orchestra

The music springs from the enthusiasm of a motivated and exceptionally well-prepared ensemble that has grown together over the years. The Tyrolean Festival Erl Orchestra was first formed in the summer of 1999—and today, musicians from 20 nations play together. Already in its first year, the ensemble achieved unprecedented success, which would go on to bring international recognition to the Tyrolean Festival Erl. Top young talents, musicians from major international orchestras, chamber music specialists, and lecturers come together annually in summer and winter—and since 2017, also in fall and spring—as part of the Tyrolean Festival Erl. Under the direction of festival founder Gustav Kuhn, the orchestra garnered rave reviews from international critics and cemented its reputation as one of the world’s finest Wagner orchestras. With the start of Jonas Kaufmann’s tenure as artistic director in September 2024, Asher Fisch—a conductor in high demand internationally in both opera and concert settings—has taken over the helm of the orchestra.

In addition to Richard Wagner’s ten major music dramas and operas by Strauss, Mozart, Beethoven, Verdi, and Rossini, the orchestra’s repertoire includes Beethoven’s symphonies and many other key works from the concert repertoire spanning the Baroque and Romantic periods, as well as contemporary works and world premieres.

Tiroler Festspiele Erl Choir

Founded in 2007, the choir serves as an equal musical partner to the festival orchestra. The focus is on meticulous attention to individual parts. As part of the festival, the singers work on a wide range of projects, from a cappella programs to concert and opera productions. Since the opening of the Festspielhaus Erl in 2012, the repertoire has placed additional emphasis on bel canto works and Verdi’s operas.

The development of a Baroque choral sound in the works of Bach and his contemporaries is also a key focus of the ensemble’s work; since 2009, it has maintained close ties with Capella Minsk, the State Academic Choir of the Republic of Belarus. Founded in 1940, this choral ensemble has made it its mission to preserve Belarusian folk music and to premiere works by modern and contemporary composers.

The choir is distinguished by its precise intonation, harmony, versatility, and dynamic sound—qualities that have formed the basis for numerous tours throughout Europe in recent years. Its repertoire includes requiems, masses, cantatas, and sacred works, as well as operas. After Lyudmila Yefimova spent many years developing and shaping the choir’s quality, Olga Yanum took over as the ensemble’s director following her death in 2018.

Schule für Chorkunst München

From the beginning, particular emphasis was placed on comprehensive musical training: voice training lessons, two choir rehearsals per week, ear training and music theory – all of this is standard curriculum at the Schule für Chorkunst München. Great importance has also always been attached to the following aspects: promoting musical memory, a great variety of musical works, developing vocal flexibility as well as expanding vocal range and continuous development of polyphonic and polyphonic singing. Since the founding of the Schule für Chorkunst, young singers have regularly participated in public concerts, festivals, choir tours and other projects. In 2018, the concert choir of the choir school participated with great success in the international "World Peace Choral Festival" in Vienna and performed together with the world-famous choir of the Vienna Boys' Choir. In 2021, children from the Schule für Chorkunst München participated in the Tiroler Festspiele – in Humperdinck's opera "Königskinder". Another larger project, already for the second time with the Bavarian State Opera, was the children's opera "Spring doch!", which premiered on December 9, 2022; seven performances followed after the successful premiere. In November 2022, the singers of the Schule für Chorkunst München participated in the Bavarian Choir Competition – with great success – and qualified for the Germany-wide Choir Competition.

Georges Bizet: CARMEN (concert version)

Team