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Sunnyboy Dladla is one of the most sought-after Rossinian tenors of his generation. Known for his “crisp, clearly focused, brightly timbred, radiantly present” voice, Dladla combines an active opera career with frequent concert performances.
In the 2022-2023 season, he performed at the Edinburgh Festival in Carmina Burana under Sir Donald Runnicles and at the Opernhaus Zurich in G. Benjamin’s Lessons in Love and Violence. He also took on roles at Staatsoper Hannover, including Count Almaviva (Barbiere di Siviglia), Peter Quint (The Turn of the Screw), and Leopold (La Juive).
The 2023-2024 season featured his house debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona as Don Ramiro (La Cenerentola) and a role debut as Oraspe (Aureliano in Palmira) at the Rossini Opera Festival. He performed Carmina Burana with the London Symphony Orchestra under Gianandrea Noseda and reprised Count Almaviva at Staatsoper Hannover.
Dladla has been featured on several recordings, including Mose in Egitto (Bregenzer Festspiel) and Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Dutch National Opera). Since joining Staatsoper Hannover in 2020, he has performed leading roles such as Ferrando (Cosi fan Tutte), Cassio (Otello), and Tempo (Il Trionfo del Tempo e di Disinganno).
Internationally, Dladla has appeared at the BBC Proms with Sir Simon Rattle, performed Mozart’s Requiem with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and made his U.S. debut in Handel’s Messiah with the National Symphony Orchestra. Other notable concerts include Carmina Burana with the Toronto Symphony and at the Grand Teton Festival.
A frequent interpreter of Count Almaviva (Barbiere di Siviglia), Dladla has performed this role at the Rossini Opera Festival, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Staatsoper Stuttgart, among others. His repertoire also includes Don Ramiro (La Cenerentola) and Paolino (Il Matrimonio Segreto), showcasing his mastery of coloratura roles.
Born in Piet-Retief, South Africa, Sunnyboy Dladla earned his degree at the University of Cape Town and later obtained a master’s degree from the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste. His rich career continues to highlight his remarkable vocal talent and stage presence across the world.
Maria Bayankina was born in the village of Zyryanovsky, Sverdlovsk Oblast, and spent her childhood in Izhevsk.
Graduated from the vocals faculty of and completed a postgraduate study at the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music (class of Evgenia Shevelyova). During her years as a student she collaborated with the Petit Opera artistic group, participating in performances of Purcell’s operas King Arthur, The Tempest, Dido and Aeneas and The Fairy-Queen. In 2011 she was awarded a grant from the Wagner Foundation, which affords young artists the opportunity to visit Bayreuth. That same year, she became a soloist with the Mariinsky Academy of Young Opera Singers.
In January 2013 she made her Mariinsky Theatre debut as Tsaritsa Militrisa in the opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan.
Since the 2019–2020 season she has been a soloist with the Mariinsky Opera.
In November 2019 she made her company debut at the Bolshoi Theatre in the opera The Idiot.
Kent Nagano is considered one of the outstanding conductors for both operatic and orchestral repertoire. His first major successes came with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1984, when Messiaen appointed him assistant to conductor Seiji Ozawa for the premiere of his opera Saint François d’Assise. European appointments were soon to follow: Music Director of Opéra National de Lyon (1988 – 1998) and Music Director of the Hallé Orchestra (1991 – 2000). Nagano became the first Music Director of Los Angeles Opera in 2003 having already held the position of Principal Conductor for two years. Since 2015, he has been General Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera and Chief Conductor of the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg, and from 2006 to 2020, he served as Music Director of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, of which he was appointed Conductor Emeritus in 2021. Kent Nagano last performed at the Verbier Festival in 2022.