Stefano Vignati Returns to the Podium of Opera Carolina to Open the Season

Maestro Stefano Vignati returns to the podium of Opera Carolina to conduct Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Suor Angelica leading the Charlotte Symphony, following the major international success of his most recent tour in China with Turandot, produced in collaboration with the Puccini Festival of Torre del Lago and We Opera Company.

During the tour, Turandot was presented in China’s most important cities and was performed for the first time in history in Chongqing, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, with a population exceeding 34 million.



While in Wuhan, Maestro Vignati, in his capacity as an American citizen, was honored by a visit from the United States Consul General to China, the Honorable Christopher Green, who highlighted the importance of this significant international cultural collaboration.



The media exposure surrounding the tour was extraordinary. News broadcasts and televised interviews with Maestro Vignati were widely disseminated through China News and other major outlets, reaching audiences around the globe. These features highlighted his artistic collaboration with China as well as his role as Music Director and Principal Conductor of Opera Carolina (Charlotte). This global media launch promoted not only Turandot, but also the city of Charlotte and Opera Carolina on an international scale.

Returning to Charlotte, the production opening on January 16 features two of Giacomo Puccini’s most beloved works. Suor Angelica is a deeply moving spiritual drama, marked by some of the composer’s most lyrical and emotionally powerful writing, while Gianni Schicchi offers a brilliant comic portrayal of greed and family rivalry, rich in humor and theatrical vitality.

The double bill boasts an exceptional international cast, including artists who regularly perform on the stages of La Scala in Milan and the Metropolitan Opera in New York, among them Massimo Cavalletti, Nancy Fabiola Herrera, Marina Costa Jackson, and Eric Ferring in leading roles.

Three unmissable performances on January 16, 17, and 18 in the Queen City of Charlotte reaffirm Opera Carolina’s role as a leading force on the international operatic scene, honoring the enduring legacy of Giacomo Puccini.

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Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) was an Italian composer known for his masterful operas that combined lyrical melodies, rich orchestration, and emotionally gripping drama. Born in Lucca, Italy, Puccini was the most prominent successor to the Italian operatic tradition established by Verdi.

He studied at the Milan Conservatory, where he was influenced by contemporary composers and the realism of the verismo movement, which portrayed everyday life and intense human emotion.

Puccini’s most famous operas include: La Bohème (1896) – a tale of love and loss among struggling artists in Paris; Tosca (1900) – a politically charged drama of love, betrayal, and sacrifice; Madama Butterfly (1904) – the tragic story of a Japanese geisha’s devotion to an American naval officer; and Turandot (unfinished at his death, completed posthumously) – a fairy-tale opera set in ancient China.

In 1918, Puccini composed Il trittico (The Triptych), a trio of one-act operas: Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi. Each portrays a different emotional tone—dark tragedy, spiritual redemption, and comic farce respectively. Suor Angelica, set in a convent, is notable for its deeply spiritual and maternal themes.

Puccini died in 1924 in Brussels while receiving treatment for throat cancer. His operas remain staples of the repertory and are beloved for their emotional depth, melodic richness, and dramatic power.

About Belk Theater

Belk Theater features state-of-the-art equipment, production and support capabilities and can host any event, from grand opera to rock to corporate annual meetings and lectures.

The theater features a contemporary European horseshoe arrangement for an intimate atmosphere and world-class acoustics. The most distant seat is less than 135 feet from the stage.

A hallmark of the theater’s design is some 2,400 “points of light” in the audience chamber, part of a dazzling fiber optic network with multi-color capabilities.

Renowned architect Cesar Pelli designed the Performing Arts Center, which opened in 1992, as well as the adjacent Bank of America Corporate Center and Founders Hall. The Center’s name honors the contributions of the people of the state of North Carolina as well as the generosity of the Blumenthal Foundation, the largest private donor to the capital campaign.

About Opera Carolina

Founded in 1948 by the Charlotte Music Club, Opera Carolina is the largest professional opera company in the Carolinas, annually serving more than 70,000 people in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Northern Georgia.

The mission of Opera Carolina is to improve the quality of life throughout the Charlotte region by presenting excellent opera, education, and community programs.

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