Georgia’s Nino Machaidze stars in Italian opera festival

Nearly 20,000 opera fans turned out to see famous Georgian opera singer Nino Machaidze and other stars perform a famous opera at a celebrated outdoor venue in Italy’s north last weekend.

Machaidze was cast in a performance of the Italian classic La Traviata at Arena di Verona on July 2. It was the first show of La Traviata at this year’s Arena Opera Festival in northern Italy’s provincial capital Verona.

This year the Arena Opera Festival is celebrating its 94th edition by presenting a two-month program of six opera and ballet productions from June 24 to August 28.

The July 2 performance of La Traviata was interrupted by rain after the first act and had to be cancelled, however Machaidze told her social media followers the show was still an "incredible evening” with long applause and cheers from an audience of about 18,000.

See Georgian soprano Nino Machaidze perform in the opera ‘La Traviata’ during the July 2 show of the 2016 Arena Opera Festival in Verona, Italy below:

The Georgian soprano was chosen to lead the opening of La Traviata shows at the annual opera festival along with Russia’s Ekaterina Bakanova.

The two singers will alternate their appearances in La Traviata during the remainder of the festival. Machaidze will perform the role of Violetta Valery today before two more shows on July 8 and 12.

The melodramatic opera in three acts is based on score by famous late Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi and the Verona performance of the opera was being directed by Argentinian Hugo de Ana.

The three-hour performance also featured work by Italian choreographer Leda Lojodice.

The July 2 performance of ‘La Traviata’ was seen by an audience of about 18,000 at the Arena di Verona in Italy’s north. Photo from Nino Machaidze/Facebook.

Machaidze is well known in Italy and across the world for her soulful performances in principal roles of famous operas.

The Georgian singer started piano and vocal lessons when she was seven years old, and by the time she was 17, she was accepted into the academy for young artists at La Scala, Milan.

She made her opera debut at La Scala singing Marie, the lead in the opera The Daughter of the Regiment by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Machaidze also performed the same role at the Rome Opera in Italy’s capital.

The international magazine Opera World named the Georgian singer among the ten best sopranos in the world in 2015, while Germany’s second largest opera house, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, said last year Machaidze was "one of the most in-demand young singers in her field”.

At the German opera house Machaidze performed in the premiere of the Vasco da Gama opera.

See the detailed program of the 2016 Arena Opera Festival here.