Passerini is conducting Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème, which debuted for Opera Australia on January 5.

Passerini is joined by fellow Italian, Valeria Sepe, who plays La Bohème’s protagonist, Mimi.

At the end of the year, Passerini will travel to Brisbane to conduct Opera Queensland’s production of Aida.

Conducting an opera at the Sydney Opera House is an achievement many aspire to.

For Passerini, who at the age of 30 has already directed a production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida, it is all in a day’s work.

“Aida is one of the most mature scores available in Italian melodramas,” he said.

“Verdi also wrote Othello and Falstaff, but Aida is his true masterpiece.

“He waited 16 years after Aida debuted to compose another opera, which was Othello.

“Aida showcases Verdi at his best.”

Passerini’s direction of Aida is focused on the contrasts within the production and he enhances the extremes of each character in very precise ways.

“Verdi has such extraordinary moments in Aida, such as the triumphal march, but it’s within the intimate themes of the opera’s arias that the true emotions are found,” Passerini said.

“Verdi explores raw human emotion, jealousy, love and complicated familial relationships through his music.

“It’s up to directors, conductors and singers to interpret the minutiae of emotions in this extraordinary work.”

Passerini explained that contrasts are present throughout Aida, especially in the prelude, where the theme of Aida’s love and the priests are juxtaposed.

The end of the second act, full of mammoth arias, contrasts with the beginning of the third act, which delicately evokes the East, with its violin and flute solos.

Even the aria Celeste Aida itself is full of contrasts, the lyrics at odds with the score.

For Passerini, music is at the heart of it all.

“Music is my whole life,” he said.

“It can help us heal from the pandemic; these last 18 months have truly changed our way of life and there will be so much art and music in its aftermath.

“In Europe, young people have been unable to attend school for 15 months, and they’ve been deprived of the opportunity to develop their social skills.

“So, art and opera will teach them.

“In Italy, theatres were often called ‘teatri sociali’ (social theatres) because they were part of society - a meeting place where music was the focus.

“Each time Aida was performed at La Scala, it became the most important event in Europe, perhaps in the world.

“It’s crucial that music returns to the heart of our society once again, because it teaches us about human relationships and is a reflection of humanity.

“We all feel jealous and have intense relationships with certain people; music is the cure.”

Passerini stressed the importance of music education for younger generations.

“One cannot live without music and it should be studied in schools,” he said.

“For those who understand it, opera is extraordinary.

“It’s one of the most holistic arts as it encompasses singing, new technologies, literature, music, emotion, dance and reflection, and must be experienced live.”

Passerini founded the Antonio Vivaldi Orchestra and has held the roles of artistic director and music director since 2011, employing new techniques to engage the public.

He first worked in Australia back in 2020, when he conducted Gounod’s Faust at the Sydney Opera House.

Passerini holds Sydney in great esteem, deeming it a sort of heaven on earth.

He values the vision of Opera Australia’s artistic director, Lyndon Terracini, who always seeks to promote innovative programs that are relevant to modern society and attract a large audience.

La Bohème runs from January 4 to February 4, 2022.

For more information or to buy tickets, visit the website.