Scappucci named Royal Opera’s principal guest conductor

Published 1 year, 6 months ago

Speranza Scappucci is to become principal guest conductor of London’s Royal Opera starting with the 2025-26 season.

In October 2020, it was reported that the Royal Opera House had lost 60 per cent of its income as a result of COVID restrictions and so a 1971 "Portrait of Sir David Webster" by David Hockney, which had hung in the opera house for several decades, was put up for auction and sold for £12.8 million - ensuring the survival of the institution.

Her appointment was announced by the company on Monday.

The 50-year-old Italian, a graduate of the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome and the Juilliard School in New York, made her Royal Opera debut last year in Verdi’s Attila.

The Royal Opera has not had a principal guest conductor since Daniele Gatti from 1994-97.

She will work alongside Jakub Hrusa, who succeeds Antonio Pappano as music director for the 2025-26 season.

The house said Scappucci will be involved in works by Verdi and Puccini along with bel canto.

Scappucci was music director of Belgium’s Opera Royal de Wallonie-Liege from 2017-22 and has debuted with the Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera, Milian’s Teatro alla Scala and the Paris Opera.

AAP

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