Georgian tenor MIKHEIL SHESHABERIDZE was born in Kaspi, Georgia. He studied at the Vano Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire before continuing his training at the Tebaldi–Del Monaco Academy in Pesaro, Italy. He has further refined his vocal technique through masterclasses with distinguished artists, including Lella Cuberli, and has also studied with Italian baritone Roberto Frontali.
Sheshaberidze has gained international recognition for his interpretations of leading roles in the lyric and dramatic tenor repertoire, including the title role in Verdi’s Otello, Radamès in Aida, Calaf in Puccini’s Turandot, Cavaradossi in Tosca and Don José in Bizet’s Carmen. His repertoire also encompasses Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Manrico in Il trovatore, Pollione in Bellini’s Norma, Dick Johnson in La fanciulla del West, Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut, Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur, Foresto in Attila, Turiddu in Cavalleria rusticana and Canio in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci.
He has appeared at numerous opera houses across Europe and beyond, including the Teatro Real in Madrid, Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Teatro Regio in Turin, Teatro Verdi in Trieste, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari and Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, as well as opera houses in Tallinn, Bucharest, Helsinki and Seoul. The Arena di Verona holds a particularly significant place in his career. He made his debut there as Don José and subsequently returned to perform Cavaradossi and Radamès. At the Teatro Filarmonico di Verona, he has also appeared as Pollione and Maurizio.
Among his notable engagements is his portrayal of Cavaradossi at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna in a production conducted by Daniel Oren and directed by Hugo de Ana. He has also performed the title role in Otello in Trieste and Ravenna, Calaf at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Robert Wilson’s production of Turandot, and Don Alvaro in Verdi’s La forza del destino at the Festival Verdi in Parma.
In recent seasons, Sheshaberidze has appeared as Calaf in Turin, Helsinki, Bari and elsewhere, and has performed the title role in Andrea Chénier and Don José in Cagliari, Pollione in Bologna, Pinkerton in Malta and Carlo in Verdi’s Giovanna d’Arco at the St Gallen Festival. His repertoire has further expanded to include the title role in Boito’s Nerone. In 2021, he made his debut at the Oper im Steinbruch festival in St Margarethen as Calaf, later returning to the festival as Radamès in Aida.
Upcoming events
| october 24, 19:00 | Aida | Radames |