BIOGRAPHY

Stefano Poda. Photo by: @Priska Ketterer
STEFANO PODA
Opera Director | Set-Costumes-Lighting Designer | Choreographer

In his search for aesthetic and conceptual unity, Stefano Poda always combines direction, choreography, sets, costumes and lightning: his personal seal is founded on a visionary, multi-level imprint balanced between ancient images and contemporary art. On stage he speaks his own language, immediately recognisable, erasing the barriers between different genres and disciplines, in order to create an all-embracing experience, a world of total art. His way of doing theatre is not a mere story-telling, but a plastic, holistic dimension, able to blend together design, architecture, sculpture, painting, music and dramaturgy.

Stefano Poda’s worldwide career numbers about one hundred productions. Recent projects include: the opening of the Centenary Arena di Verona Opera Festival 2023 with the new production of Verdi's Aida, worldwide broadcast; the inauguration of the ROF Rossini Opera Festival 2023 with the first modern performance in the critical edition by Eduardo e Cristina; the inauguration of the 2023/24 Season of the Teatro Regio in Turin with Halevy's Juive; Enescu’s Oedipe at the George Enescu International Festival 2023.
His best-known works include Tosca (2021) in the repertoire of the Bolshoi Theatre of Moscow; Dvořák’s Rusalka for the opening season at the Opéra National du Capitole de Toulouse (co-production with The Israeli Opera, Mezzo TV); Alcina (2022 · broadcast on ARTE TV) and Norma (2023) both at Opéra de Lausanne; different new productions of Nabucco, for the Teatro Colón of Buenos Aires (2022) and for the reopening of the National Theatre of Korea (KNO, 2021, 2023); Ariane et Barbe-Bleue at the Opéra National du Capitole de Toulouse (2019 · broadcast on France TV); two different productions of Les Contes d’Hoffmann (coproduction Opéra de Lausanne/Tel Aviv Israeli Opera/ROW Opéra Royal de Wallonie and at State Theatre am Gärtnerplatz in Munich); Roméo et Juliette (2018) at NCPA of Beijing; Ariodante (2016) and Lucia di Lammermoor (2017, broadcast on ARTE TV) at Opéra de Lausanne; Boris Godunov(2017) and Andrea Chénier (2015) at Korea National Opera; Thaïs (2015), Fosca by Carlos Gomes and Titan (2016), a choreography on Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, at Theatro Municipal de São Paulo; L’Elisir d’amore at Opéra National du Rhin in Strasbourg (2016); Otello at Hungarian State Opera of Budapest (2015, 2023); Tristan und Isolde conducted by Zubin Mehta for the opening of the 77th edition of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival (2014); Il Trovatore at Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Athens Festival (2012, revival in 2017); Trittico by Puccini (2011) and Faust (2023) at Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires ; Leggenda by Alessandro Solbiati at Teatro Regio di Torino (2011 · DVD EMA Vinci Records); La Forza del destino (2011) at Teatro Regio di Parma (DVD Unitel) and at the Festival Verdi in Parma (2014). His iconic production of Gounod’s Faust at Teatro Regio Torino in 2015, a co-production of the Israeli Opera of Tel Aviv and the Lausanne Opera (DVD & Blu-Ray Unitel Classica/C Major) had been broadcast with great success in movie theatres across the world. This is true also for Puccini’s Turandot in 2018 (DVD Unitel Classica/C Major, streaming on Operavision) and Massenet’s Thaïs in 2008 (DVD & Blu-ray, RAI/Arthaus Musik) both staged at Teatro Regio Torino and conducted by Gianandrea Noseda.

Stefano Poda was awarded the prestigious “Prix Claude Rostand de la Critique Française” for best opera production for Ariane et Barbe-Bleue at Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse (2019).
He was invited as special guest to the PQ Prague Quadrennial 2019, the 14th edition of the largest international festival of theatre and stage design. In 2018, the Fifth International Experts Forum of the Stage Arts in Beijing was dedicated to “Stefano Poda, Opera Design as total Art Work” at an international symposium at the Forbidden City. In 2019 he received the “Ombra della Sera” Lifetime Achievement Award for Performing Arts at the Roman Theatre of Volterra.

OPERAS

Tosca Opera
2021 TOSCA
BOLSHOI Theatre of Russia
Photos: Pavel Rychkov
2019 CONTES D'HOFFMANN
Opéra de Lausanne
Photos: Alan Humerose
2019 ARIANE ET BARBE-BLEUE
Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse (France TV)
Photos: Mirco Magliocca
2018 TURANDOT
Teatro Regio Torino (DVD C-Major)
Photos: Ramella & Giannese
2018 ROMEO ET JULIETTE
NCPA Beijing
Photos: Wang XiaoJing
2017 LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR
Opéra de Lausanne (ARTE TV)
Photos: Alan Humerose
2017 BORIS GODUNOV
KNO Korea National Opera
Photos: KNO
2016 FOSCA
Theatro Municipal de Sāo Paulo
Photos: Arthur Costa
2016 ELISIR D'AMORE
Opéra National du Rhin, Strasbourg
Photos: Klara Beck
2016 ARIODANTEORE
Opéra de Lausanne
Photos: Marc Vanappelghem
2015 OTELLO
Hungarian State Opera, Budapest
Photos: Attila Nagy
2015 FAUST
Teatro Regio Torino (DVD C-Major)
Photos: Ramella & Giannese
2015 ANDREA CHENIER
KNO Korea National Opera
Photos: KNO
2014 TRISTAN UND ISOLDE
77° Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Photos: Simone Donati/Terra Project
2013 DON CARLO
Theater Erfurt
Photos: Lutz Edelhoff
2012/2013 MARIA STUARDA
Oper Graz - ABAO Bilbao
Photos: Karim Zaatar
2011/2014 FORZA DEL DESTINO
Teatro Regio Parma, Festival Verdi
(DVD Unitel)
Photos: Roberto Ricci
2008 THAïS
Teatro Regio Torino (DVD Arthaus)
Photos: Ramella & Giannese

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