Michael Spyres, the American operatic tenor who also sings baritone roles, will perform in Timișoara on April 11 for the closing concert of the project Musica Ricercata – DiVerdi, dedicated to the art of Verdian singing.

He performs alongside the Musica Ricercata Orchestra and the Choir of the Banatul Philharmonic in Timișoara, with Gabriel Bebeșelea conducting.

It follows the conference Verdi – The Science of Vocal Art, which explores what pitch means and why Verdi was concerned with orchestral tuning; the difference between the 432 Hz frequency, often associated with the so-called Verdi pitch and today’s standard of 440 Hz; as well as Verdi’s efforts to advocate for the adoption of a lower pitch to protect singers’ voices and to ensure the sonic balance of ensembles.

The concert ends a week of conferences, recitals, workshops, the filming of a documentary, and recordings, all born after extensive research in the Archivio Storico Ricordi in Milano and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, conductor Gabriel Bebeșelea explained.

Michael Spyres has established himself as one of the leading singers of his generation and has performed at many of the world’s top opera houses, concert halls, and festivals. He is the recipient of the 2024 International Opera Awards, the OPER! Award (2024) and Opus Klassik (2024), as well as the 2022 Gramophone Classical Music Award. In 2021, he was named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French government.

More details on the concert here.

(Illustration: Filarmonica Banatul Timişoara)

simona@romania-insider.com