From gems of Italian vocal repertoire to melodic works of chamber music, a rare treat awaits listeners as acclaimed conductor Marco Alibrando and lyric tenor Angel Romero of Operalia fame take the stage this July.
By Snigdha Hasan
A heartbroken protagonist seeks comfort in his Roman guitar, coaxing the instrument to accompany the song of his lonely heart (‘Chitarra Romana’). A girl smitten by a young man who serenades her from below her balcony wonders why her mother forbids her from singing along to his tune (‘Musica proibita’). A middle-aged man bids adieu to the glorious dreams of his youth as he sits at his desk and carries on with drab accounting work (‘Addio, sogni di gloria’). These songs, plucked from life, by Eldo Di Lazzaro, Stanislao Gastaldon and Carlo Innocenzi in the late 19th and early 20th centuries brought such fame to their creators that they became synonymous with their compositions. Further immortalised in the voices of Enrico Caruso, Giuseppe di Stefano and Luciano Pavarotti among other opera stars, these songs enjoy pride of place in Italian vocal repertoire. When brought to life under a fine baton, in a voice that dissolves into their lyricism, they tug right at the heartstrings.
A concert by the SOI Chamber Orchestra this month promises listeners one such experience as two guest artistes join the ensemble to present these and other gems of vocal and chamber music in a programme chosen between them and Mr. Khushroo N. Suntook, Chairman, NCPA and co-founder, Symphony Orchestra of India.
“Building on the success of the concert that we had with Carlo Rizzi and Davide Giusti last season and realising that a beautiful voice accompanied by wonderful vocal music was what Mumbai really enjoyed, we have now set up another concert on similar lines with another great conductor Marco Alibrando and tenor artiste Angel Romero who, people may recollect, was the runner-up in the Operalia competition and the winner in its Zarzuela category held at the NCPA in 2024,” says Mr. Suntook. “Since then, Romero has gone on to sing on several of the world’s greatest stages and his mellifluous voice has been appreciated. It would be eminently suitable to the programme, particularly the beautiful songs of Gastaldon, Innocenzi and their colleagues, and also in displaying the quality of our chamber orchestra. This should prove a delight for our Mumbai audiences.” The ensemble, in addition to the songs, will perform Gustav Holst’s St. Paul’s Suite, dedicated to the orchestra of St. Paul’s Girls’ School where he was music master, and Felix Mendelssohn’s String Symphony No. 7, written when the prodigy was in his early teenage.
Marco Alibrando, who will be coming to the NCPA directly from rehearsals for a new production of L’elisir d’amore at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, has built a notable career since his conducting debut at the age of 24. He has appeared at prestigious platforms such as Rossini in Wildbad, the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro and the Spoleto Festival. In 2024, he debuted at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and at the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam. He is currently Principal Conductor at the Deutsches Nationaltheater und Staatskapelle Weimar, and Music Director of VoceAllOpera, which promotes young artistes in opera.
Interestingly, opera was an acquired taste for the Italian conductor. “To be honest, when I was very young, I did not particularly enjoy opera. Not understanding all the words sung by the singers, or seeing a character who had just been stabbed continue singing for 15 minutes, seemed rather strange to me. Fortunately, my perspective changed as I grew older,” says Alibrando as he fondly looks back on a performance of Verdi’s Aida at the Arena di Verona which “opened the doors to that magical—and admittedly sometimes absurd—world of opera.” He adds, “Those apparent contradictions and larger-than-life situations are precisely what make it so special. Opera combines music, theatre, literature, visual arts and human emotion in a unique way, and that is what continues to fascinate me.”
When asked about his journey, Alibrando speaks of his other fascination: musical instruments. “My earliest musical memory is of my father singing me a lullaby while accompanying himself on the guitar. I started taking piano lessons as a child, almost as a game. However, it was only later, when I heard Chopin’s First Ballade, that I realised this was the magical music I wanted to recreate myself,” he shares. The budding musician’s path towards the orchestra developed gradually. Born in the picturesque coastal city of Messina in Sicily, he felt drawn to the colours and sounds of the grand organ—one of the largest in Europe—in the Cathedral of Messina and to the idea of making music together with others rather than sitting alone at a piano. “I remember that at the conservatory, my piano classroom was next to the orchestra rehearsal room. First, I thought about playing an orchestral instrument, and then I realised I wanted to ‘play’ them all by becoming a conductor,” says Alibrando.
For Angel Romero, who comes from a family of amateur musicians in Houston, it was a concert by The Three Tenors he watched as a seven-year-old that made him fall in love with classical music. “The soaring high notes, the grand gestures and the magnificent sound of the orchestra planted a seed that continued to grow over time,” he reminisces. That passion led him to study the saxophone, sing in choirs and ultimately pursue classical voice at the collegiate level. “From there, the path towards a professional career as a lyric tenor became clear,” he says.
That path has had its share of milestones. In 2021, Romero was a semifinalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition. This was followed by a major break in 2022-23 when a reluctantly posted video of his singing eventually reached the casting team and General Manager of the Vienna State Opera. Romero was invited to join the company as a resident artiste, where he made his debut in the role of the Italian Singer in Der Rosenkavalier. Since then, he has performed in four productions of the prestigious institution.
Next came the big wins at Operalia 2024, and Romero is looking forward to making music in Mumbai once again. “Under the baton of Maestro Plácido Domingo, the Symphony Orchestra of India delivered a passionate, nuanced and highly sensitive performance that undoubtedly helped me sing at my best during the competition. I am delighted to return and perform with the SOI Chamber Orchestra,” says the tenor, who remains grateful for the opportunities that have arisen from his success at Operalia, including major debuts, concerts and auditions which, he points out, may not have been possible without the exposure the competition provided.
The upcoming concert marks the first collaboration between the conductor and the tenor. “I have always heard wonderful things about Angel Romero and have admired his beautiful voice through many recordings,” says Alibrando. Romero, meanwhile, hopes to learn from the maestro’s artistry, and create a wonderful concert together. “Some of these pieces were entirely new to me, and I have been captivated by their beauty and rich cultural character. Exploring this repertoire has been both rewarding and inspiring,” Romero adds. The orchestra will also perform Franz Schmidt’s Intermezzo from Notre Dame, “a work by the remarkably sensitive Austro-Hungarian composer,” notes Alibrando. He is also looking forward to conducting “some of the finest chamber vocal works by two giants of Italian music: Giuseppe Verdi, the greatest Italian opera composers, and my personal favourite, Gioachino Rossini.”
Both consider performing in India an honour and an exciting opportunity. Alibrando counts Zubin Mehta among his three favourite conductors of all time, and a couple of years ago, when he watched the maestro conduct the SOI in Mumbai, he found it to be an invaluable experience to observe him working with the orchestra. “I was also deeply impressed by the professionalism and warmth of the SOI musicians,” he shares.
Immediately after the Mumbai concert, Alibrando will travel to Genoa to rehearse with the Orchestra del Teatro Carlo Felice. “Even so, I am determined to find some time to visit one of Mumbai’s renowned fine-dining restaurants. As an Italian, I believe food reveals a great deal about a culture. It is certainly one of the most enjoyable ways to discover more about a country as rich, diverse and fascinating as India.” With a schedule packed with rehearsals and performances, Romero too remains unsure of the time he will have to explore the place. “My hope, however, is to be invited back to perform with the NCPA in the future, which would allow me to spend more time in Mumbai and experience more of the city’s culture and vibrant artistic life,” he says.
This hope and Romero’s return to the NCPA within two years of Operalia affirms Mr. Suntook’s belief. “Great voices will emerge from this most prestigious competition,” he had said at a press conference announcing Operalia’s maiden edition in India. “One of the advantages—a selfish advantage, if you will—is they may remember that they won a competition in this hall in Mumbai and they will come back as stars.”
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As a conductor and a tenor who have established their remarkable presence in the world of classical music, with the promise of an illustrious career ahead of them, both Marco Alibrando and Angel Romero believe in the cause of promoting young talent in music. “VoceAllOpera has always been very close to my heart because it supports talented young singers at the beginning of their careers. The opportunity to help emerging artistes develop and gain experience is something I consider extremely important for the future of opera,” says Alibrando, who serves as Music Director of the Italybased organisation. He will soon be accompanying young singers participating in the prestigious CLIP Competition in Portofino.
Romero shares the following advice to young singers:
1. Do not pursue opera for wealth or fame. The purpose of opera is to bring joy, pursue excellence and serve others through beauty and expression.
2. Find balance. Music, like any vocation, requires dedication, resilience and sacrifice. Understanding what truly matters in life helps prevent burnout, resentment and loss of perspective.
3. Leave ego out of the equation. There is an important difference between healthy confidence and ego. Humility allows for growth, collaboration and continued learning.
4. Practice, practice, practice. The best way to combat nerves and imposter syndrome is through preparation. Perfection is impossible, but commitment to your craft is essential. Remain open to learning from everyone around you—from colleagues, conductors and instrumentalists to costume designers and stage crew. Every person involved in a production has something valuable to teach.
This article was originally published in the July 2026 issue of ON Stage.
