Mikheil Sheshaberidze
Mikheil Sheshaberidze was born in Kaspi (Georgia) and studied singing at the 'Vano Sarajishvili' State Conservatory in Tbilisi. This was followed by various masterclasses (including with Lella Cuberli) and successes at renowned Italian competitions.
He soon established himself on the opera stage in demanding roles such as Don José (Carmen), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Cavaradossi (Tosca), Roberto in Puccini's early opera Le Villi and Foresto in Verdi's Attila. He has been invited to international theatres as Alvaro (La forza del destino), Ismaele (Nabucco), Otello (directed by Cristina Muti), Dick Johnson (La fanciulla del west), Turridu (Cavalleria rusticana) and others in Milan, Parma, Trieste, Split, the Teatro Real in Madrid, Seoul, Lucca, Ravenna, Livorno, Bucharest, Tallin, Tblisi and Cagliari.
The young tenor has a special connection with the Arena di Verona, where he made his debut as Don José. He has since returned there regularly in roles including Cavaradossi and Pollione in Bellini's Norma. In 2019, he appeared as Maurizio in Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur and Radames (Aida) in Verona, and as Foresto in Cagliari. He made his role debut as Manrico (Il trovatore) at the Croatian National Opera in Zagreb. In 2020, he made his debut as Pollione at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples before theatres around the world had to close due to the pandemic.
After the pandemic, his interpretation of the role of Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna, conducted by Daniel Oren and directed by Hugo de Ana, was very well received by audiences and critics; in January 2022, he was heard in the same production at the Teatro Verdi in Trieste and achieved great success in Turandot at the Teatro Regio in Turin under the direction of Jordi Bernacer. In summer 2022 he made his debut as Carlo in Verdi's Giovanna D'Arco at the St. Gallen Festival and as De Grieux in Puccini's Manon Lescaut at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari. He returns to Trieste with Otello at the Teatro Verdi and enjoyed great success with Turandot at the Helsinki Theatre in Finland in 2022-2023. At the Teatro Comunale he reprised the role of Pollione in Norma. He made his debut at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari in the role of Andrea Chenier to great acclaim, followed by Don José in Carmen. He then took on the role of Othello in Trieste.
He then played Calaf again in Turandot at the Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at the Teatro di Gozo in Malta, and returned to Mannheim for Turandot in November 2023.
He has previously appeared at Opera in the Quarry in 2021 as Calaf in Turandot.