"One of the world's most important interpreters of lyric tenor roles" (Opera Today)

“The sky’s the limit for him” (The New York Sun)

Saimir Pirgu figures among the brightest stars in today’s international operatic firmament. “Exceptionally boyish, gently ardent and at ease in stratospheric flights” (Financial Times), the “sweet-voiced, energetic tenor” (New York Times) has been celebrated at every major international operatic venue, including the Metropolitan Opera New York, the Teatro alla Scala, the Vienna Staatsoper, The London Royal Opera House, the Paris Opéra, the Bolshoi Theatre of Moscow, the Berlin Staatsoper and Deutsche Oper, the Opernhaus Zurich, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, the San Francisco Opera, the Los Angeles Opera, the Sydney Opera House, the Arena di Verona, the Salzburg Festival, the Vienna Musikverein and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw.

Saimir Pirgu’s last few seasons are marked by important successful debuts in iconic tenor roles such as Cavaradossi in Tosca in a new production at the Rome Opera, the title role in Ernani in a new staging at Bregenz Festival, Don José in Carmen under the baton of Zubin Mehta in Bangkok, the title role in Les Contes d'Hoffmann in a new staging at Zurich Opernhaus, the title role in Werther at Tokyo New National Theatre, the title role in La damnation de Faust in a new Peter Stein’s production at the Bolshoi Theatre of Moscow, Pinkerton in a new staging of Madama Butterfly at the Zurich Opernhaus, Lenskij in Evgenij Onegin at Teatro dell’Opera in Rome with James Conlon, the title role in Faust at the Sydney Opera House, Le Chevalalier Des Grieux in Manon at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Gabriele Adorno in Simon Boccanegra at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Shepherd in Król Roger at the London Royal Opera House conducted by Antonio Pappano, Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta.

He also recently performed in La Bohème (Vienna Staatsoper, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Los Angeles Opera and Palau de les Arts Reina Sofìa in Valencia); Carmen  (Berlin Deutsche Oper and Teatro dell’Opera in Rome); Rigoletto (London Royal Opera House, Vienna Staatsoper, Arena di Verona, Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, Zurich Opernhaus, Bayerische Staatsoper, Barcelona Liceu), La Traviata (Metropolitan Opera in New York, Santa Fe Opera, Vienna and Berlin Staatsoper, San Francisco Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Herodes Atticus in Athens); Macbeth (Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Bayerische Staatsoper); La clemenza di Tito (Opéra National Paris); Idomeneo (Styriarte Festival in Graz); Iolanta and Francesca da Rimini (Theater an der Wien).

Equally esteemed as a concert singer, Saimir Pirgu has performed in Verdi's Messa da Requiem with Riccardo Muti and the Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival, with Mariss Jansons and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Munich and at the Vienna Musikverein, with Antonio Pappano and the Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia, with Gianandrea Noseda and London Symphony at the Philharmonie de Paris, with Myung-Whun Chung in Rome and with Daniele Rustioni in Lyon; Beethoven's IX Symphony at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples under the baton of Zubin Mehta, with Riccardo Muti in Salzburg and with Antonio Pappano and Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome;  Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and IX Symphony in Berlin with Daniel Barenboim; Bruckner’s Te Deum in Salzburg with Christian Thielemann; New Year’s Eve concert of the Staatskapelle Dresden with Christian Thielemann; the 2013 New Year’s Concert at Venice’s Teatro La Fenice; DvoÅ™ák’s Stabat Mater in Graz with Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Berlioz’s Requiem at Vienna Musikverein with Philippe Jordan; Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle at the Vienna Musikverein and the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées with Daniele Gatti; Berlioz’s Messe solennelle at the Vienna Musikverein and Salzburg Festival with Riccardo Muti and the Vienna Philharmonic; Mozart’s Requiem at the Auditorium Lingotto of Turin with Claudio Abbado and in Chicago with Riccardo Muti.

In his career he has been honored with many awards including the prestigious “Pavarotti d’Oro” (2013), the Franco Corelli Prize (2009), “Eberhard Wächter Gesangsmedaille” (2004), first prize at both Caruso and Tito Schipa international voice competitions (2002). Discovered by Claudio Abbado in 2002, in 2004 Saimir Pirgu become the youngest singer ever to debut in a principal role at the Salzburg Festival.

Born in Elbasan, Albania, in 1981, Saimir Pirgu began his musical training at a very young age, completing his studies in Violin in his home city at the age of sixteen. At the age of twenty-one he graduated from the Conservatorio Claudio Monteverdi in Bolzano, Italy, where he studied voice with Vito Maria Brunetti, who remains an important adviser to the tenor to this day.

In 2008 Saimir Pirgu was chosen by Woody Allen to perform in his first opera staging (Gianni Schicchi) at the Los Angeles Opera.

Upon his return to the Metropolitan Opera during the 2013 Verdi Year as Alfredo in La Traviata, the New York Times dedicated a two-page article with the title “The Tenor from the Dark Side of the Moon” to Pirgu’s career highlights.

In 2016 his most recent solo album “Il Mio Canto” was published on the Opus Arte label. He presented the CD in a world tour that led him to Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Tokyo, New York, Florence and Tirana. He recorded his first arias album “Angelo casto e bel” in 2004 with label Universal Music.

Saimir Pirgu has been an ambassador for Down Syndrome Albania, a foundation dedicated to helping children with Down Syndrome, since 2013.