Speranza Scappucci makes her debut as Principal Guest Conductor of The Royal Opera in Verdi’s The Sicilian Vespers which opens on the Main Stage on 19 September 2025. She made her house debut conducting Verdi’s Attila in 2022 and was announced as Principal Guest Conductor in June 2023, the first since 1997.
Speranza Scappucci, Principal Guest Conductor of The Royal Opera says:
‘I am excited to officially take up my position as Principal Guest Conductor of The Royal Opera and I can think of no better opera than this to start off with. Verdi is one of the composers dearest to my heart, and The Sicilian Vespers is a monumental score full of incredibly dramatic music, big chorus scenes and intimate moments. Love, political intrigue, revenge, jealousy and redemption: I look forward to bringing this story to life for audiences with the brilliant Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Royal Opera Chorus and cast.’
Verdi’s rarely performed opera is based on the real historical events of 30 March 1282 when the Sicilian people began to rebel against the oppressive rule of Charles I of Anjou. Stefan Herheim’s production was the first production of the work by The Royal Opera and premiered in 2013 to mark the composer’s bicentenary. Herheim relocates the tale of loyalty and revenge to the time of the opera’s 1855 premiere, in the opulence of the Paris Opéra, the venue for which Verdi wrote the work.
The stellar cast is led by Joyce El-Khoury, Sara Cortolezzis and SeokJong Baek, who perform the roles of lovers Hélène and Henri. All three make their role debuts. The rest of the cast is comprised of Ildebrando D’Arcangelo (Jean Procida) and Quinn Kelsey (Guy de Montfort), Vartan Gabrielian (Robert), Neal Cooper (Thibault), Thomas D Hopkinson (Le Comte de Vaudemont), former Jette Parker Artists Blaise Malaba (Le Sire de Béthune) and Michael Gibson (Daniéli), as well as current JPAs Jingwen Cai (Ninetta) and Giorgi Guliashvili (Mainfroid). Gabrielian and Guliashvili make their Royal Opera debuts.
Verdi’s grand opera is brought to life by set designer Philipp Fürhofer, costume designer Gesine Völlm and lighting designer Anders Poll with choreography by André de Jong.
