Skopje, 13 May 2026 (MIA) — The National Opera and Ballet will stage Giuseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto” at 8 pm as part of the 54th May Opera Evenings festival.

Spanish-American baritone Daniel Luis de Vicente will appear in the title role, joined by Ana Durlovski as Gilda, Chinese tenor Dashuai Chen as the Duke of Mantua and Vladimir Sazdovski as Sparafucile.

The cast includes Nikolina Janevska, Borko Bidzhovski, Dragan Ampov, Jane Dunimagloski, Ana Rojdeva, Dime Petrov, Marika Popovikj and Desanka Gligorijevikj performing alongside the NOB choir, orchestra and ballet dancers.

The NOB orchestra will be led by Italian conductor Gianluca Martinenghi. The performance will be directed by Italian opera director Pier Francesco Maestrini. The set design is by Spain’s Juan Guillermo Nova and the costume design is by Italy’s Cristina Aceti. 

The choreographer is Sasha Evtimova. The choirmasters are Jasmina Gjorgjeska and Gjurgjica Dashikj. The concertmaster is Jane Bakevski.

Based on Victor Hugo’s play "Le roi s'amuse," Verdi’s opera is a tragic story of jealousy, revenge and sacrifice. The opera, frequently performed around the world, remains famous for arias such as "La donna è mobile," the NOB said. mr/