Albanian tenor Saimir Pirgu has performed at the most important international opera houses and festivals, including Teatro alla Scala, Vienna State Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Metropolitan Opera New York, Berlin State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Gran teatre del Liceu, Arena di Verona and Salzburg Festival. Highlights of the 2022/23 season include the title roles in Faust at Zurich Opera House and L'amico Fritz at Omroep Muziek with the Concertgebouw, Rodolfo in La bohème at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia and Ernani at the Bregenz Festival. On the concert stage he will sing in the Missa Solemnis at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and Verdi's Requiem at the Opera de Lyon. In recent seasons he sang Števa (Jenůfa) at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Chévalier des Grieux (Manon) at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Duke (Rigoletto) at the Gran teatre del Liceu and at the Staatsoper Berlin, Rodolfo (La bohème) at the Teatro Colón and the Vienna State Opera, Macduff (Macbeth) at the Bavarian State Opera, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at the Zurich Opera House, as well as a number of role debuts, including the title role in a new production of Les Contes d'Hoffmann at the Zurich Opera House. In 2009 he was awarded the Franco Corelli Prize of the Teatro delle Muse of Ancona for his performance in La traviata. In 2013 he received the prestigious »Pavarotti d'Oro«. Since 2013 he has been an ambassador for Down Syndrome Albania, a foundation that supports children with Down syndrome. He made his debut at the Vienna State Opera in 2004.