Highlights of the 2026/27 season include Pirgu’s debut as the title role in a new production of Wagner’s Lohengrin for Dallas Opera, as well as returns to the Royal Ballet & Opera, Covent Garden as Cavaradossi Tosca & Pinkerton Madama Butterfly, the Bayerische Staatsoper as Rodolfo La bohème, Teatro del Maggio Musicale di Fiorentino as the title role in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann and to New National Theatre Tokyo as Cavaradossi Tosca. Pirgu also stars as Cavaradossi in Oxford International Opera’s inaugural production of Tosca. On the concert platform this season, Pirgu sings Verdi’s Messa di Requiem with the Danish Symphony Orchestra (Fabio Luisi) and with Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini (Daniele Rustioni).
Last season, Pirgu made a house debut at Dallas Opera as Don José Carmen, and starred as Rodolfo La bohème for Staatsoper Unter den Linden & Bayerische Staatsoper, Pinkerton Madama Butterfly for Wiener Staatsoper and as the title role in concert performances of Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust for Opernhaus Zürich. Pirgu recently made his role debut as Chevalier des Grieux in Barry Kosky’s new production of Manon Lescaut with the Opernhaus Zürich, a role which he subsequently reprised for the Bayerische Staatsoper.
Recent concert engagements include Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Washington National Symphony Orchestra (Gianandrea Noseda); Verdi’s Messa di Requiem with the Orchestra dell' Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (Daniel Harding), Bergen Philharmonic (Jader Bignamini) & Orquestra de València; Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9 with Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Gustavo Gimeno), National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and for the Masters of Classical Music Festival in Bucharest, as well a gala appearance with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra in the opening concert of the ‘Belt & Road’ International Music Festival.
Recent operatic highlights include Pirgu’s Edinburgh International Festival debut as Don José Carmen; Cavaradossi Tosca for the Roma Caracalla Festival; Don José Carmen with Opernhaus Zürich; Rodolfo La bohème & Macduff Macbeth for Wiener Staatsoper; Il Duca di Mantova Rigoletto & Rodolfo La bohème for Royal Ballet & Opera, Covent Garden; Pinkerton Madama Butterfly with Teatro di San Carlo; Lensky Eugene Onegin for Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, as well as the title roles in Idomeneo for the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Roméo et Juliette for Wiener Staatsoper, Les Contes d'Hoffmann & Faust for Opernhaus Zürich, and Verdi’s Ernani for the Bregenzer Festspiele.
On the concert stage, highlights include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Daniel Barenboim), Bruckner’s Te Deum at Osterfestspiele Salzburg (Christian Thielemann) and Puccini’s Messa di Gloria with the Orchestra dell’ Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (Sir Antonio Pappano).
In 2009 Pirgu was awarded the Franco Corelli Prize of the Teatro delle Muse of Ancona for his performance in La traviata, and in 2013 he was awarded the prestigious “Pavarotti d’Oro”. The DVD/BluRay recording of Król Roger from the Royal Opera House Covent Garden with Pirgu as Shepherd received a nomination in the Best Opera Recording category at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards 2016. Pirgu has released multiple solo albums with Opus Arte, including “Il Mio Canto” in 2016, and most recently his eponymously titled album “Saimir” in 2024.
Pirgu has been an ambassador for Down Syndrome Albania, a foundation dedicated to helping children with Down Syndrome, since 2013
2026/27 season / 599 words. Not to be altered without permission.