On June 12 and 14, 2026, George Gagnidze stars in the title role of Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Shangyin Opera House, making his house debut in a new co-production with The Royal Opera, Covent Garden. The performances are directed by Oliver Mears and conducted by Xu Zhong.

Widely regarded as one of George Gagnidze’s signature roles, Rigoletto occupies a central place in the Georgian baritone’s international career. It was the role with which he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 2009, and he has since brought the Verdi jester to many of the world’s leading stages, including La Scala, the Opéra National de Paris, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Los Angeles Opera, Dallas Opera, Hamburg State Opera, the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Atlanta Opera, Teatro Massimo Bellini, and numerous others.