XXVI BELGRADE BAROQUE ACADEMY
ARIODANTE
by George Frideric Handel
24 SEPTEMBER – 2 OCTOBER 2026
This Academy has taken place. The information below is kept as an archive.
THE ACADEMY
Belgrade Baroque Academy presents ARIODANTE by G.F. Handel
The captivating world of Baroque opera comes alive once again! After the great success of our previous opera projects – Rinaldo, Giulio Cesare, Alcina and Siroe, of which Giulio Cesare also received the Award for the Best Concert Performance in 2024 from the music magazine “Musica Classica” – Belgrade Baroque Academy presented the semi-staged Ariodante by George Frideric Handel, a crowning achievement of Baroque opera, celebrated for its emotional depth, dramatic intensity, and sublime musical beauty.
The Academy was held from 24 September to 2 October 2026, in conjunction with the Belgrade Early Music Festival.
LOCATION
Perform Baroque Opera in the Heart of Europe
Experience the pulse of Europe in Belgrade, where the Baroque Academy unfolds. This historic city, brimming with culture and vitality, invites you to its next vibrant chapter of musical excellence and international collaboration in the heart of Europe. For more information, you may visit lonelyplanet.com/serbia/belgrade.
About the Opera:
Ariodante is one of Handel’s greatest operatic achievements and among the most emotionally profound masterpieces of the Baroque era. Premiered at Covent Garden in 1735, it is based on episodes from Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso and tells a moving story of love, honour, deception and redemption set in the royal court of medieval Scotland. The drama centres on Ariodante, a noble knight whose happiness is shattered when he is led to believe that his beloved Ginevra has betrayed him. Through a series of misunderstandings, intrigues and revelations, the opera explores themes of trust, fidelity, jealousy and forgiveness with remarkable psychological depth.
Filled with some of Handel’s most expressive and celebrated arias, including Scherza infida and Dopo notte, Ariodante offers singers an exceptional opportunity to explore the emotional richness, virtuosity and dramatic sophistication of eighteenth-century opera.
Roles: Ariodante, Ginevra, Polinesso, Dalinda, Lurcanio, and the King of Scotland.
Preparations took place over nine days with leading Baroque specialists and educators, joined by members of New Trinity Baroque, the official orchestra in residence of the Belgrade Baroque Academy. Instruments for those without their own were provided through the generous support of the Makris Institute of Music.
Participation Details:
• Fee: £1,200 GBP for singers, and £600 GBP for instrumentalists.
• Scholarships: a limited number were available.
• Selected participants were also offered opportunities to appear in other festival concerts and events.
Mentors
Handel opera expert, contralto Sonia Prina (La Scala, Italy); the Academy’s founder, harpsichordist, conductor and baritone Predrag Gosta; winner of several international competitions, baroque violinist Simone Pirri; rising star and Italian diction coach, countertenor Sandro Rossi; flautist Meila Tomé; harpsichordists Dušan Toroman and Bojana Dimković; and others.
Participants received expert coaching in Baroque style and ornamentation, Italian diction, stage movement, and historical vocal and instrumental techniques. Two final semi-staged performances on 1 and 2 October were presented in Belgrade and in Novi Sad, professionally recorded on video and photographed. Click here to see videos from previous Academies on our YouTube channel.
Day-to-Day Schedule
• Days 1–3 (24–26 Sep): Intensive individual coaching on recitatives, Italian diction, arias and ornamentation, with Predrag Gosta and Sandro Rossi.
• Days 4–5 (27–28 Sep): Additional vocal coaching with Sonia Prina; continuo rehearsals; orchestra rehearsals and coaching with Simone Pirri begin.
• Day 6 (29 Sep): Italiana (Sitzprobe) with the full orchestra; integration of movement and dramatic elements, directed from the harpsichord by Predrag Gosta.
• Day 7 (30 Sep): General rehearsals of the complete opera.
• Days 8–9 (1–2 Oct): Final performances in Belgrade and Novi Sad.
View the photos from our past Academies
