Franco Pomponi is critically acclaimed for the rich, expressive beauty and powerful virility of his voice, with a cultivated musical style and unmatched dramatic intensity that has brought him to many of the world’s most prestigious opera houses and concert halls.
He made his European debut as the title role in Hamlet at the Gran Teatro del Liceu in Barcelona, conducted by Bertrand de Billy. Hamlet has become one of his signature roles. He has continued to win critical praise for his dynamic portrayal, most recently under the baton of Marc Minkowski for his Théâtre Royale de la Monnaie in Brussels directed by Olivier Py and in a new production by Vincent Boussard for his Opéra de Marseille (which won Opéra Magazine’s “Best Opera”). He was Zurga along-side Javier Camarena in a new production of Les pêcheurs de Perles at Opernhaus Zürich and followed immediately in title role of Don Giovanni at the Bolshoï in Moscow, directed by Dmitri Tchernakov and conducted by Teodor Currentzis. Also Le Roi Alphonse Le Cid with Roberto Alagna, televised on Mezzo, “Opera of the Year”.
Franco Pomponi created a sensation in his Paris debut at the Théâtre du Châtelet as Pentheus in Henze’s The Bassarids and continued to build on his Paris triumph at Châtelet in title roles of Sweeney Todd and as Richard Nixon opposite June Anderson and Sumi Jo in a new production of Nixon in China televised on Mezzo.
Franco’s Italian debut came at Teatro Massimo Palermo as Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress, directed by Cesare Lievi, and returned the next season as Frank/Fritz in Pier Luigi Pizzi’s production of Die tote Stadt. At Teatro Lirico in Cagliari he had great success as Johnny in Nino Rota’s Napoli Milionaria!
Recently, Franco was heard as as the Prisoner in Dallapiccola’s masterpiece Il Prigioniero and Ezio in Attila by Verdi in Chicago and the title role of Gianni Schicchi to great critical success at Florida Grand Opera. The title role of Don Giovanni in a new production by David Bösch at the Grand Théâtre Geneve conducted by Stefan Soltesz, title role in a new production by Chen Shi-Zheng of Eugene Onégin at the Spoleto Festival USA, Pentheus in Henze’s The Bassarids with Orquesta Nacional de España Madrid under Kent Nagano, Prospero in a new production of The Tempest by Adès, Hungarian State Opera debut in Budapest. Franco’s active concert season heard him in Toarmnina, Sicily for a Puccini Gala in September, and in Chicago for Puccini Forever!, Naples and St. Augustine, Florida, Costa Mesa, with the Pacific Symphony, Chicago in Haydn’s Mass in Time of War and a solo recital in New York at Carnegie Hall.
Pomponi is well know for his Escamillo in Carmen, a role in which he has been heard at the New York City Opera (NYC debut), Los Angeles Opera (under Luisotti), Florida Grand Opera, Opéra de Toulon (under Carella), San Antonio (under Patrón de Rueda), Helsinki (under Fournillier), Die Glocke in Bremen (under Minkowski), and in Doha, Qatar (under Abbassi).
Franco Pomponi many achievements include:
Schaunard in La bohème with the (Metropolitan Opera), Marcello in La bohème with Opéra Lausanne, Michele in Il Tabarro (OFC), Lescaut in Manon Lescaut (Spoleto Festival USA), Jack Rance in Fanciulla del West (KYO), Ping, Turandot (Lyric Opera of Chicago) .Title role in Don Giovanni with Grand Théâtre Geneve, Opéra National de Montpellier, Greek National Opera in Athens, Bolshoï Opera, Moscow, Guangzhou China, Guglielmo in David McVicar’s production of Cosi Fan Tutte (Opéra National du Rhin) Ezio in Attila, Seid Il Corsaro (OFC) Count di Luna ll trovatore (Austin Lyric Opera), Ford in Falstaff (Canadian Opera Company, Santa Fe Opera) Germont La traviata (Grant Park Music Festival) Paolo Albiani in Simon Boccanegra (Grand Théâtre Geneve) Ernesto I Pirata (Washington Concert Opera) Belcore in Stefano Poda’s new production of L’elisir d’amore (Opéra National du Rhin in Strasbourg) Enrico, Lucia di Lammermoor (Opera Omaha), Malatesta, Don Pasquale (Lyric Opera of Chicago) conducted by Paolo Olmi. Four Villains in Les contes d’Hoffmann (Finnish National Opera) Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande (Nationale Reisopera Netherlands), Arcalüs in C.P.E. Bach’s Amadis des Gaules,(Opéra Comique), and Hérode Massenet’s Hérodiade (U.K. debut), Valentin in Faust (Opéra de Toulon), Carbon/Valvert in Cyrano de Bergerac with Placido Domingo (Théâtre du Châtelet and Teatro Real in Madrid). In the 20th and 21st century repertoire he has played Stanley Kowalski in Colin Graham’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire (New Orleans) Prospero, The Tempest by Adès, (Hungarian State Opera) Richard Nixon Nixon in China, and Storyteller, Flowering Tree, by John Adams (Chatelet, Paris), Nick Shadow, A Rake’s Progress (Teatro Massimo), title role Il Prigioniero by Dallapiccola (OFC), Tarquinius in Rape of Lucretia (Juilliard), Papa The Garden of the Finzi-Contini (New York City Opera) Voltaire, Dr. Pangloss,Martin, Cacambo Candide Bernstein. (Opéra Lausanne)
Franco Pomponi made his Carnegie Hall debut as the Baritone Soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He has been heard as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre de Radio France, Montpellier, Orquesta Nacional de España, Detroit Symphony, Qatar Philharmonic, Les Musiciens du Louvre-Grenoble, and the Tokyo Symphony.
Franco has perfromed leading roles with the following.
EUROPE and beyond – Liceo Barcelona, Teatro Real Madrid, Bolshoi Moscow, La Monnaie Brussels , Opernhaus Zürich, Grand Theatre Geneva, Opéra Lausanne, Chatelet Paris, Opéra Comique, Royal Theatre Versailles, Opéra Marseille, Opéra Montpellier, Opéra Nice, Opéra du Rhin Strasbourg, Opéra Tours, Opéra Vichy, Den Haag, Rotterdam, Netherlands, Teatro Massimo Palermo, Teatro Lirico Cagliari, Italy, Greek National Opera, Athens, Sofia Opera, Bulgaria, Hungarian State Opera, Budapest, Finnish National Opera, Helsinki, Guangzhou Opera, China, Doha Opera House, Qatar
AMERICAS – Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Los Angeles Opera, New York City Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Santa Fe Opera, New Orleans Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Spoleto Festival, San Diego Opera, Saratoga, Boston Lyric, Opera Omaha, Dallas Opera, Austin Lyric, San Antonio, Portland Opera, Eugene Opera, Kentucky Opera, Teatro Washington Concert Opera, Carnegie Hall New York, Orchestra Hall Chicago