Marigona Qekezi
Marigona Qerkezi (born c. 1993 in Zagreb, Croatia) is a Kosovo-Albanian operatic soprano. She has performed leading roles in major opera houses across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. In 2023, OperaWire named her one of the "Top Ten Rising Stars" of the year, describing her as "a plush soprano with a roundness from the top to the lower parts of the voice and a commanding stage presence."
Early life and education
Born and raised in Zagreb, Qerkezi gave her first public performance at the age of six in Ljubljana. She studied flute and opera singing at the Prishtina Academy of Arts, where she earned a master's degree, and holds a bachelor's degree in business management from Staffordshire University in the United Kingdom.
Career
Qerkezi made her professional debut as the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte (Opera Domani) at the Royal Opera House Muscat, followed by Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro at the National Opera Theater of Albania. Qerkezi made her professional operatic debut at a very young age as Königin der Nacht in Die Zauberflöte (Opera Domani) at the Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman, followed by La Contessa d’Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro at the National Opera Theater in Tirana. She immediately began a successful career in which in the early phase she performed as Lucia di Lammermoor at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari, Theater Kiel, Teatro Verdi di Pisa and at the Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, where she returned to perform as Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Adina in L’Elisir d’amore. She has also performed the role of Madama Cortese in Il viaggio a Reims at the Rossini Opera Festival, at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona and Opera Lombardia (where she also played the flute solo part), Rigoletto (Gilda) at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari; Don Giovanni (Donna Anna) at the New National Theater in Tokyo; Guillaume Tell (Mathilde), Il Trovatore (Leonora), and Der Messias (Handel/Mozart) for the Opera Lombardia, Il Trovatore (Leonora) and Erste Dame (Die Zauberflöte) at the National Theater in Zagreb; Lucia di Lammermoor at the Teatro Verdi di Pisa and Theater Kiel etc.
Among her latest engagements are Anna Bolena at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet in Vilnius, Ernani (Elvira) at the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Opera de Oviedo and Theater St.Gallen, Giovanna d’Arco at the St. Galler Festspiele, Leonora (Il Trovatore) at the Verdi Festival in Parma, I due Foscari (Lucrezia Contarini) at the Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova, and Mimì (La Bohème) and Beethovens 9th Symphony at Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Messa da Requiem (Verdi) at Opera Royal de Wallonie Liege,Lucrezia Contarini (I due Foscari) at the Teatro La Fenice di Venezia and Teatro Comunale di Piacenza, Norma at Palm Beach Opera, Aida at Opera de a Coruna, Polish National Opera Teatr Wielki in Warsaw and at Dubai Opera House, Abigaille at Savonlinna Opera Festival and Theatro Municipal de São Paulo.
She has since appeared in leading roles including:
- Lucia di Lammermoor (Lucia) – Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Teatro Verdi di Pisa, Theater Kiel
- Die Fledermaus (Rosalinde) – Teatro Petruzzelli
- L’elisir d’amore (Adina) – Teatro Petruzzelli
- Il viaggio a Reims (Madama Cortese) – Rossini Opera Festival, Gran Teatre del Liceu
- Rigoletto (Gilda) – Teatro Lirico di Cagliari
- Don Giovanni (Donna Anna) – New National Theatre Tokyo
- Il trovatore (Leonora) – Royal Opera House London, Verdi Festival Parma
- Aida – Deutsche Oper Berlin, Polish National Opera, Dubai Opera House
- Norma – Oper Frankfurt, Palm Beach Opera, Prague State Opera
- Nabucco (Abigaille) – Savonlinna Opera Festival, Theatro Municipal de São Paulo
- Macbeth (Lady Macbeth) – Theatro Municipal de São Paulo
- Tosca (Tosca) – Royal Danish Opera
- La Bohème (Mimì) – Teatro Lirico di Cagliari
- Manon Lescaut (Manon) – Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari
- Giovanna d’Arco – St. Galler Festspiele
- Anna Bolena – Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre
Her portrayal of Abigaille in Nabucco at the 2024 Savonlinna Opera Festival was described as "a revelation" and "a vocal wonder" by Finnish and international critics.
In 2025, she made her debut at the Royal Opera House, London, performing as Leonora in Il trovatore, earning acclaim for her vocal control and dramatic intensity.
A review of her portrayal of Lady Macbeth at the Theatro Municipal de São Paulo noted:
"Ter a soprano Marigona Qerkezi nessa personagem é um privilégio: graves robustos, fluidez e homogeneidade vocal em toda a ampla tessitura exigida, cores variadas, expressão exata e uma projeção que faz a sua atuação ser um destaque da nossa cena lírica."
In a 2025 review of Tosca for Les ArtsZé, critics praised her dramatic and vocal balance, noting:
"La Kosovare Qerkezi atteignit devant nous ce juste milieu d’expression passionnée entre l’insurpassable comédienne Callas, la légendaire puissance vocale de la regrettée Leontyne Price et les éclatants ébats des émouvantes renommées européennes citées plus haut."
She has collaborated with conductors such as Giampaolo Bisanti, Pier Giorgio Morandi, Renato Palumbo, and Francesco Lanzillotta, and with stage directors including Jean-Louis Grinda, Hugo de Ana, and David Hermann.
Awards and recognition
- First Prize, Leyla Gencer Voice Competition (2015); Special Scholarship from Accademia Teatro alla Scala
- First Prize, Magda Olivero International Competition
- Winner, Debut Category – AsLiCo International Competition
- "Best Under 25" Award, Portofino International Opera Competition
- Nominee, Young Singer of the Year, International Opera Awards (2024)
- Featured in the book Il Soprano Rossiniano