Cecilia Bartoli celebrates thirty years at The Concertgebouw with her 32nd concert

Thirty years after her debut at The Concertgebouw, the Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli returns for her 32nd appearance in the Main Hall. On Tuesday 8 December she will perform with Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco, the choir Il Canto di Orfeo and conductor Gianluca Capuano in the programme Celestial Harmonies – Music from Heaven and Earth.

‘As popular as Tina Turner’

Cecilia Bartoli made her Concertgebouw debut on 12 May 1996, and more than thirty years later she will appear in the Main Hall for the 32nd time. Her debut recital, featuring arie antiche and works by Viardot, Delibes, Bellini and Rossini, proved a blueprint for a career in which baroque and bel canto repertoire would take centre stage.

Her popularity was already remarkable at the time. Dutch newspaper NRC compared her appeal to that of Tina Turner, who happened to be performing in Amsterdam Arena on the very same day. In December 1996, Bartoli returned to The Concertgebouw for an additional recital.

Reflecting on those early performances and her connection with The Concertgebouw in an interview with Preludium, she said:

“I am grateful that The Concertgebouw took the risk of engaging me when I was still so young. […] As an Italian, family means a great deal to me, and in a way I also see The Concertgebouw as family.”

First recipient of the Concertgebouw Prize

In the years that followed, Bartoli appeared at The Concertgebouw with ensembles including Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca, the Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood and the Kammerorchester Basel. Another milestone came in December 2000, when she performed with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Riccardo Chailly.

In 2004, the Rome-born mezzo-soprano became the first recipient of the Concertgebouw Prize. Among the distinguished musicians who would later join that roll of honour are Bernard Haitink, Janine Jansen, Yo-Yo Ma and Wynton Marsalis.

Since 2016, Bartoli has been a regular guest in Amsterdam with Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco, the ensemble she founded together with the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. She has also collaborated at The Concertgebouw with artists including cellist Sol Gabetta (Dolce Duello, 2017) and pianist Lang Lang (Arie antiche, 2025).

Speaking about the Main Hall, Bartoli said:

“Its acoustic possibilities are extraordinary, and the hall sounds at its finest with an audience present. To begin a note pianissimo, build a crescendo and then return to nothingness sounds simple enough, doesn't it? But it is possible almost nowhere else. […] Here, your voice can truly fly.”

Cecilia Bartoli at The Concertgebouw: selected milestones

• 12 May 1996 – Debut recital with pianist György Fischer
• 13 December 2000 – Performances with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Riccardo Chailly
• 2004 – First recipient of the Concertgebouw Prize
• 15 November 2016 – First appearance with Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco
• 15 February 2017 – 25th Concertgebouw performance: Rossini's La Cenerentola
• 3 December 2021 – 29th and 30th performances on a single day
• 30 October 2023 – Handel's Giulio Cesare in Egitto
• 14 November 2025 – Arie antiche with Lang Lang
• 8 December 2026 – 32nd performance: Celestial Harmonies – Music from Heaven and Earth