René Barbera, Florian Sempey and Alisa Medvedeva join the Filharmonie Brno under Maestro Arkady Beryn for an Opera Gala at the Philharmonie Berlin on 2 November 2026.
Maestro Arkady Beryn
On Monday, 2 November 2026, the Philharmonie Berlin will host an Opera Gala bringing together the Filharmonie Brno under Maestro Arkady Beryn with tenor René Barbera, baritone Florian Sempey and soprano Alisa Medvedeva.
The concert brings together artists whose careers extend across Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia. For audiences in East Asia, several of the names on the Berlin programme are already familiar from appearances in the region.
René Barbera
American tenor René Barbera has built a career at leading opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala and the Opéra national de Paris. In 2011, he became the first singer to win all three top prizes at Plácido Domingo’s Operalia competition. His international career has also taken him to Japan, including appearances at the New National Theatre Tokyo.
Florian Sempey
French baritone Florian Sempey is particularly associated with the role of Figaro in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. He has performed at the Opéra national de Paris, the Royal Opera House in London and the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro. In 2022, he was appointed Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Alisa Medvedeva
Soprano Alisa Medvedeva, a graduate of the Saint Petersburg Conservatoire, has developed an international performance career with appearances at Dubai Opera, Wiener Stadthalle and Mozarthaus Vienna, as well as in Paris, Monaco, Porto Cervo, St. Moritz and Bucharest.
The three soloists will be accompanied by the Filharmonie Brno, one of the Czech Republic’s principal orchestras. Founded in 1956, the ensemble has performed internationally for decades and brings a strong Central European orchestral tradition to the Berlin stage.
Conducting the evening is Maestro Prof. Arkady Beryn, an internationally renowned conductor with more than forty years of professional experience. From 2003 to 2011 he was Chief Conductor of the Internationale Symphoniker Deutschland; he has since conducted the Leipziger Symphoniker, the Camerata Salzburg, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Győr Philharmonic, among others, in halls such as the Philharmonie Berlin, the Vienna Musikverein and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. Beryn also teaches: as a professor of conducting he gives international masterclasses, and several of his former students now lead major orchestras.
The programme combines well-known operatic arias and duets with orchestral works, moving between Mozart, Rossini, Puccini, Verdi, Bizet, Tchaikovsky and other composers. The gala format places the three voices alongside the full orchestra, alternating between solo, ensemble and symphonic moments.
The concert takes place in the Großer Saal of the Philharmonie Berlin, designed by Hans Scharoun and opened in 1963. Its pioneering “vineyard” layout, with audience terraces surrounding the central stage, became influential far beyond Germany. Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, which opened in 1986, was itself designed with the Berlin Philharmonie among its important architectural references.
The Operngala-Nacht takes place at the Philharmonie Berlin on Monday, 2 November 2026, at 20:00.
EVENT INFORMATION
Operngala-Nacht – Opera Gala at the Philharmonie Berlin
Monday, 2 November 2026, 20:00
Philharmonie Berlin – Großer Saal
Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße 1, 10785 Berlin, Germany
Conductor: Maestro Arkady Beryn
Soloists: René Barbera, tenor; Florian Sempey, baritone; Alisa Medvedeva, soprano
Orchestra: Filharmonie Brno (Brno Philharmonic)
Programme: Arias, duets, overtures and intermezzi by Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Puccini, Bizet, Verdi, Mascagni, Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini, Dvořák and Zequinha de Abreu
Tickets: from €26.50 via Eventim – eventim.de/artist/philharmonie-berlin/operngala-nacht-philhamonie-berlin-4122419
Event page: Philharmonie Berlin – berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/concert/calendar/57371
Event listing: visitBerlin – visitberlin.de/en/event/brno-philharmonic-opera-gala-night