Tonight, the traditional Italian Evening at the “Ohrid Summer” festival will present a concert by extraordinary artists, tenor Gianni Leceze and pianist Eklan Hasa, who will perform under the acoustic vaults of the Church of St. Sophia at the standard festival time, starting at 9 PM.
Gianni Leceze is a student of William Matteuzzi and Leone Magiera. He made his debut in the opera “Pagliacci” by R. Leoncavallo at the theater in Pisa, after which he performed the same role in Grosseto, Pescara, and Viterbo during theater seasons and festivals. His international career has led him to concerts and opera performances in China, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Greece, Egypt, France, the Czech Republic, Poland, Japan, Cyprus, Romania, and Bulgaria, where his performances have received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. He has collaborated with some of today’s greatest opera stars, including Katja Ricciarelli, Gianfranco Cecchele, Leo Nucci, Carlo Colombara, Pippo Baudo, and Pietro Ballo. In 2011, he was awarded the “Tenor of the New Generation” prize by the Arena di Verona Foundation. In 2018, Leceze was appointed as the artistic director of the open-air stage at the “Cave di Fantiano” Theater Festival in Puglia, Southern Italy.
Eklan Hasa was born in Tirana, where he studied at the “Jordan Misja” Art School and the Academy of Fine Arts. He obtained various specializations in Italy and Germany, studying under teachers such as Nihal Hakiu, Pranvera Cauši Khorǵi, Anita Tartarije, and Ludwig Hoffmann. The awarded artist, a solo pianist at the Opera and Ballet Theater in Tirana, decided to leave Albania in the post-communist period and moved to Southern Italy. Since 1995, he has been playing as a soloist and accompanist for opera singers at theaters like Teatro Verdi in Marghera, Teatro Politeama Greco, La Fenice, Tito Schipa, Paisiello, Mascagni, and many others. In 2000, he became the artistic director of the Accademia Lirico-Pop “Albano Carrisi,” and his touring has taken him around the world to places like the USA, Canada, Moscow, Uzbekistan, Bulgaria, Romania, Spain, France, Malta, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and beyond. In 2007, he was granted honorary citizenship in the city of Nardò. He has worked with record labels Albano Carrisi production and 11/8 records. He serves as the musical director of the Pietro Mascagni Theater in Nardò and participated as a collaborator Maestro in the album “Karisi sings Caruso.” He has collaborated with Inva Mula, Montserrat Caballé, Leonardo Gramigna, Eva Golemi, Mariana Leka, Emanuela Di Pietro (director of the opera chorus in Lecce), Armaldo Clogeri, and various artists from different musical genres. In 2009, he was the protagonist of the documentary film “Le note di Ekland” by Antonio D’April.