Stefania Panighini studied at the National Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome and at the Conservatory Giuseppe Verdi in Turin with Paolo Ciaffi Ricagno. She also graduated in Musicology with Ernesto Napolitano at the Turin University.

In 2004 she won the Prize Idee per Alfieri (Festival Astiteatro) and then began to work as a stage director.

 

In the last year, despite the difficult pandemic times, she staged Le songe d'une suit d'été by Ambroise Thomas at the Wexford Opera Festival, Maria de Buenos Aires by Astor Piazzolla at the Opera Giocosa in Savona, at the Pergolesi Spontini Foundation and at the Luglio Musicale Trapanese, and Rinaldo by Handel at the Opera de Tenerife.

He has also made documentaries and music videos for the Wexford Festival Opera and Florentine Opera of Milwaukee, and has began a collaboration with the independent label Musica di Seta, for the realization of Intrepidaria, a podcast about the lives of great women, following a gender equality review of the history.

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Season 2019/2020 sign an important debut in Asia, with a stunning production of La Traviata in coproduction between Daegu Opera Festival and Teatro delle Muse of Ancona. After that she continue the amazing and involving project of Opera Giocosa, staging Don pasquale with young people under 18 and people over 65.

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Season 2018/2019 start at the Opera Giocosa in Savona with a powerful production of Il barbiere di Siviglia, staged with 30 students under 18, involved in the production as actors. In April she did a very exciting revival of Hansel and Gretel in Tenerife with 1600 kids!

Season 2017/2018 mark a big succes of La Traviata at the Dallas Opera, a brilliant american debut with a triumphal reception, and a beautiful and new production of La Boheme at Luglio Musicale Trapanese.

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Productions of the last seasons include the world premiere of Il labbro della Lady by Carlo Galante at Teatro Pavarotti in Modena, she comes back in Tenerife for Rinaldo by Handel. She makes her debuts at Luglio Musicale Trapanese with Madama Butterfly and she comes back to Teatro dell’Opera Giocosa with Nina ossia la pazza per amore by Paisiello.

Recently she directs Orlando by Handel with the Theater An der Wien Young Ensemble in the Kammeroper (Wien), La Traviata at Wexford Opera Festival, Don Pasquale at Lucca Opera Festival, a world premiere of Semiramide in villa by Paisiello in Taranto, a Hansel und Gretel in Tenerife  and Italiana in Algeri at Lucca Opera Festival again.

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She has collaborated with Teatro Regio of Torino, Teatro Valli of Reggio Emilia, Teatro Comunale of Bologna, Teatro Pavarotti of Modena, Opéra National de Lorraine, Teatro Municipale of Piacenza, Fondazione Pergolesi Spontini, Wexford Opera Festival, Teatro Verdi of Sassari, Lugo Opera Festival, Teatro La Fenice of Venezia, Teatro Grande of Brescia, Festival de Opera in Tenerife, Opéra de Nice, Festival della Valle d'Itria, International Short Film Festival in Capalbio, Piccolo Festival del Friuli Venezia Giulia.

She has directed among others La voix humaine, Pomme d'Api and Monsieur Choufleuri restera chez lui, Le finte contesse ,Così fan tutte, Mirra Show Reel, Le nozze di Figaro, Color de Buenos Aires, Falstaff, Histoire du soldat, Peter and the Wolf, Der Schauspieldirektor, Dido & Aeneas, Gianni Schicchi, Suor Angelica, Lulu - Light’s refraction, Rigoletto, Il segreto di Susanna e Procedura Penale.

 

In 2014 starts the Hoperance project about Opera/Dancetheater/Visualart focussing on baroque Handel Cantatas.

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Stefania Panighini is professor of Performing Arts at the State Conservatory of Parma and writes several essays in musicology, including a study of Pelléas et Melisande for the Opera Comique (Paris), makes also videoclip and documentaries.

She plays also intense activity for a young audience; in 2009 she was Research Associate for the Turin Conservatory with the project Una musica da favola, directing La Boîte a Joujoux by Claude Debussy and André Hellé.

In 2012 she has made Opera Kids (As.Li.Co) for 3 to 5 years old children.