AdrianaBignagni Lesca

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  • Mezzo-Soprano
  • Contralto
Promotional photograph of Adriana Bignagni Lesca
Promotional photograph of Adriana Bignagni Lesca

About Adriana

Gabonese mezzo-soprano Adriana Bignagni Lesca has established herself as a compelling presence on the international opera scene. Praised for her “rich, warm timbre” and “expressive vocal depth,” she has been recognized by critics for bringing both power and nuance to her roles. Having trained at the Conservatoire de Bordeaux under Maryse Castets, Adriana’s versatile repertoire spans from baroque to contemporary opera, with recent standout performances including her debut at Hamburgische Staatsoper as Farnace Mitridate, re di Ponto and at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the European premiere of John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra.

This 2025/26 season, Adriana will give a solo recital at the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse in a program that blends classical repertoire with traditional Gabonese music from her heritage, accompanied by pianist Nino Pavlenichvili. She will then sing L’Opinion publique in Orphée aux Enfers at Opéra de Tours, conducted by Marc Leroy-Calatayud, and make a role debut as Mrs Alexander in Philip Glass’s Satyagraha at Opéra national de Paris, under the baton of Ingo Metzmacher. Next Summer, she will make her return to Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.

Highlights from recent seasons include her house and role debut at the Hamburgische Staatsoper as Farnace in Mozart’s Mitridate, re di Ponto, return to Opéra national de Paris as La Princesse de Grenade in Offenbach's Les Brigands, L’Opinion publique in Orphée aux Enfers at Opéra national du Capitole in Toulouse, her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the European premiere of John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra (Charmian), a return to Staatsoper Berlin for Mitridate, re di Ponto (Arbate), Ježibaba in Dvořák’s Rusalka at Auditorio de Tenerife, and Souffrance in Albéric Magnard’s Guercœur at Opéra national du Rhin.

On the concert stage, she performed Juno in Orphée aux Enfers with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester under Marc Minkowski, joined Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen for a tour of Belgium performing Berio’s Folk Songs, conducted by Duncan Ward and gave a New Year’s concert with Philharmonie Zuidnederland featuring Montsalvatge’s Cinco Canciones Negras, again under Duncan Ward.

Adriana is based in Bordeaux

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Contact

Mark Hildrew

Mark Hildrew

Executive Director
Grace Hewett

Grace Hewett

Assistant Artist Manager

Representation

Worldwide general management with Askonas Holt

Follow Adriana

Season Highlights

Oct 2025
Opera National Capitole Toulouse
Solo Recital - A fusion of two musical worlds, two cultures, two eras: classical opera, rich and grandiose, and the deep roots of traditional Gabonese music Nino Pavlenichvili (accompanist)
Dec 2025 - Jan 2026
Opéra de Tours
Offenbach: Orphèe aux enfers (L’Opinion publique) Marc Leroy-Calatayud (conductor)
Apr 2026 - May 2026
Opéra national de Paris
Philip Glass: Satyagraha (Mrs Alexander) Ingo Metzmacher (conductor)

Video

Photos

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Selected Repertoire

Adams

Antony and Cleopatra (Charmian)

Bizet

Carmen (title role)

Britten

The Turn of the Screw (Mrs Grose)

Debussy

Pelléas et Mélisande (Geneviève)

Donizetti

Viva la mamma (Dorotea)   •   La fille du régiment (Marquise de Berkenfield)

Dvořák

Rusalka (Ježibaba)

Gershwin

Porgy and Bess (Maria, Annie, Lily)

Janáček

The Diary of One Who Disappeared (Zefka)

Korngold

Die tote Stadt (Brigitta)

Magnard

Guercœur (Souffrance)

Mozart

Mitridate, re di Ponto (Arbate, Fernace)

Offenbach

La Perichole (title role)   •   Orphée aux enfers (Juno)

Rameau

Platée (Junon)

Rossini

I’Italiana in Alghier (Isabella)

Saint-Saëns

Samson and Delilah (Delilah)

Stravinksy

Rake's Progess (Baba the Turk, Mother Goose)

Verdi

Falstaff (Mistress Quickly)   •   Il trovatore (Azucena)   •   Un ballo in maschera (Ulrica)

Wagner

Das Rheingold (Erda)   •   Götterdämmerung (Second Norn)

News

Press

  • Magnard - Guercœur (Souffrance)

    Opéra national du Rhin
    Apr 2024

    • et il y a aujourd’hui Adriana Bignani Lesca (photo), irréprochable à chacune de ses interventions, où elle impose son timbre rare et une diction impeccable, l’actrice étant elle aussi à la hauteur (ah, ce sourire quand elle apprend que Guercœur renvoyé sur Terre va enfin souffrir !). and today there is Adriana Bignani Lesca (photo), flawless in every performance, imposing her rare timbre and impeccable diction, and the actress is also up to the task (ah, that smile when she learns that Guercœur, sent back to Earth, is finally going to suffer!).

    • Adriana Bignagni Lesca confère à sa Souffrance une ligne solide mais subtile, et des graves profonds et nourris. Adriana Bignagni Lesca gives her Souffrance a solid but subtle line, and deep, nourished bass.

    • Adriana Bignagni Lesca trouve dans Souffrance un rôle à la mesure de ses moyens : son timbre profond de contralto, servi par une projection assurée, captive immédiatement. In Souffrance, Adriana Bignagni Lesca finds a role worthy of her abilities: her deep contralto timbre, supported by confident projection, is immediately captivating.

    • tandis que les seconds rôles se montrent idéalement distribués. Ces derniers sont dominés par la superlative Souffrance d’Adriana Bignagni Lesca while the supporting roles are ideally cast. The latter are dominated by the superlative Souffrance by Adriana Bignagni Lesca

  • Dvořák - Rusalka (Jezibaba)

    Ópera de Tenerife
    Mar 2024 - Mar 2024

    • But the one who showed true charisma was the mezzo-soprano Adriana Bignagni Lesca, playing a magnificent and forceful Jezibaba. Lesca offered us a deliciously evil Jezibaba, giving the character undeniable strength and character. In each appearance she kept the entire audience in suspense, thanks not only to an authentic performance, but also to a rich voice where she had the opportunity to stand out by singing the memorable and magical aria Čury mury fuk . It was without a doubt the performance that she connected the most with the audience.

  • John Adams - Antony and Cleopatra

    Grand Theatre del Liceu, Barcelona
    Oct 2023

    • Every member of the supporting cast, led by Adriana Bignagni Lesca as Charmian and Alfred Walker as Enobarbus, was outstanding.

  • Donizetti - Viva la mamma

    Opernhaus Zurich
    Apr 2023

    • She sang an aria from Maria di Rohan and impressed with a deep, velvety mezzo bordering on contralto.

  • Leoš Janáček - The Diary of the One Who Disappeared

    Opera National du Rhin
    Mar 2022

    • La mezzo Adriana Bignagni Lesca (qui ne devait initialement assurer que les représentations de Mulhouse et qui remplace Josy Santos pour ces premières dates strasbourgeoises) descend aisément sous la voix du ténor, vers de profonds graves poitrinés et projette de puissants accents. Le médium aigu est très vibré e vibrant, au service d'un grand phrasé et d'une prononciation limpide, très déliée. [Translated] The mezzo Adriana Bignagni Lesca descends easily under the tenor's voice, towards deep low weights and projects powerful accents. The high mid-range is very vibrant, serving great phrasing and a clear pronunciation, very loose.

  • Gaetano Donizetti - La Fille du régiment

    Teatro Donizetti
    Nov 2021

    • Adriana Bignagni Lesca was a much appreciated surprise; she sang La Marquise de Berkenfield with a smooth bronzed mezzo tending to contralto, with a beautiful, warm low register, powerful yet contained (she would be an excellent Ulrica, methinks). She had a ball with the funny character, singing El arreglito by Sebastián Yradier – the habanera “borrowed” by Bizet to became Carmen’s – or barking with a cavernous bass at her butler, while interpolating smiles and high-pitched giggles for a Duchess. Born to be on stage.

  • Offenbach - La Périchole

    Festival de Radio France et Montpellier Languedoc-Roussillon
    Jul 2018

    • The arrival of Adriana Bignani Lesca as the fourth lady-in-waiting, beautiful mezzo, warm and sonorous. [Translated] L’arrivée d' Adriana Bignani Lesca, la quatrième dame d’honneur, beau mezzo, chaleureux et sonore.

    • The alto Adriana Bignagni Lesca Joins them later in Act II with her ample voice with the beautiful shaded timbre of viola to form a quartet of voices mocking the couple of lovers. [Translated] L’alto Adriana Bignagni Lesca les rejoint par la suite à l’Acte II de sa voix ample au beau timbre ombragé d’alto pour former un quatuor de voix railleuses contre le couple d’amants.

Discography