DHAHRAN, Saudi Arabia —The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) hosted a one-night performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto by Milan’s La Scala Academy.

Held as a one-night engagement, hosting the opera falls under the Center’s commitment to cross-cultural engagement and its promise to offer visitors high caliber international productions.

Premiering for the first time in 1851 at the La Fenice opera house in Venice, Italy, Rigoletto is Giuseppe Verdi’s three-act operatic adaptation of noted French author Victor Hugo’s play Le roi s’amuse.

Performed by soloists from the La Scala Academy Choir and Orchestra and conducted by Maestro Pietro Mianiti, Rigoletto delivers a unique operatic musical experience that can be appreciated by the audience.

The La Scala Academy is one of the world’s foremost training institutions for the full range of performing arts professionals, such as artists, technicians, managers and more.

Based in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Ithra is a creative and interactive public space for performances, workshops, exhibitions and experiences. Ithra offers an enriching journey by championing cross-cultural exchange, celebrating creativity and broadening cultural horizons.

Ithra is Saudi Aramco’s most ambitious CSR initiative and the largest cultural contribution to the Kingdom. Through a compelling series of programs and initiatives, Ithra creates world-class experiences that bring together culture, innovation and knowledge and are designed to appeal to everyone.

Ithra's components include the Idea Lab, Library, Theater, Museum, Energy Exhibit, Art Gallery, Children’s Museum and Knowledge Tower. — SG