On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the premiere of “Aida” at the Cairo Opera in 1871, the Greek National Opera (GNO) is preparing to pay tribute to Italian master Guiseppe Verdi with the “All Star Gala Verdi” at the ancient Panathenaic Stadium tonight.

Some of the biggest international names of opera, including the 21st century diva Anna Netrebko, who will be making her first appearance in Greece, have arrived in the country for the gala, which starts at 21:00.

The event will also star leading mezzo Anita Rachvelishvili, distinguished tenor Yusif Eyvazov and prominent Greek baritone Dimitri Platanias. They will perform arias and duets from Verdi’s works accompanied by the National Opera Orchestra under the music direction of French maestro Philippe Auguin.

The tribute takes place before the official start of the GNO’s series of events at archaeological sites all over Greece, which will take place this summer as part of the “All of Greece, One Culture” initiative introduced by the Ministry of Culture and Sports.

You can find the program of events for “All of Greece, One Culture,” which includes 20 different shows set to take place at 70 archeological sites, here.