(Credit: Anna Barbera)

Tenor René Barbera is set to take on the role of Alfredo at the Teatro alla Scala next July 2020.

The tenor is stepping in for Francesco Meli, who was originally announced in the opera opposite soprano Marina Rebeka. The tenor joins a cast that includes Luca Salsi as Giorgio Germont and Zubin Mehta at the podium. La Scala’s official website has registered the cast change.

Barbera is becoming one of the go-to lyric tenors on the European opera scene. He is coming off a successful run of “L’Elisir d’Amore” at La Scala and is set to appear as the Count Almaviva in “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” at the Vienna State Opera. He is also set to take on the Almaviva in Genoa and Tokyo in early 2020 as well as in Turin in June 2020.

Meli is set to take on “Ernani,” “Tosca,” “Il Trovatore,” “Carmen,” and “Un Ballo in Maschera” throughout the 2019-20 season.