About FIO MONDO

The Festival of International Opera (FIO) was formed in 2012 by Kathryn Hartgrove, Adriana Kayama, and Sidnei Alferes. All three of these individuals had a vision to provide young opera singers with the opportunity to perform, learn, and expand their vocal horizons and to do so in an international setting with fellow singers from around the world.

The festival opened in 2013 in Brazil, in partnership with the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). FIO BRAZIL presented three fully-staged operas and toured in six different cities in the State of São Paulo. The season was a great success, and it then expanded its network to Italy.

In 2018, FIO ITALIA established a collaboration with Centro Studi Italiani to create a festival with an impressive faculty, staff, and language school. During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, FIO ITALIA successfully moved to a fully-online festival with filmed productions. FIO ITALIA also enjoys a partnership with the Fondazione Pergolesi Spontini and in 2023 produced one of Pergolesi’s rarely performed works as part of their season.

FIO’s footprint in the world of summer opera festivals is expanding to Mexico and Panama. Plans are already underway to provide opportunities for singers in both countries. In 2023, as a direct result of this interest, the festival took on the name of FIO MONDO as their parent company. FIO ITALIA is the flagship program, but be on the lookout for FIO MEXICO and FIO PANAMA in the future.


Our Mission

FIO's mission is to discover future opera stars and provide these young artists with a true international operatic experience.