Set Designer
Edoardo Sanchi graduated from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Milan. From 1985 to 1990 he worked as assistant to the designers Margherita Palli, Gabris Ferrari, Michel Lebois, Quirino Conti and Gianni Quaranta, signing his own stage and costume designs from 1981 onwards.
His work as a sculptor has been exhibited in Milan. He has collaborated as set designer with directors Luca Ronconi, David Brandon, Stefano Monti, Giorgio Marini, Italo Nunziata, Franco Ripa di Meana, Roberto Paci Dalò, Ruggiero Cappuccio, Francesco Micheli, Giorgio Barberio Corsetti, Marco Martinelli and Micha Van Hoecke.
Productions he has designed sets for include LA FIAMMA (Wexford Festival Opera directed by Franco Ripa di Meana), NINA, OSSIA LA PAZZA PER AMORE (Teatro alla Scala Milan), IL TABARRO and GIANNI SCHICCHI (Arena di Verona), THE TURN OF THE SCREW (Teatro Comunale di Bologna with Giorgio Marini), LUCREZIA BORGIA (Teatro Comunale di Bologna with director Marco Martinelli), IL TROVATORE (Verdi Festival, Parma, Opéra Theatre d’Avigon, Liège and St. Etienne with director Francesco Micheli). ATTILA (Teatro Comunale di Firenze with director Franco Ripa di Meana), TANCREDI (Teatro Municipale di Piacenza, Teatro Comunale di Modena, Teatro Comunale Ferrara and Teatro ‘R.Valli’ Reggio Emilia with Marco Gandini), Pergolesi’s OLIMPIADE (Teatro Alighieri di Ravenna, Teatro Municipale Piacenza, Teatro Comunale di Modena, Teatro ‘R.Valli’ Reggio Emilia with Italo Nunziata), LA GAZZETTA and IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA with director Marco Gandini at Garsington Opera Festival in the UK, MACBETH a co-production between the Ravenna Festival, Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Teatro Verdi di Trieste, LA MANO a contemporary rock theatre work in Belgium and Ravenna by the acclaimed experimental Teatro delle Albe, and DISSOLUTO PUNITO for Festival Mozart de La Coruna directed by Damiano Michieletto.
Recent projects include sets for ASCANIO IN ALBA directed by Franco Ripa di Meana for La Scala, and in 2007 a new production of TANNHÄUSER directed by Guy Montavon for Theater Erfurt in Germany. For the Pfingsfestpiele in Salzburg he designed sets for IL RITORNO DI CON CALANDRINO, director Ruggero Cappuccio, conductor Riccardo Muti. For the REC Festival in Reggio Emilia he designed IL TEMPO SOSPESO DEL VOLO, the world première of a new work by composer Nicola Sani, directed by Franco Ripa di Meana.
His work includes sets for Ascanio in Alba directed by Franco Ripa di Meana for La Scala, and in 2007 a new production of Tannhäuser directed by Guy Montavon for Theater Erfurt in Germany and later revived at Teatro Comunale di Bologna.
For the Pfingsfestpiele in Salzburg he designed sets for Il ritorno di Don Calandrino, director Ruggero Cappuccio, conductor Riccardo Muti. For the REC Festival in Reggio Emilia he designed Il Tempo Sospeso del Volo, the world première of a new work by composer Nicola Sani, directed by Franco Ripa di Meana.
In 2008, he designed the set of The Nutcracker (Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky) for the West Australian Ballet at the His Majesty’s theatre in Perth. This production has been presented in a new dramatic score, re-written by the designer and the choreographer Ivan Cavallari.
In 2009 with the director Franco Ripa di Meana he created sets for Tosca at Terme di Caracalla in Rome and the trilogy of La Traviata, Rigoletto and Il Trovatore at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence. Further, for the Teatro Verdi of Trieste in co-production with Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova and Teatro San Carlo in Naples he designed the set for La Vedova Allegra working with the director Federico Tiezzi.
For the National Centre for Performing Arts in Beijing in 2010 he created the set design for L’Elisir d’Amore director was Franco Ripa di Meana. For the 2010/2011 season he designed the set for La Bohème at Teatro La Fenice collaborating with director Francesco Micheli and at the Arena di Verona 2011 with the same director he created the set for Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod.
In 2012 he designed Pinocchio (music by Enrico Melozzi, dramatic score written by the designer and Ivan Cavallari) for the West Australian Ballet and Otello at Teatro la Fenice (director Francesco Micheli, conductor Myung-Whun Chung). This production was revived at Palazzo Ducale di Venezia and coproduced with Tokio Bunkamura Orchard Hall Theatre, Osaka Festival Hall Theatre and Nagoya Aichi Arts Center Theatre.
In 2013 he worked with the director Guy Montavon on a new production of Andrea Chénier at the Staatstheater Nürnberg in Germany and for Macerata Opera Festival in 2014 he designed both new productions Tosca (director Franco Ripa di Meana) and Aida (director Francesco Micheli).
In 2007 he has been invited by VCA (Univeristy of Melbourne, Australia) as Professor in Residence to lead a master in set design.
From 2003 onwards he has been teaching set design at the Accademia di Belle Arti of Venice, Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan and Accademia di Belle Arti of Carrara.
He is now regular professor for set design at the Accademia delle Belle Arti di Brera in Milan.