Nicoletta Conti

Born in Bologna, Nicoletta Conti studied pianoforte, composition and conducting at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan and the Conservatorio di Musica G.B. Martini in Bologna. She went on to continue her studies in conducting with Maestro Ferrara in Siena, Leopold Hager in Salzburg, Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa and Kurt Masur at Tanglewood. Winner of numerous prizes, including the Musica da Camera “Città di Stresa” and Nicolai Malko for orchestral conductors in Copenhagen, she began her career as a conductor in Italy and abroad, dedicating herself both to the operatic and symphonic repertoire.

Following the concuctor’s course held by Leonard Bernstein at l’Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, she was chosen by Maestro Bernstein to be his assistant conductor and to make debut with the “ Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia”. At the Capitol she received the prestigious Minerva Prize for the arts, the first Italian musician to be awarded it.In 2006 she received has been confered the honour of “Cavaliere della Repubblica Italiana” by the President of the Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. She has since collaborated with important festivals and theatres, including Covent Garden, the Teatro Comunale in Florence, the Teatro Comunale in Bologna, the Rossini Opera Festival, and the Festival of the Itria Valley. She combines her operatic work with a concert career, and has appeared alongside Luciano Pavarotti, Renato Bruson, Leo Nucci, and Daniela Dessì. Orchestras she has conducted include: Orchestra Arturo Toscanini, Orchestra of the Arena di Verona, the Tanglewood Music Festival Orchestra, Orchestra Regionale Toscana, the Kiushu Symphony Orchestra, the Hungarian Symphonic Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica Città di Ferrara, Orchestra da Camera di Bologna, Orchestra “I Filarmonici di Bologna”, Orchestra Filarmonica di Torino, Rishon Le Tzion Orchestra, Orchestra “I Pomeriggi Musicali di Milano”, Stuttgarter Filarmoniker.

Most recentley she has conducted Don Giovanni by Gazzaniga for Teatro Regio di Torino, two contemporary operas at their premiers at Festival Mozart di Rovereto and at Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Nabucco and Madama Butterfly in the Beppe De Tomasi production at Teatro di Ascoli Piceno and Teatro di Fano. In August 2000 she assisted Maestro Antonio Pappano in London for the recording of the CD and film of Tosca with the Orchestra of Covent Garden and received great acclaim when she conducted Madama Butterfly at the International Festival at Montepulciano. In August 2001 Ms Conti assisted Maestro Pappano with the London Symphony Orchestra for the recording of Il Trovatore and most recently conducted a concert in Lisbon with Angela Gheorghiu.

She conducted the Royal Philarmonic in the double bill of I Pagliacci and Suor Angelica for Opera Holland Park, a production of La Belle Helène for the theatres of Pisa, Lucca and Livorno. In september 2003 she has conducted Il Trovatore in Tokyo with the Tokyo Philarmonic.
Most recently she conducted the Orchestra of Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, the Israel Symphony Orchestra of Rishon LeZion, the Haydn Orchestra in Bolzano, the Verdi Orchestra in Milan, a production of “La Tragédie de Carmen” with the direction of Franco Ripa di Meana
Future plans include concerts, the production of “La Tragédie de Carmen” in Italy and a production of “Il Trovatore” in Japan.