Marco Guidarini

Marco Guidarini, born in Genova, Italy, began studying orchestra conducting at the prestigious Hochschule für Musik. He was a student of Mario Gusella, earning his diploma, and took master classes with Franco Ferrara. He also received support and advice from Claudio Abbado and Carlo Maria Giulini. Early in his career, he was invited by the Opéra de Lyon to be John Eliot Gardiner’s assistant, deepening his knowledge of the baroque repertoire.

He began his conducting career in Lyon with Falstaff and Le Comte Ory, and went on to conduct in Opera Houses in the UK and Ireland, focusing on Mozart and Puccini. His debut in Canada came with performances of Don Pasquale and La Bohème at the Vancouver Opera, followed by numerous productions in Australia (including Tosca, Die Zauberflöte, and Così Fan Tutte). He also conducted Verdi’s Requiem with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2001.

In Germany, he debuted with Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Bayerische Staatsoper. In Italy, he gained recognition with performances of I Lombardi, Madama Butterfly, and La Bohème at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Macbeth at the Martina Franca Festival (productions released by Dynamic). In the USA, he started his work in 1997 at the Los Angeles Opera, and later conducted Rigoletto at the New York City Opera.

His successful productions in France include Nabucco at the Opéra de Nice-Côte d’Azur, Don Carlo at the Opéra de Marseille, and Aida at the Stade de France with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. In 2001, he conducted Giovanna d’Arco at the Saint Denis Festival and Rigoletto at the Festival Les Chorégies d’Orange.

Guidarini has collaborated with many prestigious orchestras, including the Orchestra del Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova, the Orchestra RAI di Roma, and internationally with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the SWF Symphony Orchestra of Baden-Baden. In 2002, he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York with Rigoletto.

From 2001 to 2009, he was the music director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice, focusing on 20th-century composers. He also founded the Ensemble Apostrophe, dedicated to contemporary music. In 2005, he conducted Verdi’s Il Corsaro at the Gran Teatre del Liceu and Mahler’s 6th Symphony in Malaga. His productions of Wozzeck and Cyrano de Bergerac in 2006 were well-received, with the latter released by Deutsche Grammophon.

He was named a Grande Ufficiale dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia by the Italian Republic in 2006 and a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture in 2008. In 2009, he conducted Simon Boccanegra at the Canadian Opera House in Toronto and debuted at Teatro alla Scala with Donizetti’s Le Convenienze ed Inconvenienze Teatrali.

In 2010, he recorded Edouard Lalo’s violin and orchestra concerts and made his debut at the Teatro Colon de Buenos Aires. He founded the International Belcanto Competition Vincenzo Bellini, becoming its artistic director. His later work includes conducting Il Trovatore at the Canadian Opera Company and recording Italian symphonic music with I Pomeriggi Musicali in Milan.

In 2012, Guidarini returned to the USA to conduct Don Pasquale in San Diego and performed symphonic concerts in Genova, Bilbao, and Milan. His continued success in opera and symphonic repertoire has established him as a leading conductor of his generation.