antonello manacorda, Dirigent der ersten Projekte In 1997 Antonello Manacorda, in collaboration with Claudio Abbado and colleagues from the Gustav Mahler Jugend Orchester, founded the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Antonello Manacorda was appointed vice-president and concertmaster, a position he held for five years until he decided to pursue a career as a conductor. He was awarded a scholarship by De Sono in Turin which enabled him to spend two years studying with Jorma Panula.

Antonello Manacorda is currently Music Director of I Pomeriggi Musicali in Milan. Manacorda first worked with the orchestra in January 2006 when he conducted the little-known oratorio by Mozart, La Betullia Liberata, returning in March 2006 to conduct a programme combining the music of Mozart, Piccinini and Gluck. He opened his first season as Music Director in September 2006 with another Oratorio by Mozart, Davidde Penitente, to glowing reviews in the Italian press. Their first season together has been extremely successful, and in May 2007 Mario Messinis wrote in Il Gazzettino: In Schubert’s ‘Unfinished Symphony’, Manacorda gave us a lesson in style. He did not simply direct the music, like so many seem to do these days, but he interpreted it. The audience was fascinated as he dug to the roots of Schubert’s thoughts.

Antonello Manacorda’s recent engagements include working with the Maggio Musicali Orchestra during the Festival in Florence and giving performances of Paisiello’s opera Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Teatro Arcimboldi in Milan, and concerts with the Orchestra of La Fenice in Venice Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, I Virtuosi di Kuhmo in Helsinki, Västerås Sinfonietta and Helsingborgs Symfoniorkester. In April 2007 he stepped in, very successfully and at short notice, to conduct the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris at a concert at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in a programme of Beethoven and Mozart.

This season, Manacorda will work with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Gävle Symphony Orchestra and the orchestra of Scottish Opera, amongst others. He will be returning to Helsingborg Symphony, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana and Västerås Sinfonietta. He will also coach the Jeunesses Musicales summer course in Geneva, and will give performances of Cosi Fan Tutti at the Teatro Comunale in Treviso.

Antonello Manacorda was born in Turin and studied violin with Sergio Lamberto at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, graduating with distinction. He was then awarded a scholarship by De Sono Associazione per la Musica, which enabled him to continue his studies with Herman Krebbers in Amsterdam, Eduard Shmider and Franco Gulli.

From 2003-2006 Antonello Manacorda was Artistic Director for chamber music at the Académie Européenne de Musique du Festival d’Aix en Provence..