Nicola Luisotti | |
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Background information | |
Born |
Viareggio, Province of Lucca, Italy |
26 November 1961
Occupation(s) | Conductor |
Years active | 2002–present |
Labels | Deutsche Gramophone, EMI, Dynamic, Arte Nova |
Website | www |
Nicola Luisotti (born 26 November 1961, Viareggio, Italy) is an Italian conductor. He is currently music director of San Francisco Opera.
Luisotti grew up in Bargecchia. He began studying music as a child, with lessons on the church organ. A seminary student until age 14, he was the director of his village church choir by age 11. He later trained as a pianist, with secondary degrees in composition, trumpet and voice. Upon completing his formal study, he traveled between Milan, where he was a rehearsal pianist for La Scala, and Florence, where he was a member of the chorus of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Subsequent posts allowed him to assist such conductors as Lorin Maazel and Riccardo Muti at La Scala. His earliest full-time position was as chorus master for La Fenice in Venice.
Luisotti's first professional opera conducting engagements were a 2000 production of Stiffelio in Trieste and a 2001 Staatstheater Stuttgart production of Il trovatore. Luisotti became Stuttgart's main conductor for the Italian repertory, conducting Tosca, Turandot, Madama Butterfly and Otello in 2006. His Stuttgart Il trovatore was met with critical acclaim, and within weeks he was offered a debut engagement at Paris Opera. Other early invitations came from the Canadian Opera Company (Un ballo in maschera in 2003), Genoa's Teatro Carlo Felice (Il viaggio a Reims in 2003 and Simon Boccanegra in 2004), and Munich's Bavarian State Opera (Tosca in 2004). He made his debut in Japan with a staged production of Tosca at Suntory Hall.