Music Director at Teatr Wielki in Warsaw from 2011 to 2014, Italian conductor Carlo Montanaro was discovered by Zubin Mehta, who recommanded him to the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna, where he improved his skills under Leopold Hager, Erwin Acél and Yugi Yuasa for three years.
Since 2001, Montanaro has conducted opera and concerts in major venues including Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Fondazione Arena in Verona, Deutsche Oper in Berlin, Teatro Comunale in Florence, Fondazione Arturo Toscanini in Parma and Teatro Verdi in Trieste (a collaboration which led to a Japanese tour with the Orchestra). Titles included
Lucia di Lammermoor, Nabucco, Aida, Tosca, La Sonnambula, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Madama Butterfly and
La Bohème.
He conducted two works in the 2004-2005 season at Teatro Comunale in Florence, as well as various symphonic concerts with Fondazione Arena Verona, Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana, Teatro Cilea in Reggio Calabria and Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. He conducted
Il Trovatore and
Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the State Opera of Stuttgart, as well as
Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Fondazione Arturo Toscanini.
Highlights between 2006 and 2008 include a great public and critical success conducting
Un Ballo in Maschera with the Israeli Opera of Tel Aviv (new production), his American debut in Colorado with Donizetti’s
L’Elisir d’Amore, I Dialoghi delle Carmelitane in Bilbao to great critical acclaim, and
Madama Butterfly at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.
In 2008 he made his debut at La Scala with
La Traviata, and he opened the Macerata Summer Festival with
Carmen directed by Dante Ferretti. He conducted
Il Corsaro at Festival Verdi in Parma and made his debut at Hercules Halle in Munich in a concert with the Weimar Staatskapelle and Erwin Schrott.
His 2009 opened with
Madama Butterfly at the New National Theatre in Tokyo, followed by his return to Opera Colorado in Denver for
Così fan tutte and a highly praised new production of
Simone Boccanegra at Megaron in Athens, where he was then invited again to conduct
Aida. He opened the 2009/10 Season at Canadian Opera conducting a new production of
Madama Butterfly, and he conducted
Mefistofele in Frankfurt, Verdi’s
Requiem at Musikverein in Graz,
Roméo et Juliette in Verona,
La Traviata in Munich and
Aida in Hamburg with great reviews from public and critics.
In 2011 he debuted with
Carmen at Semperoper Dresden to great success, and he was reinvited to conduct
Il Barbiere di Siviglia and a new production of
Un Ballo in Maschera.
Further highlights:
Don Quichotte and
Attila at Seattle Opera, a new production of
Turandot in Warsaw,
Lucia di Lammermoor in Bilbao,
Aida,
Manon Lescaut,
Turandot and
Macbeth in Hamburg,
La Bohème at Teatro Comunale di Firenze,
L’Amico Fritz and a new production of
Adriana Lecouvreur in Frankfurt,
La Traviata in Warsaw and in Cincinnati.
In September 2012 he returned to Musikverein in Graz to conduct a concert version of Verdi’s
Giovanna D’Arco, and since then he conducted
Falstaff in Hamburg,
Tosca and
L’Elisir d’Amore in Munich,
Il Barbiere di Siviglia in Tokyo,
Don Carlo, Verdi’s
Requiem and
Turandot in Warsaw,
La Bohème in Seattle,
Don Carlo in Frankfurt,
Il Corsaro in Budapest,
Norma at the Festival in Peralada. In season 2013/14,
Madama Butterfly in Nagoya and Hamburg,
La Traviata in Oviedo,
La Bohème in Budapest,
The Consul in Seattle, a concert version of
Attila in Warsaw,
Carmen,
L’Elisir d’Amore and
Tosca in Munich,
Tosca and
Il Trovatore at the Mariinsky in St. Petersburg, as well as concerts with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra del Santa Cecilia in Rome.
In season 14/15 he successfully debuted at Opéra Bastille in Paris with
Il Barbiere di Siviglia. After that, he was on the podiums of the Hungarian National Philharmonic (Verdi’s
Requiem) and Seattle Symphony for a series of concerts. He then conducted a new production of
La Fanciulla del West in Hamburg,
Rigoletto and
La Traviata in Warsaw,
Mefistofele in Budapest,
Simon Boccanegra in Frankfurt, Rossini’s
Stabat Mater in Budapest and Pécs,
Nabucco in Seattle.
Highlights in season 2015/16 included the debut at Opéra de Monte Carlo with
Tosca, followed by
Rigoletto at Warsaw Opera, the debut at Sydney Opera House with
La bohème and
Maria Stuarda in Seattle. In concert, he conducted the Cincinnati Symphony and the Hungarian National Philharmonic. Moreover, he made his debut at San Francisco Opera conducting
Carmen.
He opened his 16/17 season with the debut at the Korea National Opera in Seoul with
Tosca, followed by a series of concerts with the Vancouver Symphony. Most recently, he returned to Sydney and San Francisco for
La bohème. Moreover, he conducted a new production of
Rigoletto in Frankfurt,
Madama Butterfly in Seattle and a symphonic concert with the Hungarian National Philharmonic.
Most recently, he was on the podium of Dallas Opera for
La Traviata and in Seoul for
La Bohème.
Future engagements include
La Traviata in Berlin and Melbourne,
Lucia di Lammermoor in Sydney,
Rigoletto in Montréal, concerts with the Hungarian National Philharmonic.
