Carlo Rizzi

Career Trajectory

A product of Milan's rigorous conservatory tradition, Carlo Rizzi emerged as a conductor of exceptional stylistic authority, winning the inaugural Toscanini Competition in 1985 and establishing himself as a leading interpreter of the Italian operatic repertoire. Over four decades, he has built a distinguished international career anchored by significant tenures at Welsh National Opera and, since 2019, as Music Director of Opera Rara, where he has championed the restoration and recording of neglected nineteenth-century masterworks. His performances at the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Teatro alla Scala, and the world's foremost opera houses have cemented his reputation as a conductor of uncommon depth and idiomatic mastery.