Riccardo Muti

Career Trajectory

Riccardo Muti's ascent from Naples to the podiums of the world's greatest opera houses began with his victory in the 1967 Guido Cantelli Conducting Competition and his professional debut the following year with the Italian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Over five decades, he has established himself as the preeminent interpreter of Verdi and a custodian of the Italian operatic tradition, serving as Music Director of Teatro alla Scala for nearly two decades and leading the Chicago Symphony Orchestra through thirteen seasons of artistic distinction. His Grammy-winning recordings, the Birgit Nilsson Prize, and his appointment as Music Director Emeritus for Life of the CSO underscore a career defined by uncompromising artistic standards and profound musical authority.