Alessandro Siciliani

Alessandro Siciliani is an Italian conductor of opera and symphonic music. He is also a composer of symphonic music. Siciliani was born in Florence, Italy in 1952, the son of Ambra and Francesco Siciliani, the celebrated opera impresario. Siciliani currently resides in Columbus, Ohio where he was the Music Director of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra from 1992 to 2004.

Life and career

Siciliani's early life was spent growing up in the opera world of Italy where his father was the director of the country's most prominent opera company, La Scala from 1957-1966. His musical interests were formed while attending his father's rehearsals where he had the opportunity to rub shoulders with the world's leading conductors, musicians and opera stars.

Siciliani received his musical training at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan and at the Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome. His studies focused on conducting, which he studied with Franco Ferrara, piano, and composition, graduating with highest honors in all three.[1]

As a conductor, Siciliani has divided his time between opera and the symphonic repertoire. In opera, he conducted extensively at the New York City Opera[2] and made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera on opening night of the 1988-1989 season.[3] Most recently he conducted at the Mariinsky Theatre (formerly the Kirov) in Saint Petersburg, Russia in 2008. As a symphonic conductor he has performed with major orchestras in Prague, Munich, Cologne, Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Washington DC, among many others.[1]

From 1992 to 2004 he was the music director of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. During his time on the podium the orchestra achieved some of its greatest successes to date, increasing its audience and celebrating its 50th anniversary with a debut appearance at Carnegie Hall.[4] Siciliani's vivid interpretations of the romantic symphonic repertoire and of Italian opera endeared him to audiences in Columbus where he remains a popular figure.[5] In July 2008, he was enthusiastically received when he returned to the podium to conduct the musicians of the Columbus Symphony in a benefit concert during the CSO's recent contract dispute.[6]

Currently, Siciliani maintains his career as a conductor, making guest appearances in Europe and the U.S. He also continues composing, writing works for symphony and chorus.

Compositions

  • Cantata for 18 Soloists, Choir, and 18 Instruments
  • L'Amour peintre, a ballet
  • Giona, an oratorio

References

  1. 1 2 "GKW Creative Management artist bio". Archived from the original on 2008-03-29. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
  2. ↑ Donal Henahan, "OPERA: 'LA RONDINE' RETURNS TO CITY". The New York Times, July 10, 1985
  3. ↑ John Rockwell, "The Met Season Opens With 'Cav' and 'Pag'". The New York Times, November 6, 2008.
  4. ↑ Alan Kozinn, "From the Depths of Ohio Energy Onstage and Off". The New York Times, April 24, 2001
  5. ↑ "Richard Ades, "Siciliani: Save CSO to protect my legacy". The Other Paper, July 24, 2008". Archived from the original on 2013-01-04. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
  6. ↑ Barbara Zuck, "Maestro Siciliani brings out best of musicians". The Columbus Dispatch, July 28, 2008.
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