Marco Gandini

INTRODUCTION

Marco Gandini has been associate director of iconic Italian director Franco Zeffirelli and British director Graham Vick.

He has worked in the major Italian opera houses (including Teatro alla Scala, Rome Opera House, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Teatro del Maggio Musicale in Florence, Arena in Verona, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Teatro Comunale in Bologna) and international opera companies (The Metropolitan Opera House in New York, Washington and Los Angeles Opera, NNT in Tokyo, Royal Opera House in London, Teatro Real in Madrid, Teatro Liceu in Barcelona, Marinsky Theatre in San Petersburg, Kremlin Theatre in Moskow, Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens).

RECENT AND FUTURE ENGAGEMENTS

• La Bohème at Teatro alla Scala di Milano (revival of Franco Zefirelli’s Bohème);
• co-director of L’incoronazione di Poppea w. Iván Fischer at Teatro Olimpico, Vicenza, part of the Budapest Festival Orchestra tour;
• Il Trovatore at Novaya Opera, Moscow and Birgitta Festival Tallinn;
• Le Nozze di Figaro and Giovanna D’arco at the Estonian National Opera;
• Don Giovanni, Survivor from Warsaw and Ullman’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis (semi-staging) at Teatro Massimo di Palermo;
• La Fille du Régiment at Teatro Massimo Bellini di Catania;
• co-director of Britten’s Turn of the Screw with Budapest Festival Orchestra in Budapest and Vicenza;
• Tosca on tour to Japan with Teatro dell’ Opera di Roma;
• Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni and Così Fan Tutte at Teatro del Giglio Showa, Tokyo;
• Il Campiello at Fujiwara Opera, Tokyo;
• I Capuleti e Montecchi with Simon Bolivar Orchestra, Caracas;
• co-director of Debussy’s Pélleas et Mélisande with Budapest Festival Orchestra in Spoleto and Vicenza;
• Cherubini’s Médée in memoriam of Maria Callas at the outdoor amphitheater Belogradchik Opera, Bulgaria.

BIOGRAPHY

Among the highlights of Marco Gandini’s career are Cavalleria Rusticana and La Vida Breve by De Falla in Livorno, for the opening of Teatro Goldoni, attended by President of Italian Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, La Traviata in Genova, revivals of historic productions of Aida and Bohème at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Un Ballo in Maschera as inauguration at theTeatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Betulia Liberata premiere staged version, conducted by Riccardo Muti at Pfingstfestspiele in Salzburg and at Ravenna Festival, Bohème at Rome Opera with conductor James Conlon,  Pia de’ Tolomei conducted by Hoshide, as first Japanese representation of this opera for the opening of new Teatro del Giglio in Tokyo, Simon Boccanegra at Korean National Opera in Seoul conducted by Myung-whun Chung, Viaggio a Reims new production for the opera season inauguration at Teatro del Maggio Fiorentino conducted by Rustioni, Bohème conducted by Myung-whun Chung in a new production as celebration for 50th anniversary of Korean National Opera in Seoul, then touring at NCPA in Beijing, Trovatore at Novaya Theatre in Moscow conducted by Jan Latham Koenig, Il Flauto Magico, in the rare Italian version dated 1794, and La Cambiale di Matrimonio at Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Il Farnace by Vivaldi in a premiere representation in contemporary epoch at Festival del Maggio in Florence conducted by Sardelli, Aida at Teatro Mucipal in São Paulo conducted by Neschling for season inauguration, Sonnambula conducted by Dante Mazzola at Teatro del Giglio in Tokyo, Medea in Tallinn new dramaturgy for original ballet, Evgenij Onegin conducted by Delacote and Tosca conducted by Caetani at Teatro Municipal in São Paulo, revival of Bohème at Teatro alla Scala in a special cooperation with El Sistema and Simon Bolivar Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Dudamel for 2015 Expo, Nozze di Figaro in Tokyo and Shanghai conducted by Tang in an exclusive project of coproduction between Japan and China never achieved before, La Voix Humaine and new ballet creation of La Strada conducted by Carlo Ponti at the National Opera in Tbilisi, nationally live broadcasted patronized by Italian Ambassador, Georgian Ministry of Culture and international actress Sofia Loren, Nozze di Figaro at National Opera in Tallinn, Cavalleria and Pagliacci at Grand Theatre Tianjin with conductor Tang, Bohème at Teatro Verdi in Trieste conductor Balsadonna and Birgitta Festival in Tallinn conductor Joost, Nozze di Figaro at National Opera in Tallinn conductor Joost, Don Giovanni Teatro del Giglio in Tokyo conductor Hoshide, Navarraise as Japan premiere and Pagliacci at Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo with NHK national broadcast conductor Shibata, Falstaff in Budapest and Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza conductor Ivan Fisher, Falstaff at Teatro del Giglio in Tokyo conductor Pazskowski, revived at Teatro della Maestranza en Seville conductor Hallfter being one Japanese production hired by European company, Gala Concert at Kremlin Theatre in Moscow for Obraztsova Foundation as artistic director and host of the show.

Gandini has been the producer for the documentary Steps for Life selected at 76°Venice Film Festival in 2019.

During Covid period Gandini has produced a series of 250 videos lectures as preparation for the opera I Capuleti e Montecchi for Music Foundation Simon Bolivar sponsored by Hilti Foundation, A Survivor from Moscow and Don Giovanni at Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni in Tokyo.

Marco Gandini is a resident senior professor at Showa University of Music in Tokyo-Japan from 2007, producing one opera each year with young artist singers and young orchestra players. Showa Academy opera productions gained first rank in Japan and has relations and exchange with Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Korean music universities.

Gandini has been teaching at Teatro alla Scala Academy for Singers in Milan-Italy from 2000-2018, being the teacher appointed for the wider span of time. He has been co-director for Opera Studio Ticino Musica at Lugano Conservatory of Music in Lugano-Switzerland 2015-2018 for singers and young orchestra players. Since 2019 he has been a teacher for the opera studio at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in Tallinn (Estonia) producing operas with singers and young orchestra players.

Gandini is actually a director for the Young Artist Program with El Sistema de Venezuela and Simón Bolivar Chorus and Orchestra in a seven-year project aimed at the formation of opera singers, chorus, orchestra players and conductors for opera. The program, sponsored by Hilti Foundation, is part of the Itinerant Conservatory Inocente Carreño, which gathers prominent musicians from all over the world teaching all instruments. The program produces one opera a year, next year is the fourth one to come.