In addition, from the start of the 2010-11 season, he will be Principal Guest Conductor of the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland Pfalz in Ludwigshafen. In October 2008 he was named ‘Schumann Guest Conductor’ of the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker. Mario Venzago was also Principal Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra from 2004-2007 and until August 2009, was the Music Director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. In his final season, Venzago introduced the ISO to Wagner’s Das Rheingold:

“Indianapolis Opera’s first venture into Wagner, in cooperation with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, plunged head-first into an extraordinarily inventive production and solidly intense performance of Das Rheingold.

The Indianapolis Symphony covered itself with glory as it steadily built in power and richness with many a subtle nuance under the strong conducting of ISO music director Mario Venzago. This towering experience should be a major highlight in the history of Indianapolis Opera and the Indianapolis Symphony.” Opera News, May 2009

Mario Venzago has previously held posts as Music Director of the Basel Symphony Orchestra (1997-2003), the Basque National Orchestra in Spain (1998-2001), the Graz Opera House in Austria (1990-1995), and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie in Frankfurt/Bremen (1989-1992).

Mario Venzago's distinguished conducting career has included engagements with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the London Philharmonic, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, La Scala di Milano, the Boston and Philadelphia Orchestras. He has also conducted, among other prestigious festivals, at the Salzburg and Lucerne Festivals.

Maestro Venzago has recorded widely and his varied discography has earned him several major awards, including the Diapason d´or, two Grand Prix du Disque and the Edison Prize. With the Basel Symphony he has recorded the complete symphonic works of Schumann, Ravel and Nono, with the choir and orchestra of the MDR Leipzig the whole choral works by Othmar Schoeck, and with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra all orchestral works of Alban Berg.

He has collaborated with famous stage directors Ruth Berghaus, Peter Konwitschny and most recently Hans Neuenfels with whom he presented the 2007 production of Pentheseilea at the Basel Theatre to great acclaim from the international press.

Forthcoming engagements for Mr. Venzago include return visits to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Northern Sinfonia as well as the Netherland Philharmonic, Orchestre Chambre de Lausanne and Deutsches Radio Philharmonie. Mr. Venzago continues to maintain a high profile in Scandinavia and has established strong relationships with the Finnish Radio, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Norwegian Radio and Malmö Symphony Orchestras and with his old orchestra, the Goteborg Symphony Orchestra, where he returns each season.

Mr Venzago performs with many renowned artists of the world`s concert stage including Argerich, Bell, Freire, Josefowicz, Kremer, Lang Lang, Levin, Lupu, Maisky, Mutter, Nicolet, Ohlsson, Pletnev, Shaham, Steuerman, Tetzlaff, Vengerow, Zehetmair, K.Zimerman, F.P.Zimmermann and many of the world`s finest singers such as Araiza, Banse, Baltsa, Häfliger, Heppner, Kalisch, Naef, Moser, Popp and Ziesak.

Mr.Venzago also spends his time composing. He lives in Heidelberg with his wife Marianne and his son Gabriel.

Mario Venzago is represented by Jessica Ford at Intermusica, jford@intermusica.co.uk.

February 2010 / 500 words. Not to be altered without permission. Please destroy all previous biographical material.

Basel Symphony Orchestra / Mozart Le nozze di Figaro
“There was one further actor in this drama: the vivacious and witty orchestra under the baton of Mario Venzago. (...) Venzago shared the Director’s sense of the tragic undertones of the piece, and that is what made this production an unpretentious and realistic exploration of the hidden depths of the piece.”
Frankfurter Allgemeine, March 2010

“This was serious Mozart, with all its rhythmical risk-taking and unreserved emphases, played by Sinfonieorchester Basel under Mario Venzago. (...) Mario Venzago played a large part in the success of this production. His conducting once again proved the enormous value of his experience, gathered over many decades, in the tradition of the German Kapellmeister. Applying his great knowledge and musical intelligence, his admirable care and unpretentious confidence, Venzago clearly understood how Mozart ‘works’, guiding both the orchestra and the singers onstage.”
Der Sonntag, March 2010

“The musicians paid rapt attention to Mario Venzago’s every move, and produced a wonderfully light and lively Mozartian tone. (...) Conductor Mario Venzago, returning to the Basel theatre after his great success with Schoek’s ‘Penthesilia’, was decisive in his tempi, and avoided any sense of routine habit.”
Basel Zeitung, March 2010

Northern Sinfonia / Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Haydn & Brahms
“Sibelius's dense, dark Lemminkainen Suite also saw the Sinfonia punching above its weight, as Venzago conjured a combination of rich authority and fine articulation that belied the number of players on the platform “
The Guardian, September 2009

“As the seasonal opener, it was a harbinger of glorious things to come.”
The Journal, September 2009

London Philharmonic Orchestra / Debussy
“it was with Debussy that the London Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of guest conductor Mario Venzago, really shone… Venzago directing with an impressive balance of power and control.”
Musicomh.com, June 2009

Northern Sinfonia / Bartók, Mahler & Brahms
“Mario Venzago has been an occasional and always welcome guest conductor to the Northern Sinfonia for quite some years, his programmes always an interesting blend and his relationship with the orchestra clearly a happy one…

It takes a close rapport to make such a success of a piece like Bartók's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, the slow tranquil fugue of the opening unfolding and interweaving with great clarity and the later adagio a mysterious, ghostly sound-scape.”
Journal Live, May 2009

Indianapolis Opera / Wagner Das Rheingold
“Indianapolis Opera’s first venture into Wagner, in cooperation with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, plunged head-first into an extraordinarily inventive production and solidly intense performance of Das Rheingold.

The Indianapolis Symphony covered itself with glory as it steadily built in power and richness with many a subtle nuance under the strong conducting of ISO music director Mario Venzago. This towering experience should be a major highlight in the history of Indianapolis Opera and the Indianapolis Symphony.”
Opera News, May 2009

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra / Berg (Chandos)
“Thanks to the lucid conducting of Mario Venzago, the magnificent and fearless playing of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra… this set represents an outstanding addition to the catalogue, and a to some extent fresh approach to this intense, oppressive music.”
BBC Music Magazine, March 2009

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra / Beethoven & Korngold Violin Concerto with Zach De Pue
“everything that made the 19th century the "Eroica" century, musically speaking, came through fresh and surprising.

[Mario Venzago] revealed the work's light and shade by making contrasts of texture work hand in glove with dynamic levels. Without any forcing, the momentum was captivating - the way arcing phrases were rounded at the top or, in the last movement, how the orchestra emphasized what was new about each variation as soon as it was ushered in.

… the orchestra responded alertly to Venzago's unified conception of the work.”
Indystar.com, March 2009

“When Mario Venzago does something well, he does it very well - even exceedingly well. Last weekend our Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra music director brought a new standard of excellence to a Bee thoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E-flat, “Eroica”. … Rigidly and nimbly pacing it, our maestro compelled us inexorably through its four movements …”
Nuovo.net, March 2009

Musikkollegium Winterthur / Baker & Schumann
“Although it was some time ago now, the regular audience in Winterthur remember with great fondness the years when Mario Venzago was their house conductor. … with his scintillating character, he made every kind of music into an exciting experience for the listener. A brilliant career has since added to his maturity, knowledge and refinement … And yet he has lost none of his elemental musicality, his fire, his profound understanding of the essence of a piece. Quite the opposite: music is his world, and he shares it generously with his audience…

Schumann’s 4th Symphony was the crowning glory of the evening in every sense. It is such a well-known piece that I should not need to make any further comment – and yet Venzago’s interpretation deserved this particular acknowledgement: he succeeded in giving a performance that was highly original and unfamiliar, yet wholly convincing. The orchestra played with ease and secured a wonderful and thoroughly enjoyable encore for the piece.”
Der Landbote, 5 December 2008

“In Schumann’s 4th Symphony, Venzago proved himself a master of sharp, detailed depiction and articulation. The second movement came across more as a simple song than a melancholy romance. The conductor allowed the brass to shine in the Scherzo, and underlined the dance-like character with marked accentuation. The transition to the finale was beautifully shaped, striving ever onwards with incredible dynamics to the brilliant finale. Here was Schumann, not as a romantic, but as a dramatist with rough edges.”
Zürichsee-Zeitung, December 2008

“Venzago had conducted the orchestral sections of Schumann’s cello concerto with a sense of urgency, and was able to expound on this view of Schumann as an impulsive late-romantic more fully in his Symphony No.4 in D minor, Op.120. This was immediately apparent in the compact, bass-dominated tone Venzago mustered for the slow introduction, which spread into the rubato-filled sonata movement. Even the romance was thoughtful, and the violin solo performed by orchestra leader Ralph Orendain only added to its beauty. Venzago took the finale at a lively tempo, which brought to the fore its light, dance-like character. Applause filled the Stadthaussaal for this brief home-coming for Venzago, who had animated the musicians to such courageous playing.”
Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 5 December 2008

Malmö Symphony Orchestra / Britten, Ravel, Nielsen
“The Malmö Symphony Orchestra played on absolute top form under Mario Venzago's dynamic direction in a powerful programme which had both suffering and triumph.”
Sydsvenskan, April 2008

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra / Ravel, Messiaen, Bruckner
“Venzago spoke of a different Bruckner than the heavy late romantic… this was apparent in the peerless performance of the D minor Symphony “Die Nullte”. A reading which was distinguished by a singular sharpness of attack and the feeling that the energies really flowed through and between the orchestral sections. To be part of this was an extraordinary experience.
Everything was right, not only the playing in the Bruckner, but also in the interpretation of Ravel’s Rapsodie espagnole and Messiaen’s Oiseaux exotiques. Real music making demands a combination of concentration and unconditional freedom, and this state can only be created trough communication and a limitless ability to listen. When this really works the result can be fantastic, and that is exactly what happened here.”
Göteborgs-Posten, November 2007

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra / Beethoven Symphony No. 9
"Beethoven's mightiest symphonic opus also is a mighty challenge - a prime interpretive case study - for conductors … This was the most exciting, rewarding Ninth I've ever experienced in live performance.
Throughout the three instrumental movements, [Venzago] made audible for us all those beautiful wind/horn parts, along with the first movement and the Scherzo's inexorable energy: We were caught up in a whirlwind ..."
nuvo.net, October 2007

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra / Strauss Tod und Verklärung
"Venzago's interpretation of Strauss' symphonic tone poem "Death and Transfiguration" was extraordinary … Venzago coaxed expressiveness and orchestral coloring from every phrase in the Strauss, whether it was the faint rhythmic figure in the violas and timpani representing a fading heartbeat, the agitated low strings and furious brass depicting the anguish of illness, or the final, ethereal calm. The performance was definitely the highlight…"
Indy Star, September 2007

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Opening Night Gala/ Verdi, Weber and Tchaikovsky
"While his march sections were appropriately stately, Venzago's ballet music was breathlessly nimble, yet nicely controlled, every note in its place …  the Webern Invitation to the Dance, Op. 65, with Venzago using the Weingartner orchestration came across well-shaped and -inflected … But Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture solennelle, Op. 49 … That Venzago could employ the chorus so skillfully from the opening Russian hymn, sampling it through the following sonata structure to the thunderingly distended conclusion - and at the same time put shape and nuance throughout the orchestral parts, makes this piece deserve its warhorse status in spades.  You don't need cannons for this thing. You just need to hear it played well."
nuvo.net, September 2007

"… an orchestra in fine form, thanks to its ebullient music director, Mario Venzago …
Venzago and the orchestra make a highly effective team, a fact impressed upon a listener time and again throughout the evening."
Herald Times , September 2007

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Classical Series Final Program 2006
"At the end, they stood and applauded ... and applauded. The ample Friday Circle Theatre audience gave a ringing endorsement to the conclusion of Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra music director Mario Venzago's first four-year contract and his signing of a new one - as announced by ISO President Simon Crookall before the music started. They also applauded the end of a most enjoyable 21-concert season … but mostly, Venzago's exciting account of a final repertoire standard, Brahms' Symphony No.1 in C Minor, Op. 68, enraptured those in attendance."
Tom Aldridge, nuvo.net, June 2006

Malmö Symphony Orchestra / Strauss, Martinsson and Stenhammar with Christian Lindberg
"Mario Venzago's reading of Don Juan was something one didn't want to miss. He lifted the orchestra to incredible heights, the sound was wonderful and the glow and the colouring of the tragic story of Don Juan really unique… Mario Venzago showed another side in the reading of Wilhelm Stenhammar's Serenade in F. The orchestral treatment was of the same high class; but here the colours were more subdued and the intellectual analysis dominated. The result was a reading [that was] thorough in every bar, with all subtle nuances well taken care of; it was a pleasure to enjoy… The orchestra must have been satisfied too, they honoured Mario Venzago with a fanfare." (Lars-Erik Larsson)
Skånska Dabladet, February 2006

 "…[In] Richard Strauss' "Don Juan"… Mario Venzago commanded the riches with care, especially in the quiet moments."

"…Venzago's intense work with the chamber-music qualities [in Stenhammar's Serenade] undeniably led to something rare. The Malmö Symphony orchestra surprised in lightness."
(Matti Edén)
Sydsvenkan, February 2006

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra with Arnaldo Cohen / Bach, Strauss and Berg
"50 years ago Bach's music used to be delivered to audiences all beefed and prettied up rather than in the lean format preferred these days. Venzago and the orchestra made an awfully good case for the transcription in producing a sumptuous, pleasingly resonating sound that caressed the ears."

"Berg's expressive Pieces, although tradition-shattering when composed in 1915, have become relatively easy listening fare today. They were superbly played."
Herald-Times Reviewer, November 2005

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra with Per Enoksson /Schumann, Stravinsky and Schoeck
"When Mario Venzago approaches the romantic repetoire, as in the magnificent reading of Robert Schumann's third symphony, the very word 'romantic' is imbued with unexpected meanings."

"A sincerity of expression, a love of the melodic element, an ambitious feeling that makes time flexible and multidimensional."
Gothenburg Post, May 2005

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra / Gubaidulina, Schoenberg and Beethoven
"…the conductor Mario Venzago really showed his capabilities, both concerning technique and profundity."

"The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Choir with soloists under the leadership of Mario Venzago made Beethoven's ninth symphony really take off. There was a wonderful balance, nuance and precision."
Gothenburg Times, May 2005

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra / Scandanavia Tour
 "Musical vibrations that only exist in the concentrated moments of tension, a musical experience quite out of the ordinary"
Aftenposten, February 2005

"Venzago's assured command brought forward grand, but always controlled climaxes. Venzago is economical with effects, but when they appeared, the virtuoso sword blows landed with control and precision"
Politikken, February 2005

"[Venzago is ]…a man with an exceptional flair for details. Just take all his endings. Here one doesn't find short notes or long notes, but thousands of lengths in between. That's how a melody should be brought to its end!"
Berlingske, February 2005

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra with Joshua Bell
"Venzago could be relied on for intense, yet delicately placed, articulation."       
Indianapolis Star, April 2005

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra / Bizet, Shchedrin, Ravel, Manuel de Falla
"You can bank on something magical happening whenever Mario Venzago is a guest on the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's podium. He proved it again last night in a program tailor-made to such a masterful colorist.

Spain provided the concert's unifying theme, but the main work was Spanish twice removed - music by Frenchman George Bizet, mostly from his opera Carmen, as transmuted (or deconstructed) by Russian Rodion Shchedrin into a ballet score for strings and percussion.

Venzago didn't miss a single shade of the brilliant tonal palette. But he went far beneath the surface to produce a palpable drama, full of searing emotions, undercurrents, institutions. The result was more gripping than a lot of performances I've sat through of the original operatic Carmen.

Concern for dynamic gradations, especially all the pianissimos and the final fadeout, paid off terrifically. So did Venzago's way of building toward a lyrical climax, notably in the Adagio.

The BSO strings poured on the warmth, while timpanist Dennis Kain and percussionists Christopher Williams, John Locke, Brian Prechtl and Karen Haringa handled their duties with considerable sensitivity.

Manuel de Falla's Night in the Gardens of Spain, a sort-of piano concerto overflowing with atmosphere and sensuality, benefited from Eduardus Halim's lithe keyboard work, Venzago's attentiveness and the ensemble's smart response. The performance shimmered.

Venzago relished the prism of orchestral sounds in Alborada del gradioso by Maurice Ravel who like Bizet, had an uncanny knack for writing music authentically Spanish in temperament. The work's beguiling and downright explosive characteristics emerged fully."
Sun Music, 2 October 2004

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