Mario Venzago has served as Music Director of Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra since 2002.
He has held the positions of Principal Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, and also Music Director of the Basel Symphony Orchestra, the Basque Euskadi National Orchestra in Spain, the Graz Opera House, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie in Frankfurt/Bremen and the Heidelberg Opera. He was named Conductor Laureate of the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra in 2006.
A regular visitor to Europe's leading orchestras and opera houses, Mario Venzago's distinguished conducting career has included engagements with the Berlin PO, the Komische Oper, Leipzig Gewandhaus and MDR Leipzig, Munich PO and Munich Bavarian Radio, and the Dresden PO. He has also worked with the London Philharmonic, City of Birmingham SO, Northern Sinfonia, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Strasbourg PO, Tonhalle Orchestra, Zurich, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Vienna Symphony and with the NHK Symphony in Tokyo. He has also conducted, among other prestigious festivals, the Salzburg Festival and the Lucerne Festival.
In North America, Mr. Venzago has appeared with the Boston Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony, the New Jersey Symphony, the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Ottawa and the Baltimore Symphony, an orchestra with whom he has enjoyed a close relationship, returning regularly. He served as Artistic Director of the Baltimore Symphony's Summer Music Fest and returns to guest conduct in the 2008-2009 season.
Mario Venzago is known for his commitment to the repertoire of the mid 19th century - Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann are two composers for whom he has a special affinity - the Second Viennese school, and also to more contemporary scores including a very active approach to new commissions.
Maestro Venzago's varied discography has earned him several major awards, including the Diapason d'or, the Grand Prix du Disque on two occasions, and the Edison Prize. With the Basel Symphony he has recorded for Novalis the complete symphonic works of Schumann, Othmar Schoeck's opera Penthesiliea for Pan Classics and Venus (Musikszene Schweiz), and on the Col legno label symphonic works of Luigi Nono. His latest CD's include works by Sofia Gubaidulina recorded on the Bis label with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, which received a double 5 star rating from BBC Music Magazine , and released this summer on the Claves label with the MDR Leipzig Orchestra and chorus, a collection of Schoeck's choral works which received the Diapason d'or. Future recording projects with MDR and Gothenburg include choral/orchestral works of Schumann, the Anton Bruckner Symphonies and Swedish composers.
In the forthcoming season Maestro Venzago will appear as guest conductor with the Melbourne SO, São Paulo State Symphony, MDR Leipzig, Bremer PO, Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Finnish RSO, Orchestre Chambre de Lausanne, Basel SO and Basel Opera with whom he will conduct Schoeck's Penthesilea.
Mario Venzago is represented by Jessica Ford at Intermusica, jford@intermusica.co.uk
March 2008 / 454 words. Not to be altered without permission.
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