Jonathan Brandani
JONATHAN BRANDANI is an Italian born conductor appreciated for his “fine regard for the score’s details … his clear, purposeful indications” and “his enthusiasm” (Seen and Heard International).
Recent engagements include L’elisir d’amore and Don Pasquale at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Düsseldorf, Germany), Haydn’s Il mondo della Luna at the Palau de les Arts (Valencia, Spain) as well as Aida and Il Trittico at the Daegu Opera House (South Korea). He is a regular guest of Minnesota Opera (Minneapolis/St. Paul, U.S.A), where he has conducted Tosca, La Bohème and Don Pasquale.
His interpretation of Puccini’s Il Trittico at the 15th Daegu International Opera Festival (Daegu, South Korea) was hailed with such enthusiasm that it earned him the Grand Prix, the highest recognition bestowed on an artist by the Festival.
Upcoming engagements include further performances of Don Pasquale at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Düsseldorf, Germany), Mercadante’s Il Bravo at Wexford Festival Opera (Ireland), Madame Butterfly and La Bohème at the Daegu Opera House (South Korea). In the United States he will be conducting Mayr’s Medea in Corinto in New York at the first edition of Teatro Nuovo, a new Bel Canto Festival which will present 19th-century opera for the first time in the U.S.A with period instruments. Moreover, he will return to Minnesota Opera to conduct Il cappello di paglia di Firenze by Rota.
Starting in 2019, Jonathan will also start his new role as Music Director of the Young Artists Academy of Daegu Opera House (South Korea). Jonathan is currently a member of the music staff of Minnesota Opera in the role of Associate Conductor. He has also been Associate Conductor of Des Moines Metro Opera, Assistant Conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra of Yale University and Music Director of the New Haven Chamber Orchestra. Since 2012 he is Music Director of LuccaOperaFestival (Italy), where he has been conducting several new productions including Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Così fan Tutte, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Don Pasquale and L’Elisir d’amore.
Jonathan started his musical career playing harpsichord and organ continuo with several renowned European Early Music ensembles like Concerto Köln, I Barocchisti and Coro della Radiotelevisione Svizzera, ArteMusica, Oltremontano, regularly performing at major international Festivals. He has been recording for Deutsche Grammophon, VIRGIN Classics, ORF, Radio4 Netherlands/AVRO, RSI, Bongiovanni. Jonathan is also founder, conductor and artistic director of the period instrument orchestra L’Eloquenza; he also received the bursary Theodor Körner Fonds 2010 of the Austrian Republic for his research in the field of baroque and classical music of composers from Tuscany.
Jonathan graduated in Orchestra Conducting with full marks and honours at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna and holds a Master of Music in Orchestra Conducting from Yale University. After graduating in Piano, Jonathan studied Composition, Harpsichord and Historically Informed Performance Practice at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna and Musicology at the University of Pavia (Italy). Mr. Brandani is also a laureate of the Merola Opera Program of San Francisco Opera.
More info at: www.jonathanbrandani.net
