Mario Venzago (born 1948) is a
Swiss
Swiss most commonly refers to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Swiss may also refer to: Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss Café, an old café located ...
conductor.
Biography
Venzago began piano studies at age five. He studied at the conservatory and the university in
Zurich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
. He later studied conducting with
Hans Swarowsky in
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
.
His other positions have included music directorships with
Stadtorchester Winterthur (1978–1986), the Heidelberg Opera (1986–1989), the
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Frankfurt/Bremen (1989–1992),
Graz Opera (1991–1994),
Sinfonieorchester Basel (1997–2003), and the Basque National Orchestra (Orquesta de Euskadi; 1998–2001). From 2004 to 2007, he was Principal Conductor of the
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (GSO; ) is a Swedish symphony orchestra based in Gothenburg. The GSO is resident at the Gothenburg Concert Hall at Götaplatsen. The orchestra received the title of the National Orchestra of Sweden () in 1997.
Ba ...
. He became chief conductor of the
Bern Symphony Orchestra with the 2010–2011 season, and concluded his Bern tenure at the close of the 2020-2021 season.
Venzago made his American debut in 1988 at the
Hollywood Bowl while he was a conducting fellow at the
Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute studying with
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...
. He became music director of the
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) is a major American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The largest performing arts organization in Indiana, the orchestra was founded in 1930 and is based at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in downtown ...
in 2002. His initial contract in
Indianapolis
Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
was for four years. He renewed his contract in 2005, for one year, and with an "evergreen" agreement for automatic annual renewal, depending on mutual consent. On 30 July 2009, Simon Crookall, the CEO of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, announced that Venzago's contract would not be renewed and that all advertised appearances with the orchestra in 2009–2010 had been cancelled as a result of non-renewal.
Other work in the USA has included the artistic directorship from 2000 to 2003 of the Summer Music Fest of the
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore SO has its principal residence at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where it performs more than 130 concerts a year. In 2005, ...
.
Venzago and his wife Marianne have two sons, Mario and Gabriel.
References
External links
Official website of Mario VenzagoFreitag Artists agency page on Mario Venzago
{{DEFAULTSORT:Venzago, Mario
1948 births
Living people
Swiss male conductors (music)
University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna alumni
21st-century Swiss conductors (music)
21st-century Swiss male musicians