Hailed as "an outstanding young conductor with brilliance,
natural authority and extraordinary abilities" (Ks. Brigitte
Fassbaender) Vito Cristofaro is much in demand as a conductor in opera
houses throughout Europe (i.a. Komische Oper Berlin, Konzerttheater Bern, Staatstheater Augsburg). Starting from the season 2014/15 he is 1st Kapellmeister and deputy GMD (General Music Director) at the Oldenburgisches Staatstheater in Oldenburg, where he allready conducted ballets, concerts and operas such as Falstaff, Le nozze di Figaro, La fille du Regiment, Manon Lescaut, Macbeth, Walküre, Rigoletto, La Cenerentola, La damnation de Faust, Lucia di Lammermoor. Born in Catanzaro (Italy) he was from 2010 to 2014 Kapellmeister at Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck, where he has led productions of Die verkaufte Braut, La Fanciulla del West, Idomeneo, Eine Nacht in Venedig, La Wally, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Les pecheurs de perles, La forza del destino and Don Pasquale. 2004-2009 he attended the University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Vienna where he studied conducting with Leopold Hager, Mark Stringer, Yuji Yuasa, Konrad Leitner and Erwin Ortner, graduating with top grades and conducting the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein. During his studies he attended Masterclasses with Seji Ozawa, Daniel Harding and Simon Rattle and worked as musical director and conductor for numerous opera productions of the University, including Der Wildschutz, Don Pasquale, Alcina, Le Nozze di Figaro and La Clemenza di Tito. Trained as both a pianist and violinist, after graduating with top grades from the Conservatorio F.Torrefranca in Vibo Valentia, he studied composition in Rome with Francesco Antonioni and conducting in Florence with M°Piero Bellugi. Vito Cristofaro's orchestral performance credits as a violinist include the Orchestra del Teatro Regio di Parma, Orchestra della Provincia di Catanzaro, Orchestra del Teatro Lirico Sperimentale di Spoleto, Pro Arte Orchestra Wien and Webern Orchestra Wien. As a pianist, he has participated in masterclasses with Annamaria Pennella, Bruno Canino, Orazio Maione and is a laureate of numerous piano and chamber-music competitions. In May 2012 he was invited to participate and was a third round finalist in the 16th International Malko Conducting Competition in Copenhagen with Lorin Maazel as President Juror. He has worked intensely as an assistant conductor in several festivals including Opernair Gars, Spoleto's 50th Festival dei due Mondi and OperKlosterneuburg, where he conducted Don Giovanni, La fille du regiment and Carmen. Further repertoire includes Alcina, Le Nozze di Figaro, La Clemenza di Tito, La Traviata, Rigoletto, Falstaff, Pagliacci and Cavalleria Rusticana. Vito Cristofaro has been a frequent guest conductor with Orchestra della Provincia di Catanzaro, Sinfonia Podkarpacka, Sinfonietta Baden. Furthermore he conducted the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, the Tiroler Ensemble fuer Neue Musik, the Varna State Opera Orchestra and the Augsburger Philharmoniker. |