Originally from Milan, Vittorio Parisi pursued his studies at the Conservatorio G. Verdi, focusing on piano, composition, and conducting under the guidance of Mario Gusella and Gianluigi Gelmetti. Additionally, he honed his skills in the Netherlands under the tutelage of the renowned Russian conductor Kirill Kondrashin.
After making his debut at Bari’s Teatro Petruzzelli in 1979, he went on to conduct numerous principal symphonic and chamber orchestras across Italy, as well as orchestras in various opera houses throughout the country. Notably, he led performances at the Rome Opera House, conducting eight new productions in just eleven years.
Vittorio Parisi’s conducting career has taken him across the globe, with performances in Germany, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Switzerland, Albania, Turkey, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Kazakhstan. He has recorded for numerous radio and television stations in these countries.
Parisi has conducted many first performances of the most important contemporary composers and also collaborated with Berio and Cage. His contributions include conducting the first modern-era performances of operas from past centuries, such as the American version of L’Ape Musicale by Da Ponte, the stage premiere of Sogno di un tramonto d’autunno by Malipiero, the first public performance of Maderna’s radio opera Don Perlimplin, and the first performance in over 70 years of Weill’s Marie Galante.
Frequently a guest of many important international festivals he has worked with famous soloists, singers, actors, and stage directors. He was the First Conductor of the Angelicum Orchestra, Milan (1984-88), Associate Conductor of the Philarmonic Orchestra of Milano Conservatorio (2000-2003), and Artistic Director and Conductor of I Solisti Aquilani (2003-2005). Since 1995 he has been Artistic Director and Conductor of the Dèdalo ensemble, Brescia.
Parisi has recorded both live and studio for labels such as Naxos, Dynamic, Bongiovanni, Stradivarius, and Nuova Era. His performance of Dvorak’s New World Symphony has been selected as 1st podcast ever of New Zealand Radio.
Starting from 1997, Vittorio Parisi has been teaching conducting at Milano Conservatorio, and since 2013, he has also been teaching at the Summer Opera Workshop in Orvieto, in addition to leading several masterclasses. Furthermore, he serves as President of the Jury or as a jury member for various International Conducting Competitions. Notably, he is the founder of the “Giancarlo Facchinetti-Città di Brescia” Conducting Competition, focusing on modern and contemporary music. A list of his students that are conducting worldwide would be too long.
