Daniele Rustioni

Daniele Rustioni, 41, is one of the most compelling conductors of his generation and is a major presence at leading opera houses and symphony orchestras. In 2022, the International Opera Awards named him “Best Conductor.” His opera repertoire numbers over 70 works spanning over centuries and ranging from Italian to French, German to Russian, and more.

Now in his eighth season as Music Director of Opéra National de Lyon, Rustioni concludes his tenure in summer 2025. He was Principal Guest Conductor of the Bavarian State Opera till October 2023, a position created especially for him for the first time in the history of this iconic German House. He has led performances at the nearly all of the most important international opera houses and festivals, including Aix-en-Provence Festival, BBC Proms, Berlin State Opera, Dutch National Opera, Paris Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Salzburg Festival, Teatro Real, Zurich Opera House and the Teatro alla Scala. In Italy, his homeland, he has also conducted at Opera di Roma, Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Florence), Teatro La Fenice (Venice), Rossini Opera Festival and Teatro San Carlo (Naples).

In addition to opera and symphonic concerts, Rustioni and the Opéra National de Lyon give regular performances at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris as well as at the Aix-en-Provence Summer Festival. He opened the company’s 2024 – 2025 season with a critically acclaimed new production of Wozzeck staged by Richard Brunel. In July 2024 he received the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres of the French Republic for his cultural services as Music Director of the Opéra National de Lyon.

The Metropolitan Opera has been an important part of Rustioni’s artistic life since his debut in 2017 with Aida. In November 2024, he was appointed as the third Principal Guest Conductor of the legendary opera house in New York beginning with the 2025 – 2026 season, following the footsteps of his predecessors Valery Gergiev and Fabio Luisi. Most recently, he led the new production of Carmen at New Year’s Eve Gala followed by performances in January 2024. He has also led performances of Falstaff, Le Nozze di Figaro, and a new production of Rigoletto. He made his Carnegie Hall debut with the Met Orchestra in February 2023.

Highlights of the 2024 – 2025 season include debuts with the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Philharmonie de Luxembourg, New York Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony and San Diego Symphony. He returns to the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, among others. Rustioni’s guest conducting engagements in recent seasons have included the London Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, Hallé Orchestra, BBC Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestras, St Petersburg Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Staatsorchester Stuttgart, Gürzenich Orchester Köln, Netherlands Philharmonic at Concertgebouw, Belgian National Orchestra, Philharmonia Zürich, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (OBC), and the Filarmonica della Scala.

In spring 2024, Rustioni completed his tenure as Music Director of the Ulster Orchestra which he repositioned within the orchestral firmament in the UK. He was Music Director of the Orchestra della Toscana from 2014 – 2020 and served as Artistic Director until January 2023.

Rustioni has made regular appearances in Japan since his debut conducting Madama Butterfly at the Nikkikai Opera in 2014, including performances with the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra, the HPAC Symphony Orchestra, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the Osaka Philharmonic and the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.

Rustioni’s most recent recording was Aigul Akhmetshina’s debut album on Decca. His discography includes a variety repertoire for Deutsche Grammophon, Naxos, Opera Rara, and Sony Classical. In 2022, Naxos released the video of Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Golden Cockerel directed by Barrie Kosky at the Opéra National de Lyon.

Rustioni began his career in 1993 as a member of Teatro alla Scala’s children’s chorus. He continued his studies at the Milan Conservatory “G.Verdi”, Sienna’s Accademia Musicale Chigiana and London’s Royal Academy of Music. He resides in London with his wife violinist Francesca Dego and their daughter.