Chief Conductor

The Italian conductor Lorenzo Passerini has been selected as the future chief conductor of Jyväskylä Sinfonia. Passerini's term will begin in autumn 2024 and last for three years, including six concerts per year. Passerini visited Jyväskylä Sinfonia last spring and made an indelible impression on the orchestra and the audience with his exciting concert program, uncompromising professionalism and charming attitude. Passerini himself was also impressed by Jyväskylä Sinfonia's inspiring way of working and strong team spirit.

- When I conducted this orchestra for the first time, I immediately felt something special, which resulted in a great concert. My job is to lead the orchestra with the enthusiasm that has always been my hallmark. My goal in Jyväskylä is to create a new musical fabric that can encompass all aspects of symphonic music. My task is also to listen to the needs of the orchestra members and the audience. My musical vision is based on the idea that sharing is the cornerstone of collaboration," says conductor Lorenzo Passerini of his future season in Jyväskylä.

A career that has taken the trombonist to the stars of the world

Lorenzo Passerini was born in Morbegno, Italy, in 1991 and graduated as a trombonist from the Como Conservatory in 2009. As a trombonist, he toured the world with numerous conductors, including John Axelrod, Andrey Boreyko, Fabio Luisi, and Riccardo Muti. In 2010, Passerini began his conducting studies under Ennio Nicotra and also studied with, among others, John Axelrod, Massimiliano Caldi, and Gilberto Serembe.

Passerini’s career as a conductor began in 2011, when he conducted the Orchestra Antonio Vivaldi, which he founded together with composer Piergiorgio Ratti. He has been the orchestra’s artistic and music director since its founding and leads more than ten symphonic productions with it each year.

Since 2015, Passerini has collaborated with Maestro Nicola Luisotti in opera productions at some of Europe’s most renowned theatres, including the Royal Opera House in London, the Teatro Real in Madrid, and Teatro alla Scala in Milan. He tours continuously around the world and has conducted operas such as Tosca, Aida, La Bohème, La Sonnambula, Rigoletto, Norma, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Il Barbiere di Siviglia in Europe, North and South America, Australia, and Canada. He also works regularly with leading singers such as Nadine Sierra, Pretty Yende, Sondra Radvanovsky, Matthew Polenzani, and Jonas Kaufmann.

This season, Passerini conducts Norma in Paris, Madama Butterfly in Frankfurt, Aida in Riga (with soloists including Marina Rebeka and Elīna Garanča), Carmen in Dresden, and Werther in Naples with Jonas Kaufmann. In July 2026, Passerini will make his debut at the Royal Opera House in London conducting La Bohème.