THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2015
www.italoamericano.org
L'Italo-Americano
2
opened the 58
th
edition of the
renowned Spoleto Festival dei
Due Mondi with Mozart's Così
Fan Tutte. In Spoleto, he made
his first public appearance in
1970, leading a single opera per-
formance at age 21.
Maestro, you will be the
f i r s t A m e r i c a n t o h o l d t h e
position of principal conduc-
t o r o f t h e I t a l i a n N a t i o n a l
Symphonic Orchestra. What
did persuade you to accept the
offer? Have you ever been to
Turin before and, if so, how do
you like it?
I t i s n o s e c r e t t h a t I l o v e
Italy, inclusive of its music, cul-
t u r e a n d l a n g u a g e . S p o l e t o ,
w h e r e I c o n d u c t e d m y f i r s t
Opera performance, was also my
f i r s t s t e p o n E u r o p e a n s o i l .
Despite having been conduct-
ing in Italy as a guest for about
forty years, I have never held a
position there. When Cesare
Mazzonis, artistic director of the
Orchestra asked me if I would
be interested, it was not hard to
d e c i d e . I h a v e c o n d u c t e d
the Orchestra several times in
the past years, and the chemistry
b e t w e e n u s w a s i m m e d i a t e .
Turin is a beautiful city, elegant,
full of culture life and a century-
old tradition of classical music.
Is there a particular experi-
ence or performance that you
have liked the most in your
career?
I am fortunate to have spent
my life doing exactly what I set
out to do: conducting classical
music. I have balanced that life
between opera, symphonic and
choral music. I have balanced it
between being a music director
and guest conductor, between
Europe and the United States.
The experience, which is the
most striking to me is that a life
of classical music making is one
of passion, intellectual satisfac-
tion and spiritual renewal.
I n L o s A n g e l e s , b e s i d e s
working as music director of
the LAOpera, you have also
taught at the USC, UCLA and
more. What advice could you
give to young conductors and
students, who wish to become
a s s u c c e s s f u l a s y o u a t a n
international level?
My advice to any and all stu-
dents is to identify what road or
discipline inspires them with
passion, and to devote them-
selves to it fully. Their level of
competence will stand in direct
relationship to the hours they
put into their study. The most
important factor will be their
love for the music. In our world,
there are no career guarantees
but you will live with what you
love the most.
Continued from page 1
American Conductor James Conlon
