Composer and conductor, Marcello Panni is always divided between both fields, which, in turn, complement one another. On July, in Spoleto, at the Festival di Due Mondi, Mr. Panni conducted his new oratorio, “Apokàlypsis”, for speakers, choir and orchestra, introduced by Monseñor Gianfranco Ravasi and warmly welcomed both by the public and the critics.

Considered as one of the most acclaimed interpreters of contemporary music (e.g. the world premiere of Matteo D’Amico’s “Patto di Sangue” within the framework of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino 2009), he is also highly appreciated in the traditional symphonic and operatic repertoire. Last season, Mr. Panni conducted the Festival de Ópera de La Coruña in “I puritani”, before conducting an excellent symphonic-vocal concert in Modena, as a tribute to Luciano Pavarotti, an artist Mr. Panni had always been linked to and had collaborated with in many occasions – particularly in two new productions by the Metropolitan, “Rigoletto” (1990) and “L’Elisir d’Amore” (1991), apart from other productions in some of the major opera theaters in Europe (Vienna, Paris, London, or Naples’s San Carlo).

In the late 70s, Marcello Panni was regularly invited to work as a conductor in the most important music institutions in Italy and in the major international opera theaters, such as Paris’s Opera, New York’s Metropolitan, Moscow’s Bolshoy Teatr, Vienna’s Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper, Covent Garden, or Barcelona’s Liceu.

Mr. Panni has conducted the world premiere of Morton Feldman’s “Neither” at Rome’s Opera (1976), Silvano Bussotti‘s “Cristallo di Rocca” at Milan’s Scala (1983), Philip Glass‘s “Civil Wars” at Rome’s Opera (1984), and, recently, Matteo D’Amico’s “Patto di Sangue” at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (2009).

Panni has composed several lyric operas: “Hanjo” at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (1994), ”Il Giudizio di Paride” at Bonn’s Opera (1996), or “The Banquet (Talking about love)”, with a libretto written by Kenneth Koch, at Brema’s opera (1998). In April 2005, he presented the opera “Garibaldi en Sicile” in two acts, in a concert version, at Naples’s Teatro San Carlo.

In 1994, Marcello Panni was appointed art director of Milan’s Orchestra dei Pomeriggi Musicali and, almost simultaneously, musical director of Bonn’s Opera. In September 1997, Mr. Panni took up his post as musical director of the Opera and Nice’s Philharmonic Orchestra. From 1999 to 2004, he was art director at the Accademia Filarmonica Romana. In autumn 2000, he left Nice’s Opera to take up the post of art consultant for Naples’s Teatro San Carlo, which he held for two seasons. In 2003 he was appointed Accademico di Santa Cecilia. From 2007 to 2009, Mr. Panni worked as art director at the Accademia Filarmonica Romana. Nowadays he is the main and art director of Lecce’s “Tito Schipa” Symphonic Orchestra.

His forays into the record business include “La Fille du Régiment” and “Semiramide” with Edita Gruberova under the record label Nightingale, and an album of arias and Verdian choirs with Fabio Armiliato under Real Sound.