Mario Venzago

Conducting is Mario Venzago's fulfilment in life – he wanted to do it from an early age. Imagination and a willingness to take risks characterise his very own style and have enabled him to give concerts, make recordings, conduct operas and, for several years now, increasingly perform his own compositions around the world. For eleven years, between 2010 and 2021, Venzago was chief conductor and artistic director of the Bern Symphony Orchestra. Previously, he was principal conductor and general music director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Euskadiko Orkestra (Basque National Orchestra), the Basel Symphony Orchestra, the Graz Opera and the Graz Philharmonic Orchestra, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Frankfurt (now Bremen), the Heidelberg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Musikkollegium Winterthur. Several of his recordings have won international awards, including the Grand Prix du Disque, the Diapason d’Or de l’Année and the Prix Edison. Most recently, Prospero released his recording of Schubert's reconstructed 7th Symphony with the Bern Symphony Orchestra in 2022, Chandos Records released a suite from Bernard Herrmann's »Wuthering Heights« with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and Pentatone/Naxos released Paganini's 1st Violin Concerto with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and 15-year-old Chloe Chua. In addition to his work as a conductor, Mario Venzago is increasingly devoting himself to his passion for composing. Mario Venzago is honorary conductor of the Heidelberg Philharmonic Orchestra.