©Photo: Nikolaj Lund

Gabriel Venzago

Conductor

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Chief Conductor and Artistic Director: Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz
General Music Director: Staatstheater Mainz and Chief Conductor of Philharmonisches Staatstheater Mainz (from 2025/26)

Gabriel Venzago is not only firmly established as Chief Conductor of the Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz but has taken the orchestra to a whole new level with his unrivalled commitment and dedication, both as a strong musical leader and as an advocate for the orchestra’s reputation within the region, founding the Junge Bodensee Philharmonie in 2023.

The 2024/25 season sees Venzago return to Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie Koblenz and lead orchestras such as Tiroler Sinfonieorchester and Orchester Theater Erfurt, amongst others. Recent highlights include engagements with Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Bochumer Symphoniker. Venzago also collaborated with Brandenburger Symphoniker, Darmstadt State Orchestra, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover and Württemberg Philharmonic Orchestra Reutlingen.

Until the end of season 2022/23 Gabriel Venzago held the position of First Kapellmeister at Salzburg Landestheater where he gathered vast experience in opera with new productions of Mozart’s Magic Flute, Bizet’s Carmen, experimental theatre productions and the world premiere of the opera Cinderella by the celebrated British composer Alma Deutscher. In 2021, he caused a stir when he jumped in at a new production of Idomeneo at the Bavarian State Opera and attracted great attention and media response with the musical direction of the opera Zaide. Eine Flucht, involving an integrative process with young refugees.

Gabriel Venzago first began his career as a répétiteur, conductor and assistant to general music director Florian Ziemen at the Theater für Niedersachsen Hildesheim, then moved to the Mecklenburg State Theatre Schwerin as Kapellmeister. Here he was responsible, amongst other things, for the new productions of Neues vom Tage by Paul Hindemith. In addition, he conducted symphonic concerts and took on various post-production conducting duties for all current productions.

The Heidelberg-born conductor studied at the University of Music and Theatre in Munich and at the State University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart. While still a student, he worked as a répétiteur and musical assistant at the Baden-Baden Easter Festival, received a scholarship from the Deutsche Bank Foundation Akademie Musiktheater heute and conducted his first opera performances at the Wilhelma Theatre in Stuttgart. Since 2017, he has been supported by the Dirigentenforum des Deutschen Musikrats in the programme ‘Maestros von morgen’.