MANLIO BENZI, Conductor

Italian

He studied music and graduated at the Academy of Music "Boito" in Parma (Composition in 1989 with Maestro Togni and conducting in 1990 with Maestro Gatti). In 1991 he graduated with first class honours at the University of Arts in Parma and studied at the Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome. He assisted Maestro Carlo Felice Cillario.

In 1990 he founded the Chamber Orchestra "Erlebnis" (specialised in music of the 20th century and contemporary music). From this time on he was constantly invited to conduct different orchestras in Italy and abroad ( Teatro La Fenice of Venice, Orchestra Pomeriggi Musicali of Milan, Teatro Regio of Torino, Teatro Comunale of Bologna, Santa Cecilia of Rome, Haydn of Bolzano, Toscanini of Parma, Sinfonica of Sanremo, Sinfonica Abruzzese, Cantelli of Milan, Stabile of Como, Filarmonica Veneta, etc.).

In 1995 he made his debut at the Estonian National Opera in Tallinn with "Madama Butterfly". During the season 1996/97 he was “Permanent Guest Conductor” at the National Theatre Serbo of Novi Sad and he conducted many concerts and operas ("Cavalleria Rusticana", "Pagliacci", "Tosca", "Madama Butterfly", "Nabucco"). From 1997 till 1999 he was Associate Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra "G. Verdi" in Milan. He conducted different symphony concerts and recorded a CD with Rossini arias for “AGORA”. In 1998 he conducted “La serva padrona” at the Festival in Milan and a new production of Donizetti’s "Don Pasquale" at the Municipal Theatre in Como.

 In July 1999 and July 2000 he conducted Verdi’s " Traviata" in Villa Pallavicino in Busseto for the Fondazione A. Toscanini. In August 1999 he made his debut at the prestigious Festival of Valle d'Itria in Martina Franca with Bach’s “Matthäuspassion” and in 2001 he inaugurated with "La Regina di Saba" by Gounod (with live recording by DYNAMIC ). In 2002 he was on tour with Milva and the Symphony Orchestra “Haydn” of Trento and Bolzano, in Austria and at the Musikverein in Vienna. In 2003 he conducted new production “ L’ Italiana in Algeri” in Osimo, “ La Siberia” by Giordano (with live recording by DYNAMIC ) at the Festival della Valle d’ Itria, ” Il Principe Porcaro” by Rota at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice  and “ La Traviata” at the Estonian National Opera.  

Manlio Benzi is Artistic Director of the Festival “Notti Malatestiane” in Rimini since 2000. For this well known festival he conducted new productions of “Medea” by Benda (2000), “Ecuba” by Malipiero (2001), “Nina ossia la pazza per amore”  by Dalayrac (2002), “ La Pisanella” by Pizzetti (2003), “ The Tempest” by Sibelius (2004) and “ Sinfonia Fantastica e Lelio” by Berlioz (2005).

Since 2004 he conducted the following productions: “Mese Mariano” by Giordano and “ Il Signor Bruschino” by Rossini in Osimo, “ Polyeucte”  by Gounod (live recording by DYNAMIC) at the Festival della Valle d’Itria, “ Lucia di Lammermoor ” at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, “Don Carlo” at the Macerata Opera Festival, “Il Trovatore” in Rimini, inaugurated Teatro Guglielmi in Massa with “ La Traviata”, “Un ballo in Maschera” at the National Opera of Tbilisi in Georgia.

In 2005 he had his debut at the famous Teatro alla Scala in Milan in a concert with singers of the Accademia della Scala.

In 2007 he conducted “Andromeda” by Zingarelli in Teatro Litta in Milan and “I Puritani” by Bellini in the first performance at the Estonian National Opera. Future plans include a Gala concert in Teatro alla Scala in Milan, a new production of “Amica” by Mascagni and “Marcella” by Giordano at the Festival della Valle d’Itria, a new production of “Lucia di Lammermoor” with AsLiCo and a new production of “Tosca” in Liege. In September 2008 Manlio Benzi will give his debut with Verdi's "Macbeth" at the Semperoper Dresden.

Manlio Benzi is professor for Orchestra Conducting at the Rossini Academy of Music in Pesaro since December 1999 and author of chamber music, different music essays and responsible for many reviews for Ricordi in Milan and for the Istituto di Studi Verdiani in Parma.

DAVID LEVI, Conductor

American

Conductor David Levi, who was the Chorus Director of the Opera National de Paris (Bastille and Garnier) for five years, has chosen to dedicate himself fully to orchestral conducting. Since his debut as conductor in 1988, he has acquired a remarkable knowledge and mastery of a large repertory from Mozart to Shostakovitch by way of Verdi and Richard Strauss.

Together with the stage director Corina van Eijk, David Levi created in 1989 the Spanga Opera Festival in the The Netherlands. There he conducted Samson et Dalila, Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Ariadne auf Naxos, Falstaff, Aida, L 'Elisir d' Amore, Gianni Schicchi, II Tabarro and Suor Angelica.

Before joining the Opera de Paris in 1997, David Levi was engaged at the Cologne Opera House first as assistant to James Conlon, then as house conductor. He created Harry Kupfer's world-acclaimed production of Shostakovitch's “Die Nase” and conducted performances of “La Damnation de Faust”, directed by Harry Kupfer and with Beatrice Uria-Monzon and David Kuebler, “Elektra” with Gabriele Schnaut in the title role, “Otello”, “Hänsel und Gretel”, “Die Zauberflöte”, “Eugene Onegin” and “La Traviata” with Cristina Gallardo-Dumas making her role debut, a work which he also conducted in Bogota. He was responsible for bringing the musical “Sweeney Todd” to the Cologne Opera House's repertory.

David Levi has conducted in various German opera houses, such as those of Dortmund, Essen and Hildesheim, works of various composers which have brought him a wide richness of expression:  “I Pagliacci”, “Cavalleria rusticana”, “Don Carlo”, “Tosca”, “Die Lustige Witwe”, “Die Fledermaus” and “Le Nozze di Figaro”.

David Levi studied at Harvard University and at the Manhattan School of Music before being engaged as a coach and assistant at the Chautauqua Summer Institute, at the Texas Opera Theatre in Houston, at the Pennsylvania Opera Theatre in Philadelphia and at the Western Opera Theatre in San Francisco. David Levi has worked at the Metropolitan Opera of New York as assistant to James Levine, and as cover conductor to Nello Santi for “La Boheme” and to Edouardo Mueller for “I Puritani”.

During the 2002/2003 season David Levi conducted several concerts in Paris with the Orchestre de l'Opera de Massy in a program which included Debussy's “La Damoiselle Elue”. He recorded “Rigoletto” for a film by Corina van Eijk and also conducted her production of Mavra for Opera Spanga. At the Opera Graz he conducted “Turandot” and “Cabaret” and was musical director for the ballet “Orfeo” at the Festival in Montepulciano and also for a workshop of a new American opera entitled “Guest From the Future”. In January 2003 David Levi conducted a highly successful concert with the Orchestre National d’Ile de France and a choir of 1500 school children in a concert of Bernstein, Sondheim and Gershwin.  He also conducted a production of “Die Lustige Nibelungen” at the Opera of Montpellier and “Don Giovanni” at the Bard Summer Scape Festival in New York.

This season he will make several recordings with the Maitrise des Hauts-de-Seine, conduct new productions of “Sweeney Todd” at the operahouse in Graz, “Das Land des Lächelns” in Longjumeau, and the world premiere of “Guest From the Future” at the Bard Summer Scape Festival. Concerts include a symphonic concert with the Strasbourg Orchestra and Leonard Bernstein’s  “Mass”  with the Orchestre National d’Ile de France at the Cité de la Musique in Paris. In September 2005 David Levi had his debut at the Volksoper Wien with Rogers’ and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music”. He will return to the Volksoper in 2006/2007 for a Musical Gala, “Csardasfürstin” and “Die Zauberflöte”. In fall 2006 he will give his debut at the Komische Oper Berlin with Kalman’s “Csardasfürstin”. From fall 2007 on he will be member of the ensemble of the Volksoper Wien.