| Lorenzo Viotti | |
| Birth Date: | 15 March 1990 |
| Birth Place: | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Organizations: | |
| Parents: | Marcello Viotti, Marie-Laurence Geneviève Jacqueline Bret |
| Awards: | Cadaqués Orchestra International Conducting Competition |
Lorenzo Viotti (born 15 March 1990) is a Swiss conductor. He is currently chief conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Dutch National Opera.
Born in Lausanne the son of conductor Marcello Viotti,[1] Viotti studied piano, voice and percussion in Lyon. In Vienna, he attended the conducting class of Georg Mark, and played as a percussionist with several orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic. He continued conducting studies at the University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar with Nicolás Pasquet, completing his studies in 2015.[2] Growing up, he enjoyed playing funk and jazz music as a drummer, and played in his sister death metal band to have the "biggest possible musical vocabulary possible".[3]
In 2012, Viotti was recipient of the first prize at the Cadaqués Orchestra International Conducting Competition. He made his professional conducting debut with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in July 2014.[4] In 2015, he won the Nestlé and Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Awards. He won the conducting competition of the MDR Sinfonieorchester in 2016.[2] He was chosen "Newcomer of the Year" at the 2017 International Opera Awards.
In January 2017, Viotti first guest-conducted the Gulbenkian Orchestra, and returned in the same season for a second guest-conducting appearance. In October 2017, the Gulbenkian Orchestra announced the appointment of Viotti as its next music director, effective with the 2018–2019 season, with an initial contract of three seasons.[5] Viotti stood down as music director of the Gulbenkian Orchestra in 2021 and subsequently took the title of principal guest conductor with the orchestra.
In February 2018, Viotti first guest-conducted the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra (NedPhO). In April 2019, the NedPhO announced the appointment of Viotti as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2021–2022 season.[6] With this appointment, Viotti simultaneously became chief conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and of Dutch National Opera.[7] In April 2023, Dutch National Opera and the NedPhO, announced the scheduled conclusion of Viotti's tenure at all three posts at the close of the 2024–2025 season.[8] [9]
In August 2024, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra announced the appointment of Viotti as its next music director, effective with the 2026-2027 season, with an initial contract of three years.[4]