Ottavio Dantone
Ottavio Dantone is one of the leading specialists in historically informed performance. After graduating in organ and harpsichord from the G. Verdi Conservatory in Milan, he quickly gained international recognition, winning prizes at the Paris International Competition (1985) and the Bruges International Competition (1986).
Since 1996, he has been Music Director of Accademia Bizantina, establishing the ensemble as one of the world’s most acclaimed period-instrument orchestras. Alongside his activity as a harpsichordist and chamber musician, he has developed a distinguished conducting career spanning Baroque, Classical, and Romantic repertoire.
Since his operatic conducting debut in 1999, Dantone has appeared at major venues including Teatro alla Scala, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Teatro Real Madrid, Opéra Royal de Versailles, Opernhaus Zürich and the BBC Proms. He records regularly for leading labels and, since 2024, has served as Music Director of the Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik.