Massimiliano Caldi

Biography

Massimiliano Caldi is an Italian conductor internationally recognized for his work in both symphonic and operatic repertoire, with a particular affinity for Italian opera and for fostering cultural exchange between Italy and Poland. Winner of the First Prize and Gold Medal at the Grzegorz Fitelberg International Conducting Competition in 1999, he has since conducted more than 1,000 concerts across Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.

Recent highlights of the 2024–25 season include his return to the Wrocław Opera House to conduct Die Zauberflöte, directed by Michał Znaniecki, and appearances at the Beethoven Easter Festival with I Virtuosi del Teatro alla Scala, followed by performances at Teatro alla Scala and in Belgrade. In 2024, he also led a new production of Pagliacci and Cavalleria Rusticana at the Opera i Filharmonia Podlaska in Białystok, presented for the first time together in a staged version using the original Bärenreiter editions.

Caldi has held several important artistic leadership posts, including Principal Conductor of the Milano Classica Chamber Orchestra, the Polish Baltic Philharmonic in Gdańsk, and the Carpathian Philharmonic in Rzeszów, as well as Music Director of the Silesian Chamber Orchestra. He regularly collaborates with major orchestras and opera houses such as Teatro alla Scala, Teatro La Fenice, Teatro Petruzzelli, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, Sinfonia Varsovia, and the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra.

Alongside standard operatic repertoire by Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, and Strauss, Caldi is widely respected for reviving neglected 19th-century Italian operas and for conducting contemporary opera premieres. His discography includes acclaimed recordings for Dynamic, Sony Classical, DUX, Tactus, and Rugginenti.

In 2021, he earned a doctorate with honors from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. An active pedagogue, he regularly leads conducting masterclasses at leading Italian conservatories.