Damian Iorio is a dynamic orchestra and opera conductor. He was born in London into a distinguished family of Italian and English musicians.

 

He has conducted many major European orchestras, including the BBC Symphony, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, National Orchestra of Belgium, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, St Petersburg Philharmonic and Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra. In America he has conducted the San Francisco and Detroit symphonies.

 

Most recently, he has conducted the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, National Orchestra of Belgium, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

 

Damian Iorio’s opera work has included Verdi's “Macbeth” at Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Smetana's “The Bartered Bride” at l’Opéra National de Paris where he returns in 2018 for “Boris Godunov”. Recent successful debuts with Helikon Opera in Moscow and Norrlands Opera in Sweden have led to a strong relationship with both companies. Next season he conducts Weill’s “City of Mahagony” for Norrlands Opera. He has conducted Central City Opera in Colorado in Britten’s Rape of Lucretia.

 

He appeared at Bonn Opera for a production of Puccini's “Turandot”, conducted Norwegian Opera several times and also many Italian opera houses which include Como, Teatro Regio di Torino, Brescia and Trento.  In St Petersburg he conducted Britten's “The Turn of the Screw” and, in Moscow, the Russian premiere of Michael Nyman’s “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat” which was nominated for Best Opera Production at the Golden Mask Festival. He recently returned to Moscow for the Helikon Opera production of Carmen.

 

In 2006 he received the Knight of the Order of Sant’Agata from the Republic of San Marino in recognition for his services to music.

 

He has a wide range of repertoire which centres on the late romantic and early 20th century then to the earlier classical period and forward to the contemporary. His interest in the creation of new music has led him to conduct several premieres, collaborating closely with composers such as Tan Dun, Huw Watkins, Silvia Colasanti and Michael Nyman.

 

He has been Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Murmansk in Russia.  He enjoys working with young musicians and is Music Director of The National Youth String Orchestra of Great Britain.  In June 2014 he became Music Director of the Milton Keynes City Orchestra in England.