Born in Milan, Giampaolo Bisanti completed his musical studies at the "Giuseppe Verdi" Conservatory of his hometown, graduating with the highest honours. His international career was launched following successes in several prestigious competitions, most notably the Dimitri Mitropoulos International Competition in Athens. Today, he is a regular guest at the most storied opera houses in Italy, including Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Teatro Regio di Torino, La Fenice in Venice, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and Teatro Massimo in Palermo. His reputation extends across the globe, leading performances at major international institutions such as the Vienna State Opera, Opéra de Paris, the Royal Opera House in Stockholm, Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Semperoper Dresden, and the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, as well as renowned festivals like the Chorégies d'Orange and the Peralada Festival. A conductor of remarkable versatility, he commands the full breadth of the Italian operatic repertoire. His artistry moves seamlessly from the Bel Canto of Bellini and Donizetti through the profound works of Verdi to the masterpieces of Puccini and the Verismo school.
Following his tenure as Principal Conductor of the Fondazione Petruzzelli in Bari from 2016 to 2021, he was appointed Music Director of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège in January 2022. During the inaugural seasons of his mandate, he has led a diverse array of productions including Verdi’s Alzira, Falstaff, Messa da Requiem, and La Traviata, alongside Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann, Dvořák’s Rusalka, Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, and Gounod’s Faust. Recent seasons have seen a series of extraordinary milestones, including his debut at the Opéra de Paris with L’elisir d’amore, a new production of Lucia di Lammermoor at the Hamburg State Opera, and his American debut opening the 2023 season of the Seattle Opera. His relationship with Teatro alla Scala has been particularly prominent, where he has conducted five different titles over the last three seasons: Adriana Lecouvreur, Un ballo in maschera, Macbeth, Cavalleria rusticana, and Pagliacci.
Looking ahead to the upcoming season, his schedule includes significant engagements at the Vienna State Opera, where he will lead productions of Madama Butterfly, La traviata, Tosca, L’elisir d’amore, and Macbeth. Other highlights include La bohème and Tosca at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Adriana Lecouvreur in Toulouse, and highly anticipated debuts in Melbourne with La traviata and at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, with Rigoletto. He makes his Hungarian State Opera debut in the 2026/27 season with La traviata.
