Nil Venditti Appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Northern Sinfonia

The young Italian-Turkish conductor will begin her time in the position from the opening of the 2024/25 season

The UK's Royal Northern Sinfonia recently announced that the Italian-Turkish conductor Nil Venditti will serve as its new Principal Guest Conductor, beginning in the 2024/25 season. Venditti first worked with the orchestra in November 2022 and was recently invited back for a May 2024 concert.

In recent seasons, Venditti has appeared with the Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Dresdner Philharmonie, Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, and the Irish National Opera — as well as Orchestra della Toscana, of which she was Principal Guest Conductor between June 2020 and May 2022.

Originally a cellist, Venditti studied conducting with Johannes Schlaefli at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste. She has also attended the Conducting Academy at Estonia's Pärnu Music Festival, where she studied with Paavo Järvi, Neeme Järvi, and Leonid Grin.

Venditti's next appearance with the Royal Northern Sinfonia will be in January 2025, for a program featuring New Year’s concert classics. She will also return in May 2025 for a concert of works by Rossini and Mozart, including Rossini’s beloved Stabat Mater.

"My first encounter with the Royal Northern Sinfonia in November 2022 was very positive; the musicians are fantastic, so open to experiment and quick to respond," Venditti said. "When I met them again in May, it was a blast, both on stage and with the audience. I felt we all connected at an amazingly deep level. I am very much looking forward to collaborating with them again soon."

"From the moment I saw Nil Venditti working with Royal Northern Sinfonia, I knew there was something incredibly special there," said James Thomas, General Manager of the Royal Northern Sinfonia. "Her passion for music is just simply infectious to anyone on and off the stage and I’m delighted Nil will join us as Principal Guest Conductor from September."

"Alongside Dinis Sousa, Principal Conductor, and Maria Włoszczowska, Artistic Partner, we have an exceptional trio of artistic leaders who will create a bright future for classical music in the North East."