Wikipedista:Damiano Binetti

DAMIANO BINETTI was born in Italy and attended the Conservatorio Niccolo’ Piccini, in Bari, Italy, graduating with distinction. While at the Conservatorio, he studied voice under the distinguished Italian soprano, Anna Maria Balboni. Also in Italy he was educated in opera interpretation, taught by the world renowned conductor, Piero Bellugi. He attained a Masters Degree in conducting from the Akademie Muzickych a Umeni in Prague, Czech Republic. His instructors included Frantisek Vajnar, Radomil Eliska, Joseph Kuchynka and Jiri Belohlavek. Binetti received other notable education while in Prague, from Helmuth Rilling in a course specializing in the interpretation of the music of J.S. Bach.

In 1991, Damiano Binetti went from Italy to Prague to study at the prestigious Prague Academy. While studying at the Academy he auditioned and was awarded the tenor position with the Prague Madrigalists, a chamber group of the Czech Philarmonia. He first came to the attention of the critics and the public in 1994, when he was unanimously awarded the title of “musical leader” of the Prague Madrigalists. The following year he was appointed principal conductor of the Mozart Chamber Orchestra in Prague, a position he maintained until 2006. In 1996, Binetti was invited to conduct at the Tibor Varga Festival in Switzerland. This was the first of many occasions. In the same year he conducted at the Wallonie Festival in Belgium.

As artistic leader of the Prague Madrigalists, Damiano Binetti aimed to the raise the interpretative style of renaissance and baroque music in Prague. While he focuses mainly on chamber music, he is also known as a musician with a great passion for and a wide range of all musical styles. He conducts also symphonic music, opera, and above all, works with special emphasis on the italian belcanto tradition.

Since 2003, Binetti is the music director of the Slesian Opera Theatre in Opava, CZ. Under his direction, important projects were implemented such as the Mozart – Da Ponte Trilogy and the Bellini – Donizetti Cycle. In addition to the classic operatic repertoire, he brought many lesser known and previously neglected works to the foreground. These include exquisite pieces from the eighteenth century italian school as well as operas by Piccinni, Cherubini, Capotorti and most recently by Poulenc, Martinu, and Janacek. In 2005, he was awarded by the critics the prestigious “Thalie” prize for his production of Bellini’s “Norma” with the National Theater in Prague.

As principal conductor of the Mozart Chamber Orchestra in Prague, he performed a vast amount of Mozart repertoire such as the Requiem Mass in d-minor, “Le Nozze di Figaro”, “Don Giovanni” and a majority of the Mozart symphonic repertoire. Maestro Binetti conducted the chamber ensemble in many of the most prestigious concert halls in Prague, including the Dvorak Hall at Rudolfinum and the Smetana Hall at Obecni Dum.

Since 1998, Maestro Binetti has collaborated with the following orchestras: The Suk Orchestra, Hradec Kralove Philarmonic, Dvorak Symphony Orchestra, Marienbad Symphony Orchestra, Czech Radio Symphony, Orchestra da Camera di Venezia, Symphony Orchestra Prague, Slovak Filarmonic Orchestra in Kosice, Czech National Orchestra, and the Malta National Philarmonia.

He performed extensively throughout Europe and Asia, participating in many of the renowned music festivals such as Prague Spring, Landshut Musik Sommer, Settembre Musica in Italy, Festival C. Monteverdi in Cremona, Pomeriggi Musicali in Milan, Varazdin International Baroque Festival, Summer Festival in Dubrovnik, Art and Music Festival in Cividale del Friuli, Tibor Varga in Sion, Festival de Wallonie in Belgium, GOG in Geneva, Bruckner Festival in Linz, Music Festival in Nanning,China, and the Opera Festival in Seoul,Korea.

Operatic productions and symphonic engagements led him to conduct at the Teatro Monumental in Spain, Teatro Regio in Parma, Italy, Auditorium Rai in Rome, Piccolo Teatro in Milan, Teatro Eugenia Victoria in San Sebastian, Spain, the National Theatre in Malta, and the Polish Opera in Krakow.

He has numerous recordings of varying genres, ranging from operas to symphonies and from the baroque to the renaissance repertoire. He performed and recorded at various radio and television stations across Europe such as the Czech Radio Television, RAI – Italian television, Radio Bremen in Germany, Deutsch Bayerisch Radio in Munich, Belgium National Radio, Croatia Television and Radio France International.