Carlo Rizzari has been Antonio Pappano's musical assistant at the Orchestra of the National Academy of St Cecilia in Rome since 2006. At the invitation of Claudio Abbado, he conducted the Mozart Orchestra concert series in Bologna and Lucerne. He regularly conducts the Orchestra of the National Academy of St Cecilia in Rome in family concerts and collaborates as conductor with renowned soloists during the regular concert season.

Alongside symphonic music written by the geniuses Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, Verdi and Wagner, we have focused on some of the most precious operatic works. The conductors of this year's programmes were Živa Ploj Peršuh from Slovenia and Carlo Rizzari from Italy. Soprano Urška Breznik and tenor Aljaž Farasin from Slovenia joined us in inspiring duets from Puccini's Madama Butterfly.