Text und Photo by Birgit Popp

The Opera house at Frankfurt am Main will go with Paolo Carignani as the new General Music Director in the year 2000. . For the 38-year-old, in Milano (ITA) born conductor it will be his first position as GMD. Carignani had studied organ, piano, composition and conducting at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of his hometown. In the pat Carignani has conducted besides at several Italian opera houses and festivals among others at the State Operas at Vienna (GER) and Munich (GER), the Zürich Opera and at the Gran Teatro de Liceo at Barcelona (ESP). For his conducting of 'Le Nozze di Figaro' at the '91 Festival dei Due Mondi at Spoleto (ITA) he gained the prize of the critics 'Prince of Wales'. 1996 Paolo Carignani, who has started as organist, conducted the concert for the 50th anniversary of the Italian Republic at Rome.

His five-year-contract with the Frankfurt Opera as GMD will start on September 1, 1999 and last till August 31,.2004. Besides his work to enlarge the ensemble and to set up the seasons repertory Paolo Carignani will be responsible in each season for two to four new productions as musical director and conductor. Besides leading 35 opera performances each season, he will also conduct several concerts of the orchestra of the Frankfurt Opera. Paolo Carignani stand at Frankfurt in the tradition of conductors and General Music Directors as famous as Solti, Dohnányi Gielen and Cambreling.