Daniele Rustioni Appointed The Met Opera's Principal Guest Conductor

The Metropolitan Opera has appointed Daniele Rustioni to the position of Principal Guest Conductor for a three-year term, becoming only the third Principal Guest Conductor in Met Opera history, beginning with the 2025–26 season. In his new position, Rustioni will conduct a minimum of 2 operas per season. This morning, Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin made the announcement of Rustioni's appointment to the orchestra at the start of a rehearsal for Die Frau ohne Schatten.
 
Nézet-Séguin said: “I am delighted to invite Daniele to the conducting roster of the Met as Principal Guest Conductor. We have shared artistic values, which are first and foremost led by our deep love, commitment to, and respect for the music and the musicians. Having Daniele in this elevated role is good for the orchestra, good for the chorus, and good for opera.”
 
The highlights of Rustioni's Met career include his Met debut in Aida in 2017, leading new productions of Rigoletto and Carmen and revivals of Le Nozze di Figaro and Falstaff. He made his Carnegie Hall debut with the Met Orchestra in February 2023. In coming seasons Rustioni will conduct a new production of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, as well as revivals of Giordano's Andrea Chénier, Mozart's Don Giovanni, and Puccini's La Bohème.
 
Rustioni said, “I am honored to be appointed as the Met's Principal Guest Conductor and to work with Yannick, Peter [Gelb], and this legendary orchestra, chorus and company. Every time I have conducted here, I have been inspired by the incredible Met Orchestra and Chorus, and the artists on and off stage. To be following in the footsteps of so many of the greatest artists in history, including Italian artists like Arturo Toscanini, is a highlight of my artistic life. I'm looking forward to sharing our passion and love for opera with our audiences in the coming seasons.”
 
Rustioni has more than 70 operas in his repertoire, having conducted in every major international opera house including extensively throughout his home country of Italy, his new home in the UK where he was Music Director of the Ulster Orchestra, in Munich as the first-ever Principal Guest Conductor of the Bavarian State Opera, and in Lyon where he is Music Director of the Lyon Opera in France.
 
Maria Manetti Shrem General Manager Peter Gelb said, “I'm very pleased that Daniele has agreed to join us on a regular, ongoing basis. His presence will further bolster the Met's artistic excellence.”