Jonathan Brandani '14 MM to lead Minnesota Opera
YSM alumnus Jonathan Brandani ’14 MM will conduct the Minnesota Opera in upcoming performances of Puccini's Tosca; the opera opens its run on March 13 with additional performances on March 18 and 20. He is also slated to lead the orchestra in a run of La Boheme opening in May 2017.
Brandani has served as Assistant Conductor to the Minnesota Opera since fall 2015 after beginning his tenure with the ensemble as a vocal coach. In addition to his position at the Minnesota Opera, Brandani serves as Music Director of the Lucca Opera Festival (Lucca, Italy). Previously, he served as associate conductor of both the Des Moines Metro Opera in Iowa and the Yale Philharmonia from 2012–2014, where he worked as assistant and cover conductor for Shinik Hahm, James Conlon, Peter Oundjian, Krzysztof Penderecki, and Helmut Rilling.
Praised for his "fine regard for the score’s details ... his clear, purposeful indications" and "his enthusiasm" (Seen and Heard International), Brandani holds degrees in Orchestral and Opera Conducting from the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, where he studied with Mark Stringer Konrad Leitner and Erwin Ortner, and from Yale University, where he studied with Shinik Hahm. A passionate interpreter and scholar of early music, he also plays harpsichord and organ continuo and performs regularly with several renowned European early music ensembles.
