Born near Venice

Studies languages and music : piano and trumpet. Studies at Lausanne (Switzerland)

Debut as director in Italy (Theater of Siracusa) with Samson et Dalila with his father Mario del Monaco

Assistant stage director at the Deutsche Oper Berlin

Assistant stage director of Günther Rennert, Wieland Wagner and Walter Felsenstein in Stuttgart

Receives the Viotti d’oro award as Italy’s best operatic stage director of the year

Personal assistant of the General Manager of the Wiener Staatsoper, Rudolf Gamsjäger

• 2015
  Receives the title of Chevalier (Knight) de la Légion d’Honneur, France
• 2013/2014/2015
  He is planning productions at Beijing, Leipzig, Paris, Florence, Naples, Palermo, Bilbao….
• 2009/2011
  Artistic Director of the Tenerife Festival
• 2008
  Receives the prestigious Lyric Award : stage director 2007 ,“Premios liricos Teatro Campoamor” (Oviedo, Spain) , for the production “Cavalleria Rusticana” of P. Mascagni and “I Pagliacci” of R. Leoncavallo at the”Teatro Real”, Madrid.
• 2007
  Receives the title of Honorific Professor of the University of Alcalà, Madrid, Spain
• 2001
  Receives the title of Citoyen d’Honneur de la Ville de Montpellier, France
  Receives the “Aigle de Cristal” de la Ville de Nice, France
• 1998
  Receives the prestigious Premio Illica for his archievements as Director and General Manager
• 1997/2001
  General Manager of the Opera House of Nice, France
• 1996
  Honored by the American Institute of Verdi Studies in occasion of his fifth production for the Metropolitan Opera New York
• 1995
  Receives the Orden Nacional o Cruzeiro do Sul from Brazil for having realized the Brazilian work Il Guarany in Bonn (1994 with Placido Domingo, the following recording produced by Sony)

  Receives the tittle of Honory Doctor of Cultural Arts from the Palm Beach Community College

  Receives the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres from the French Minister for Culture
  

• 1993
  Receives the title of Commendatore dell’Ordine al Merito della Republica Italiana
• 1992
  Nominated for the jury of the “Richard Tucker Music Foundation”, New York, with James Conlon and James Levine
• 1992/97
  General Manager of the Oper der Bundesstadt Bonn
• 1991
  Debut at the Metropolitan Opera with la Fanciulla del West – first of five productions
• 1987
  Receives the Bundesverdienstkreuz 1.Klasse from the President of the Federal Republic of Germany
  Receives the Cavaliere Ufficiale della Repubblica from the President of the Italian Republic for artistical merits
• 1986/88
  General Manager of the Macerata Festival (Italy)
• 1980/82
  General Manager of the Staatstheater Kassel (Germany)
• 1975
  General Manager of the festival of Montepulciano ( foundation of the festival together with Mario del Monaco)
• 1973/76
  Principal stage director in Ulm (15 productions, including Der Freischütz, Tosca, Les Contes d’Hoffmann)
• 1970/73
  Personal assistant of the General Manager of the Wiener Staatsoper, Rudolf Gamsjäger
• 1970
  Debut as director in Gelsenkirchen (Germany) with Untreue lohnt nicht (Haydn)