Nicolò Umberto Foron

Nicolò Umberto Foron
Background information
Born
Nicolò Umberto Foron

1998 (age 27–28)
Genoa, Italy
GenresClassical
InstrumentsConductor, pianist, composer
Years active2016–present
LabelsDeutsche Grammophon, AVI

Nicolò Umberto Foron (born 1998) is a German-Italian conductor, pianist and composer. He won the Jeunesses Musicales International Conducting Competition in Bucharest in 2021 and the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition in 2023, the latter leading to his appointment as assistant conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra.[1][2][3]

Career

As a symphonic conductor, Foron has conducted orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin,[4] Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, SWR Symphonieorchester, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden,[5] and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.[6] He has collaborated with soloists including Carolin Widmann, Pablo Ferrández and Emanuel Ax.

Foron has performed throughout Europe, including touring with Viktoria Mullova in the spring of 2025[7] and with the Norwegian Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra in the summer of 2025.[8]

Alongside his symphonic work, Foron has also conducted opera. While based in Amsterdam, he conducted multiple world premieres of operas, such as Niet de klucht van de koe at the Grachtenfestival in 2018.[9] In July 2026 he conducted Igor Stravinsky's Pulcinella and Alfredo Casella's La favola di Orfeo in a staged production at the Festival della Valle d'Itria.[10]

In 2021, Foron recorded Jan-Peter de Graaf's Cello Concerto with the Noord Nederlands Orkest on the album The Forest in April, which was longlisted for the German Record Critics' Award in January 2022.[11] In 2024, he was named Artist in Residence by Deutschlandfunk, receiving the Förderpreis Deutschlandfunk and Bremer Musikfest-Preis. This residency produced a recording with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin of Hector Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique and Lili Boulanger's D'un soir triste, released by Deutsche Grammophon in August 2025 as a co-production with AVI Records and Deutschlandfunk. The recording was shortlisted for the Opus Klassik award [12] in the category Young Talent of the Year 2026. [13][14][15]

Through his role as assistant conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, he was the assistant of chief conductor Sir Antonio Pappano. In addition to conducting, Foron performs as a pianist, including collaborations with his sister, violinist Mira Marie Foron.[16]

Education

Foron grew up between Ospedaletti, Bielefeld and Stuttgart. He studied piano with Karl-Heinz Kämmerling and Anatol Ugorski, and began conducting studies at the age of ten with Jorma Panula.[17][18] At sixteen, he took part in masterclasses given by Bernard Haitink at the Lucerne Festival.

From 2014 to 2019, he studied conducting at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Ed Spanjaard, Lukas Vis, Jac van Steen, Antony Hermus, and Kenneth Montgomery.[19] He went on to study at the Royal College of Music from 2019 to 2021 with Peter Stark, Howard Williams, and Toby Purser, and at the Royal Academy of Music from 2021 to 2022 with Sian Edwards.[20]

He was a Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellow in 2022, studying with Andris Nelsons and Stefan Asbury,[21] and a fellow at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival in 2023, where he studied with Jaap van Zweden, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, and Johannes Schlaefli.[22]

Discography

References

  1. ↑ "Winners: Jeunesses Musicales International Conducting Competition — Nicolò Foron". The Violin Channel. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  2. ↑ "Nicolò Foron wins Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition 2023". The Violin Channel. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  3. ↑ "Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition". London Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  4. ↑ "Next Generation: Dirigent Nicolò Foron beim Musikfest Bremen". NDR Kultur. Norddeutscher Rundfunk. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  5. ↑ "3. Aufführungsabend". Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "Musica nova in Musiikkitalo 14.2. Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Nicolò Umberto Foron, conductor, Carolin Widmann, violin, Susanne Kujala, organ". Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  7. ↑ "Pannon Philharmonic's New Season in Müpa". Pannon Filharmonikusok. 31 March 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  8. ↑ Mischke, Joachim. "Arktisk Filharmonie Elbphilharmonie". Hamburger Abendblatt. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  9. ↑ "Niet de klucht van de koe". Theaterkrant. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "Pulcinella / La favola di Orfeo". Festival della Valle d'Itria. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  11. ↑ "Long List 1/2022- »The Forest in April«". Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  12. ↑ "Opus Klassik". opusklassik. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
  13. ↑ "Förderpreis Deutschlandfunk an Dirigent Foron". Musik Heute. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  14. ↑ "Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique / Boulanger: D'un soir triste". Deutsche Grammophon. 8 August 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  15. ↑ "Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique / Boulanger: D'un soir triste". AVI Music. 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "Es ist ein Wechselspiel". SALTO. 5 December 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  17. ↑ "Nicolò Foron – Sofia Philharmonic". Sofia Philharmonic. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  18. ↑ "Foron at Opéra National de Montpellier". Opéra-Orchestre National Montpellier. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  19. ↑ "Veelbelovende dirigent Nicolò Foron wint prijs van de Duitse radio". NPO Klassiek. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  20. ↑ "Alumni Spotlight: Nicolò Foron". Royal Academy of Music. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  21. ↑ "Tanglewood Music Center Fellows". Classical Scene. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  22. ↑ "Gstaad Conducting Academy". Gstaad Conducting Academy. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  23. ↑ "Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique / Boulanger: D'un soir triste". Deutsche Grammophon. 8 August 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  24. ↑ "De Graaff: The Forest in April". TRPTK. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
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