Valentina Peleggi

Valentina Peleggi
Born (1983-01-01) January 1, 1983[1]
Florence, Italy
EducationConservatorio Santa Cecilia
Accademia Musicale Chigiana
Royal Academy of Music
GenresClassical, Opera
OccupationConductor
Websitewww.valentinapeleggi.com

Valentina Peleggi (born 1983) is an Italian conductor. She is the Music Director of the Richmond Symphony in Virginia. She previously served as Resident Conductor of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the São Paulo Symphony Chorus, and was a Mackerras Fellow at the English National Opera.[2][3]

Early life and education

Peleggi was born in Florence, Italy. She has stated that singing Orff's Carmina Burana as a child in Florence helped form her interest in conducting.[2] She studied at the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia in Rome and the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena.[4] She later attended the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she was the first Italian woman to enter the conducting program.[4] She won the Festival International de Inverno Campos do Jordão conducting prize in 2014[5] and was awarded the DipRAM for her final concert at the Royal Academy.[4]

Career

Early career and fellowships

In 2015, Peleggi was awarded the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship, now the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship, a mentorship program for female conductors led by Marin Alsop.[4] She was later appointed Mackerras Fellow at the English National Opera in London and conducted productions including Carmen, La bohème, and Dido and Aeneas.[6]

São Paulo Symphony Orchestra

From 2017 to 2018, Peleggi served as the Resident Conductor of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra (OSESP) and from 2017 to 2019 was the Principal Conductor of the OSESP Chorus in Brazil.[7][2][8] During her tenure, she earned the São Paulo Critics’ Prize for Conductor of the Year.[6]

Richmond Symphony

In 2020, Peleggi was appointed Music Director of the Richmond Symphony in Richmond, Virginia, becoming the first female music director in the orchestra's history.[9][10] Her contract was renewed in 2023, extending her tenure through the 2027–2028 season.[11] Peleggi's programming with the Richmond Symphony includes standard repertoire, contemporary music, and commissions.[12]

Opera and guest conducting

Peleggi has guest conducted internationally, including with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.[2][6]

In March 2019, she conducted the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in a concert for International Women's Day featuring works by women composers.[13]

Her operatic work includes Italian repertoire, and she has expressed an affinity for works by Gioachino Rossini.[2][3] In May 2024, she made her U.S. opera debut at Seattle Opera, conducting The Barber of Seville.[3][14] Peleggi has conducted Rossini's Stabat Mater with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.[15][16]

Discography

Peleggi conducted Heitor Villa-Lobos: Choral Transcriptions, an album with the São Paulo Symphony Choir released by Naxos in 2021.[17][18]

Honors

References

  1. ↑ "Valentina Peleggi". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Ruggieri, Melissa (1 October 2019). "Q&A: Valentina Peleggi". Richmond Magazine. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 May, Thomas (30 April 2024). "Rising star conductor Valentina Peleggi makes U.S. opera debut in Seattle". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Valentina Peleggi". Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  5. 1 2 "Valentina Peleggi". Royal Academy of Music. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Valentina Peleggi". English National Opera. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  7. ↑ "Choir History". Osesp. São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  8. ↑ "Valentina Peleggi". Naxos. Naxos Records. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "The Richmond Symphony appoints Valentina Peleggi as music director". VPM. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  10. ↑ Harrison, Don (19 April 2021). "Can't Stop the Music". Richmond Magazine. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "Richmond Symphony Renews Valentina Peleggi's Contract through 2027-2028 Season". Musical America. 26 September 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  12. ↑ Rega, Konstantin (31 August 2022). "Heartfelt Music". Virginia Living. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  13. ↑ Evans, Rian (10 March 2019). "BBCNOW/Peleggi – defiant heroines shine for International Women's Day". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  14. ↑ Alexander, Gemma (7 May 2024). "Seattle Opera's 'Barber of Seville' is fun and fizzy". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  15. ↑ Holden, Simon (6 October 2025). "A tale of two Stabat Maters in Auckland". Bachtrack. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "TSO: A Night at the Italian Opera". ABC Listen. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 18 October 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "VILLA-LOBOS, H.: Choral Transcriptions (São Paulo Symphony Choir, Peleggi)". Naxos Records. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  18. ↑ "Villa-Lobos: Choral Transcriptions (São Paulo Symphony Choir)". Limelight. March 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  19. ↑ "Musical America Names Its Top 30 Professionals of 2023". Symphony. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 19 Aug 2026.
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