The Metropolitan Opera Appoints New Principal Guest Conductor

Daniele Rustioni will assume the role as of the 2025/26 season for an initial three-year term

The Metropolitan Opera, in New York, has welcomed the Italian conductor Daniele Rustioni to its Principal Guest Conductor position for a three-year tenure from the 2025/26 concert season. 

To conduct a minimum of two operas each season, Rustioni will become the third appointment to this position in The Met’s century-long history. 

Rustioni made his Met debut leading Verdi’s Aida in 2017 and returned for new productions of Verdi’s Rigoletto, Bizet’s Carmen, and Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, among others. In 2023, he made his Carnegie Hall debut with the Met Orchestra. 

In the coming seasons, he will conduct a new production of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, plus revivals of Giordano’s Andrea Chénier, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and Puccini’s La Bohème.

With over 70 operas in his repertoire, Rustioni has conducted in every major international opera house, including throughout his native Italy, and in the UK, where he was music director of the Ulster Orchestra, 

Additionally, he was the first-ever principal guest conductor of the Bavarian State Opera, plus was music director of the Orchestra della Toscana from 2014–2020 and served as its Artistic Director until 2023. 

Currently, he is the music director of the Opéra National de Lyon — in July this year, his services in this role were recognized by the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres of the French Republic. 

“I am delighted to invite Daniele to the conducting roster of the Met as Principal Guest Conductor,” said the Met’s music director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin in the press release. “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.”

“I’m very pleased that Daniele has agreed to join us on a regular, ongoing basis,” added the Met’s General Manager Peter Gelb. “His presence will further bolster the Met’s artistic excellence.”

“I am honored to be appointed … and to work with Yannick, Peter, and this legendary orchestra, chorus, and company,” Rustioni expressed. “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.”