Jader Bignamini

Italian conductor and clarinetist

Jader Bignamini (born 1976 in Crema, Lombardy, Italy) is an Italian conductor and clarinetist.

Biography

As a child, Bignamini became interested in the clarinet. He formally studied music at the Conservatorio Nicolini Piacenza.^[1] He joined the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi (La Verdi) as a clarinetist. He further developed his interest in conducting whilst a member of La Verdi, and became an assistant conductor of La Verdi in 2010.^[2] He later became associate conductor of La Verdi. His professional debut as a conductor was at age 28.^[1] He now has the title of resident conductor with La Verdi.^[3] His conducting mentors have included Riccardo Chailly.

In North America, Bignamini first conducted at Santa Fe Opera in July 2015.^[4] His first conducting appearance at the Metropolitan Opera was in November 2017.^[5] In June 2018, Bignamini first guest-conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (BBC NOW), as an emergency substitute for Leonard Slatkin.^[2] He returned to Detroit in October 2019 for a further guest-conducting engagement with the orchestra. In January 2020, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra announced the appointment of Bignamini as its next music director, effective with the 2020-2021 season, with an initial contract of 6 seasons.^[1]^[6] This appointment marks his first music directorship. In December 2023, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra announced the extension of Bignamini's contract as music director through the 2030-2031 season.^[7]

Bignamini and his wife Lidia, herself a clarinetist, have two children.^[8] The family resides in Cremona.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Michael H. Hodges (20 January 2020). "DSO players greet new music director with riotous applause". The Detroit News. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
^ ^a ^b Brian McCollum (22 January 2020). "A new Detroit maestro: DSO names young Italian conductor Jader Bignamini as music director". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
^ Michael Cooper (28 January 2020). "The Detroit Symphony Needed a Fill-In. It Found a Music Director". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
^ James M. Keller (5 July 2015). "Opera review: A dark and stormy night at SFO's Rigoletto". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
^ Zachary Woolfe (3 November 2017). "Review: A Puccini Suite at the Met Strikes a Note of Desperation". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
^ "Jader Bignamini named Music Director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra" (Press release). Detroit Symphony Orchestra. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
^ "Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Jader Bignamini renew partnership through the 2030–31 season and announce plans to release first recording together, Wynton Marsalis's Blues Symphony" (Press release). Detroit Symphony Orchestra. 7 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
^ Brian McCollum (26 April 2020). "New DSO maestro on the power of music in this moment: 'Listen so it goes into the heart'". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 12 May 2020.