Gabriel Venzago

Chief Conductor: Bodenseephilharmonie Konstanz
General Music Director: Staatstheater Mainz and Chief Conductor of Philharmonisches Staatstheater Mainz

Gabriel Venzago holds the position of General Music Director at Staatstheater Mainz and Chief Conductor of Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Mainz since the 2025/26 season, combining imaginative programming with his distinctive creativity and broad musical perspective. In his new role he made a striking debut with the house premiere of Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt and went on to attract further attention with new productions of Chronoplan, Magic Flute and Falstaff. He is also firmly established as Chief Conductor of Bodensee Philharmonie Konstanz, where his commitment and dedication have contributed significantly to the orchestra’s artistic development and profile within the region.

In both opera and symphonic repertoire, Venzago is recognised for programmes that place the established canon in dialogue with new thematic perspectives. Equally at home at the opera and on the concert stage, he combines dramaturgical instinct with a keen sense of orchestral colour, bringing narrative clarity to programmes with a broad repertoire ranging from Mozart and Strauss to contemporary music.

In the 2026/27 season, Gabriel Venzago conducts new productions of Lohengrin, Ariadne auf Naxos and Don Giovanni at Staatstheater Mainz, while continuing his orchestral work with Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Mainz and Bodensee Philharmonie Konstanz through ambitious programmes and collaborations with distinguished soloists including Olli Mustonen and Frank Dupree.

Recent highlights include engagements with Münchner Philharmoniker, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, Meininger Hofkapelle, Bochumer Symphoniker, amongst many others.

Born in Heidelberg, Gabriel Venzago studied in Munich and Stuttgart and began his career in German opera houses, serving as Kapellmeister in Schwerin and later as First Kapellmeister at Salzburger Landestheater. There he developed a wide-ranging operatic repertoire before attracting wider attention through acclaimed productions and a much-celebrated debut on short notice at Bayerische Staatsoper in 2017.