Giovanni Antonini

Born in Milan, Giovanni Antonini studied at the Civica Scuola di Musica and at the Centre de Musique Ancienne in Geneva. He is a founder member of the Baroque ensemble Il Giardino Armonico, which he has led since 1989. With this ensemble, he has appeared as conductor and soloist on the recorder and Baroque transverse flute in Europe, the United States, in Canada, South America, Australia, Japan and Malaysia. He is Artistic Director of Wratislavia Cantans Festival in Poland, Principal Guest Conductor of the Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg and the Kammerorchester Basel and Artistic Director of the »Haydn2032« project, created to realise a vision to record and perform with Il Giardino Armonico and the Kammerorchester Basel the complete symphonies of Joseph Haydn by the 300th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

Giovanni Antonini has performed with many prestigious artists including Cecilia Bartoli, Kristian Bezuidenhout, Giuliano Carmignola, Isabelle Faust, Sol Gabetta, Sumi Jo, Viktoria Mullova, Katia and Marielle Labèque, Emmanuel Pahud and Giovanni Sollima. Renowned for his interpretation of the classical and baroque repertoire, Giovanni Antonini is also a regular guest with Berliner Philharmoniker, Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam, Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, Mozarteum Orchester, Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, London Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

His opera productions have included Mozart’s »Le nozze di Figaro« and Handel’s »Alcina« at Teatro alla Scala in Milano and Opernhaus Zurich, Handel’s »Giulio Cesare« and Bellini’s »Norma« with Cecilia Bartoli at Salzburg Festival.

With Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini has recorded numerous CDs of instrumental works by Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Biber and Matthew Locke as well as Vivaldi’s opera »Ottone in Villa«, amongst others. With Kammerorchester Basel he has recorded the complete Beethoven Symphonies and a disc of flute concertos with Emmanuel Pahud.

In April 2022, Giovanni Antonini will make his debut at the Vienna State Opera with Joseph Haydn’s oratorio »The Seasons« choreographed by Martin Schläpfer for the Vienna State Ballet.