Biography
Federico Folloni is an Italian conductor whose musical training and professional career bring together piano, composition, orchestral experience and a steadily developing specialisation in operatic repertoire. Born in Novellara, the hometown of tenor Franco Tagliavini, he began studying piano at the age of eight at the local music school. His curiosity about the musical language soon led him to explore other instruments, including the violin, viola, clarinet and percussion, giving him first-hand experience of a range of instruments and a broad understanding of the orchestral ensemble.
He continued his studies at the Arrigo Boito Conservatory in Parma, where he graduated in piano under M° G. Nuti and studied composition with M° G. Tosi. He subsequently specialised in orchestral conducting at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan, graduating under M° V. Parisi. Alongside his academic training, he developed extensive teaching experience. Since 2000, he has taught music theory and piano and led orchestral rehearsals, an activity that has accompanied his conducting career and his work with young musicians.
In the early 2010s, he began to focus increasingly on orchestral conducting. In 2012, he gained his first experience as an assistant in an operatic production at the Parma Conservatory, working on Le nozze di Figaro. That same year, he explored the symphonic repertoire in the United States, conducting the Bakersfield Orchestra at the Conducting California Institute under the guidance of M° J. Farrer.
The following year, he returned to the Parma Conservatory as assistant for a production of Rigoletto and made his guest-conducting debut with the M. Jora Philharmonic Orchestra of Bacău, conducting a programme of Verdi overtures and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. He also continued to pursue opportunities for advanced study and artistic exchange, attending the orchestral conducting masterclass at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana.
His career gradually expanded in scope. In 2014, following his work as assistant on a production of Rigoletto at the Teatro di Salsomaggiore, he was selected for the Bucharest Jeunesses Musicales International Conducting Competition. In 2015, he was selected for further international competitions, including the Besançon International Conducting Competition and the Lovro von Matačić Competition. These opportunities formed part of an intensive period of professional development and engagement with different conducting traditions and schools.
During the same period, he deepened his experience in both symphonic and operatic repertoire. He conducted the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris in the concluding concert of a conducting masterclass led by M° N. Thomson, performing works by Elgar, Dvořák and Britten, and explored the Baroque repertoire by conducting Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins in D minor. In Verona, he also attended the Opera Verona masterclass, conducting the final concert with excerpts from Il barbiere di Siviglia and Le nozze di Figaro.
In subsequent years, he continued his professional development through masterclasses with conductors including M° R. Numajiri and M° D. Gatti. He was selected for the Nino Rota Conducting Competition and the Mendelssohn Conducting Competition. His work has extended beyond the core symphonic repertoire to twentieth-century and contemporary music: in Brescia, he conducted the Dedalo Ensemble in the Ali del ’900 concert series, in a programme devoted to works by young composers. His participation in international conducting competitions continued with his selection for the Luigi Mancinelli International Conducting Competition in Orvieto.
From 2018 onwards, his work became increasingly focused on opera and collaboration with singers. That year, he was appointed Musical Director of the annual concert held in memory of tenor Franco Tagliavini, conducting the Filarmonica dell’Opera Italiana “Bruno Bartoletti” in a project organised in collaboration with soprano Raina Kabaivanska and students of her academy. The programme was devoted to vocal and operatic repertoire, featuring excerpts from Le nozze di Figaro, Norma, La traviata, La bohème and Tosca, alongside orchestral works by Verdi and Mascagni. In 2019, he returned to the podium of the same orchestra at the Teatro “F. Tagliavini”, conducting two cornerstones of the symphonic repertoire: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 and Mozart’s Symphony No. 40.
In the following years, his professional activity became increasingly connected with major Italian opera houses and festivals. In 2017, he worked as assistant to M° S. Rolli at the Festival Verdi in Parma and subsequently collaborated with him on the production of La traviata at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. In 2021, he began working as assistant to M° R. Abbado at the Festival Verdi on Un ballo in maschera, a collaboration that continued in 2022 with La forza del destino.
In 2023, following the years disrupted by the pandemic, he worked on the Festival Verdi production of Il trovatore, conducted by M° F. I. Ciampa, and made his opera conducting debut with La traviata. His extensive experience as an assistant, combined with his study of the repertoire and his work with singers and orchestras, thus found a first culmination in conducting an operatic production.
His collaboration with M° R. Abbado continued at the Festival Verdi in 2024 with Macbeth, followed by the New Year’s Concert featuring Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. That same year, he returned to working directly with young musicians and singers, conducting the Youth Orchestra of the Conservatory of Reggio Emilia in a concert dedicated to the memory of Franco Tagliavini. The programme included symphonic works such as Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony and Puccini’s Crisantemi, alongside arias from Puccini’s operas.
In 2025, he further developed his conducting activity and his engagement with the next generation of musicians, returning to the podium of the Youth Orchestra of the Conservatory of Reggio Emilia for a programme combining operatic arias with orchestral works, including overtures, Mahler’s Blumine and Debussy’s Petite Suite. At the Festival Verdi, he took part in the production of Otello, serving as Musical Stage Director and assisting M° Abbado, who conducted the production. This role reflects a key dimension of his professional experience: the close coordination of musical preparation, orchestra, singers and stage within the complex demands of operatic production.
In 2026, he returned to the Festival Verdi for the production of Alzira, working as assistant to M° J. Conlon and once again serving as Musical Stage Director. In the same year, he was selected for the Pehlivanian International Conducting Competition, continuing his engagement with the international conducting community and with different artistic traditions.
Maestro Federico Folloni’s career is characterised by a broad musical education and a gradual transition from academic study and advanced training to increasingly substantial professional experience. His selection for numerous international conducting competitions—including Bucharest Jeunesses Musicales, Besançon, Lovro von Matačić, Nino Rota, Mendelssohn and Luigi Mancinelli, followed by the Pehlivanian International Conducting Competition—forms an important part of this development, alongside his orchestral work, masterclasses and, above all, his experience within operatic productions.
Today, his work focuses particularly on opera and collaboration with orchestras and singers. His professional experience includes working with conductors such as M° Abbado, M° Conlon and M° Rolli, as well as engagements at the Festival Verdi and the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Alongside this work, he maintains a strong commitment to the development of young musicians, continuing to work with youth orchestras, instrumentalists and singers.
