Recently appointed Music Director of the Civic Orchestra of Victoria for the 2010-11 season, Giuseppe Pietraroia is also Music Director of Victoria Choral Society and Conductor-in-Residence for both Pacific Opera Victoria and the Victoria Symphony. As a guest conductor he has been engaged by Orchestra London, Hamilton Philharmonic, Okanagan Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, l’Orchestre Métropolitain, Lachine Music Festival in Montreal, l’Opéra de Montréal and Opera New Brunswick.
He served as assistant conductor for productions by Opera Lyra of Ottawa, and l’Opéra de Montréal as well as several Pacific Opera Victoria productions, including Un Ballo in Maschera, Tosca, Werther, Magic Flute and conducted their productions of Il Barbiere Di Siviglia, La Traviata, La Boheme, Lucia di Lammermoor, Norma, Rigoletto, Manon Lescaut, and Madama Butterfly. In addition he has conducted productions of Tosca and La Traviata for Opera New Brunswick.
With Victoria Choral Society Maestro Pietraroia has conducted performances of Messiah with the Victoria Symphony, Mozart’s Mass in C minor, a choreographed production of Orff’s Carmina Burana in collaboration with Ballet Victoria and Dvorak’s Stabat Mater.
In addition to several concerts with the Victoria Symphony, upcoming season highlights include a production of Rossini’s Cenerentola with Pacific Opera Victoria, David Fanshawe’s African Sanctus with Victoria Choral Society and a production of La Boheme with l’Opéra de Montréal. Maestro Pietraroia’s cd with soprano Marie-Josée Lord and l’Orchestre Métropolitain for the ATMA label is due to be released in November 2010.
Giuseppe Pietraroia is the recipient of the George and Jane Heffelfinger Pacific Opera Victoria Artist of the Year Award and the Canada Council’s Jean-Marie Beaudet Award in Orchestral Conducting.