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Photo courtesy of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
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Photo courtesy of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
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Photo courtesy of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
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Photo courtesy of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
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Photo Courtesy of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
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Photo Courtesy of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
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Photo Courtesy of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra

“Conductor Jader Bignamini drew energetic and virtuosic playing from the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra while being attentive to the needs of the singers. With brisk tempi in the lighthearted scenes and slower but idiomatic music making in the tragic last act, he presented a glorious rendition of Puccini’s immortal score.”

Broadway World

“Conductor Jader Bignamini was the evening’s real discovery. A former assistant to Riccardo Chailly at La Scala, Bignamini brought intensity and noble phrasing to the operatic excerpts while anticipating and dovetailing the singers’ every breath and turn of phrase. Under his baton, Orchestra Miami sounded twice its size with dynamic playing from all sections. The program’s orchestral interludes were not mere fillers, as they often emerge in these type of concerts, but idiomatic vignettes played at white heat. … Bignamini is a major talent with a promising future.”

South Florida Classical Review

“Bignamini and the orchestra gave a deftly crafted, beautifully executed performance of Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio italien before closing the program by enveloping the audience in the enormous, thrilling, visceral sounds of Respighi’s vivid tone poem The Pines of Rome. Conductor and players moved from a sensitive, supportive performance of the Dvorak to compelling, poignant music-making and deft ensemble work in the Tchaikovsky, and a wonderfully evocative performance of Respighi. Bignamini led the players through a colorful, artfully shaped performance of Pines of Rome ….”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“Conductor Jader Bignamini was a fine technician, keeping rhythms crisp and the ensemble coordinated. He is one of those stiff-backed conductors who let their arms and face do all the work; the sensitivity and excitement with which the orchestra responded illustrated the communication and cooperation he elicited from the musicians. Indeed, there was a fine sense of rubato in many places that added a rhythmic expressivity ….”

San Diego Union Tribune

“Jader Bignamini, making his debut in the Met pit, conducts a sweeping and dramatic reading of the score.”

Huffington Post

Jader Bignamini is Music Director of the Detroit Symphony. Now in his sixth season, he has led the orchestra on a highly successful tour to Florida, championed commissions and premieres of new works, fostered audience growth in and around Detroit, and recorded acclaimed accounts of Wynton Marsalis’ Blues Symphony and Orff’s Carmina Burana. During his tenure, the orchestra has flourished both artistically and as an ambassador for the city of Detroit.

Since his debut in 2022, Bignamini maintains a close connection with Opéra national de Paris, where his engagements have included La forza del destino, Adriana Lecouvreur, Tosca and this season Il barbiere di Siviglia. His 2026-27 season also includes new productions of Lucrezia Borgia with Opéra national de Lyon and Il viaggio a Reims with Grand Théâtre de Genève. Elsewhere in Switzerland, he returns to Berner Symphonie-Orchester and Orchestra della Svizzera italiana. Bignamini concludes his season with performances of Strauss’ An Alpine Symphony in Detroit and Cagliari.

Whether Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in Lyon, Wynton Marsalis’ Herald, Holler and Hallelujah and Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben in Detroit or Verdi Messa da Requiem in Bergen, Bignamini is drawn to repertoire which expresses the human spirit and creates a sense of connection. In addition to Detroit, recent appearances include The Cleveland and Minnesota Orchestras; Atlanta, BBC, Dallas, Houston, Milwaukee, National and Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestras; Bergen and London Philharmonics, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria and HR-sinfonieorchester Frankfurt. Bignamini led extensive tours across Asia in 2024 and 2025 with the Asian Youth Orchestra.

Bignamini has a particular affinity for the works of Puccini, Verdi and the bel canto tradition, which has led him to the Metropolitan Opera, Opéra national de Paris, Wiener Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Dutch National Opera, Oper Frankfurt and Canadian Opera Company. Highlights of his extensive work in Italy include productions at Maggio Musicale Firenze, the Verdi Festival in Parma and Teatro Massimo di Palermo. He continues to appear regularly at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera, Teatro Filarmonico di Verona.

A native of Crema, Italy, Bignamini discovered the clarinet at the age of nine and began playing in the Banda di Ombriano, the local band in the village where he grew up. At 19, he was invited to conduct the same ensemble, an experience that sparked his interest in conducting alongside his career as a clarinetist. After studying at the Piacenza Conservatory, he joined Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi in 1998, selected by Riccardo Chailly as principal E-flat clarinet. Chailly appointed him Assistant Conductor in 2010, and Bignamini subsequently became Resident Conductor of laVerdi before embarking on an international career.

2026-2027