Departures of note

Antonino Fogliani was an Italian orchestral conductor celebrated for his mastery of the Italian operatic repertoire, particularly the works of Gioachino Rossini and the bel canto tradition. He studied composition at the Conservatorio G.B. Martini in Bologna and graduated with honours in orchestral conducting from the Milan Conservatory, later refining his craft at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena under Gianluigi Gelmetti, Franco Donatoni and Ennio Morricone.

His international career took off with his 2001 debut at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, leading to engagements at leading houses including La Scala in Milan, the Rome Opera, La Fenice in Venice, the Teatro San Carlo in Naples and the Houston Grand Opera. He conducted a broad Verdi and Rossini repertoire and was music director of the Rossini in Wildbad festival in Germany from 2011, where he revived and recorded numerous rare bel canto works.

Fogliani also performed widely in the symphonic repertoire with orchestras across Europe, the Americas and Australia, and recorded for labels including Naxos, Dynamic, Arthaus Musik and Bongiovanni. He taught orchestral conducting at conservatories in Trieste and Palermo. He died on 29 August 2026.