August 12, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Maestro Colaneri succeeds legendary conductor Christofer Macatsoris, AVA’s Music Director for almost 50 years.
Philadelphia – August 12, 2026 – The Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Joseph Colaneri as its new Music Director. An accomplished conductor and educator with more than four decades of experience in opera, Colaneri joins AVA to lead the music development and help set the artistic tone of one of the nation’s premier opera training institutions.
As Music Director, Colaneri will oversee the musical preparation of AVA’s fully staged opera productions, coach and mentor Resident Artists, and collaborate with the faculty to ensure AVA continues its tradition of intensive, high-quality training for emerging opera soloists. He succeeds legendary conductor Christofer Macatsoris, who served as AVA’s Music Director for nearly 50 years. Colaneri begins a four-year contract with AVA on September 1st.
“I am delighted to announce on behalf of the Academy of Vocal Arts that Maestro Joseph
Colaneri has accepted the invitation to become our next Music Director,” said Scott Guzielek, AVA’s President and Artistic Director. “His expansive conducting career combined with his commitment to teach and foster the next generation of outstanding operatic artists made him an outstanding fit aligning with the mission of AVA. Our artistic partnership began with Maestro Colaneri’s AVA debut conducting Mascagni’s L’amico Fritz and I look forward to continuing our work together as we enter this exciting new era for the Academy of Vocal Arts.”
Speaking about his appointment, Colaneri remarked, “It is a distinct honor for me to join the esteemed Academy of Vocal Arts as Music Director. AVA’s unparalleled mission to develop the finest operatic singing artists in the world inspires me deeply and I look forward to collaborating with all the faculty and staff in advancing AVA’s distinguished legacy as a world leader of the storied and lively traditions of the operatic art.”
Colaneri brings extensive experience as both a conductor and educator. He was named Music Director of the acclaimed Glimmerglass Festival in 2013, where he led a diverse range of repertoire including Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen, Donizetti’s L’assedio di Calais, Bernstein’s Candide, and John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles along with classics La traviata, La bohème, and Il barbiere di Siviglia. In recent seasons, Maestro Colaneri made debuts at San Diego Opera with Verdi’s Aïda; at l’Opéra Royale de Versailles leading John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles; and at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires conducting Puccini’s La bohème.
He has been a frequent guest at the Metropolitan Opera since 1998, where he recently led Boïto’s Mefistofele; Bellini’s Norma; and the production of Puccini’s Tosca starring Karita Mattila, broadcast in HD to cinemas worldwide. In addition he has conducted performances of La bohème (company debut, 2000), Luisa Miller, Turandot with Andrea Gruber, and Rigoletto in the popular Metropolitan Opera Parks performances, L’italiana in Algeri with Olga Borodina, Nabucco featuring Maria Guleghina at Lincoln Center, Falstaff with Bryn Terfel in the title role, Il trittico, La fille du régiment with Natalie Dessay and Juan Diego Flórez, and Mary Zimmerman’s new production of Lucia di Lammermoor, also with Natalie Dessay in the title role.
Earlier in his career, he served as Music Director of the New York City Opera National Company among a host of other prestigious appointments. His conducting credits at New York City Opera include the world premiere of Hugo Weisgall’s Esther and the American premiere of Toshiro Mayuzumi’s Kinkakuji: The Temple of the Golden Pavilion. Colaneri has served as guest artist in residence at the Juilliard School, the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy, Rice University, and the San Francisco Opera Center. He is a graduate of New York University and Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, from which he received a Master of Music degree, and the 1994 Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Equally significant is Colaneri’s longstanding commitment to training young artists. He served for two decades as Artistic Director of the opera program at the Mannes School of Music, where he guided aspiring singers as they prepared for professional careers. Throughout his career, he has been recognized for combining high musical standards with a deep understanding of the educational process, skills that closely align with AVA’s mission.
Colaneri’s appointment continues AVA’s longstanding tradition of pairing exceptional Resident Artists with accomplished conductors, coaches, and educators who have worked at the highest levels of the industry. Through individualized instruction and extensive performance opportunities, AVA has launched the careers of generations of opera singers who now perform with leading companies around the world. Under Colaneri’s musical leadership, Resident Artists will continue to receive the rigorous training and artistic mentorship that have defined AVA since its founding. His leadership will also extend to the renowned AVA Opera Orchestra which plays an integral part in providing AVA’s Resident Artists opportunities to sing complete roles in each opera with a professional orchestra.
AVA’s Board Chairman Harold “Rick” Pitcairn II expressed his enthusiasm for the new Music Director. “We are thrilled to welcome Joseph Colaneri as AVA’s next Music Director — his artistry and vision make him exactly the right leader to carry this institution into its next era. At the same time, we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Christofer Macatsoris, whose 49 years of extraordinary service shaped generations of singers and built the foundation Joe now inherits. I’m deeply humbled to serve as Chairman at this pivotal moment in AVA’s history.”
Last year, long-time Music Director Christofer Macatsoris became AVA’s Music Director Emeritus. Since 1977, Macatsoris has been at the heart of AVA’s mission, molding generations of singers who have performed on premier opera stages around the world. His artistry, passion, and uncompromising standards have guided the institution’s Resident Artists through the rigorous training that has become the institution’s calling card.
Guzielek explained, “It is difficult to capture completely the immense impact of Maestro Macatsoris’s tenure as the artistic force of AVA. His unwavering musical standards and passion for extraordinary operatic vocalism are just a few of the reasons why AVA and our Resident Artists have achieved the highest levels of success in the global opera industry. As he passes the baton to Maestro Colaneri to build on his historic legacy, he does so with the greatest admiration and deepest thanks of the faculty, board, staff, and generations of Resident Artists.”
About Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA)
The mission of the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) is to be the world’s premier institution for training young artists to become international opera soloists. Through rigorous instruction and coaching, and by presentations ofResidentArtistsfrom around the world in concerts, oratorios, public programs, and fully staged professional opera productions, AVA trains artists with the high potential for career success while enriching lives in Philadelphia and beyond. Gifted singers come from throughout the world to seek the exceptional guidance andtraining that AVA offers. Admission is determined by competitive annual auditions. AVA is distinguished by its reputation for high-quality performances that are acclaimed by critics locally, nationally, and internationally. Each year AVA Resident Artists are presented in four or fivefullystagedoperaproductions accompanied by orchestra. Resident Artists are cast in leading roles that they will in all likelihood continue to perform for the rest of their careers. Learn more about AVA at avaopera.org.
More information about AVA, its programs, and the upcoming 2026-27 Opera Season performances can be found online at avaopera.org or by calling (215) 735-1685.
Contact:
Andrew Rohe Marketing & PR Manager
Academy of Vocal Arts
1920 Spruce St. Philadelphia, Pa. 19103 Phone: (215) 735-1685 Email: arohe@avaopera.org
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