Michelle Di Russo
Argentinian-Italian conductor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michelle Di Russo (born 1990[1]) is an Argentinian-Italian conductor based in the United States. She has served as associate conductor of the North Carolina Symphony,[2][3] and associate conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.[4] She is music director-designate of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra.
Michelle Di Russo | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1990 (age 35–36) |
| Education | Arizona State University, University of Kentucky, Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina |
| Occupation | Conductor |
| Website | https://www.michelledirusso.com |
Early life and education
Di Russo was born in Argentina[5][6] to Italian parents.[7] She earned a degree in orchestral conducting and music production of audiovisual media from Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina.[6][2][8] She moved to the United States in 2015,[7] where she earned a Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Kentucky and a doctoral degree in orchestral conducting from Arizona State University.[9][5][8]
Career
In 2021, Di Russo joined the North Carolina Symphony as an assistant conductor,[2] and was promoted to associate conductor in 2022,[2] the latter appointment with a contract of two years.[10] She also served as interim director of orchestras at Cornell for the 2021-2022 academic year.[11][12] In 2024, Di Russo was appointed Associate Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.[13][4]
Di Russo co-founded Girls Who Conduct, an initiative that promotes gender equality in conducting.[14][15] In 2021, the Georgia Symphony Orchestra partnered with Girls Who Conduct to launch a fellowship for women conductors.[16][17] Di Russo was a recipient of a 2024 Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award.[18]
In November 2023, Di Russo first guest-conducted the Delaware Symphony Orchestra.[7][19][20][21] In March 2025, she returned for a second guest-conducting engagement as one of the four finalists for the post of the orchestra's music director.[22] In May 2025, the orchestra announced the appointment of Di Russo as its next music director, effective with the 2025-2026 season.[23] This appointment marks Di Russo's first leadership post. Di Russo is the first female conductor to be named music director of Delaware Symphony Orchestra.[24]
Awards
Di Russo is the recipient of several conducting fellowships:
- Freeman Conducting Fellowship in Chicago Sinfonietta's 2020-2021 Project Inclusion program[25]
- Conducting Fellowship for the 2021 Dallas Opera Hart Institute[25][26]
- Dudamel Fellowship for the 2023-2024 season with the Los Angeles Philharmonic[14][3]