Emmanuel Villaume is in his eighth season as Spoleto Festival USA's Music Directorfor Opera & Orchestra. During that time he has led numerous symphonic concertsand opera performances for Spoleto Festival USA, including a noted Mahlersymphonies cycle, the American premiиre of Henze's Der Prinz von Homburg, andacclaimed productions of Manon Lescaut, Der Fliegende Hollдnder, Lakme, Ariadneauf Naxos and Don Giovanni.
In the 2007-2008 season, Maestro Villaume's performances included Ariane etBarbe Bleue at the Teatro Regio di Torino, Meyerbeer's Il Crociato in Egitto for theopening of the 2007 season at La Fenice in Venice, La Bohйme for WashingtonNational Opera's 2007-08 season opening, Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera andThaпs at La Fenice. In 2008-2009 he will conduct Les Contes d'Hoffmann at theTeatro Real, Madrid, Manon at the Chicago Lyric (with Natalie Dessay), Tosca inBerlin and Carmen in Los Angeles.
He conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London and Vienna in concertperformances with Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon, the Orchestre National deBelgique with Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon at the Festival de Saint-Denis,the Slovak Philharmonic at the Bratislava Festival, the MьnchnerRundfunkorchester with Patrizia Ciofi, and the Orchestra Philharmonique deMarseille. He also appears with the North Carolina Symphony and the JuilliardSymphony, and returns to the Chicago and Montreal Symphony orchestras.During the 2005-06 season he returned to the Metropolitan Opera for Samson etDalila, starring Olga Borodina, to the Washington National Opera for L'Elisird'Amore, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari for Massenet's Cherubin, to the Los AngelesOpera for La Grande Duchesse de Gйrolstein, and appeared at the Aspen andGrant Park Music Festivals.Other recent engagements include his debut at theMetropolitan Opera for Madama Butterfly, his return to the Royal Opera House,Covent Garden for La Rondine with Angela Gheorghiu, and to the Los AngelesOpera for La Bohиme starring Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna.Born in Strasbourg in 1964, Emmanuel Villaume began his musical education at theStrasbourg Conservatory and continued his studies in Paris, where he receiveddegrees in literature, philosophy and musicology. He also studied dramatic artsand performed in theatrical productions. The author of noted musicological