Valentina Peleggi
The Richmond Symphony Orchestra has named Valentina Peleggi as Music Director, making her the first woman to lead the orchestra since it was founded in 1957. The orchestra said Peleggi will start on July 1, and conduct eight weeks of concerts during the 2020/21 season. Peleggi succeeds Steven Smith, who stepped down at the end of the 2018-2019 season.
In 2019, Valentina Peleggi joined English National Opera for 2 seasons as a Mackerras Fellow. Peleggi studied with Gelmetti and Campanella in Rome and Siena, and later at the Royal Academy in London, winning the top prizes at each institution. She then became Resident Conductor of the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra under Marin Alsop and Principal Conductor of their professional chorus, also Guest Artistic Director of the Theatro Sao Pedro, responsible for Italian opera.
