"Marco Parisotto steps onto the podium [Montreal Symphony Orchestra] and the enchantment commences...In Francesca da Rimini [Tchaikovsky] his formidable musical power radiated...What a performance! Better yet, this is the signature of an artist who stands among the greatest." (Le Devoir)

Born in Montreal, Marco Parisotto is one of Canada’s most acclaimed and visible conductors on the world stage today. Music Director since 1996, he has built the Ontario Philharmonic into an outstanding orchestra prized by its city/region and province. In the early millennium he was named Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. He is a frequent guest with orchestras around the globe.

Marco Parisotto has appeared in major concert halls throughout the world, winning critical and public praise with numerous orchestras as the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia of London, New Jersey Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic, Edmonton Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa, Toledo Symphony, Quebec Symphony, Symphony Nova Scotia, Victoria Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Osaka Philharmonic, Tokyo Symphony, Japan Shinsei Symphony, Opera G. Verdi di Trieste, Belgrade Philharmonic, Georges Enescu Philharmonic in Bucharest, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Opéra de Bordeaux, Opéra de Marseille, Orchestre National de Lille, Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Orchestre Lamoureux at Théâtre des Champs Élysées in Paris, Philharmonique de Liege, Janacek Philharmonic...
He was received with great enthusiasm at the Evian Festival with the Orchestra Nazionale della RAI of Torino; at the Menton Festival with the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic; at the Besançon International Festival and at Skaneateles Festival New York; at the Montreal Opera and Shanghai Opera; in Mexico with the Mexico City Philharmonic, Orquesta Filarmonica de la UNAM, Sinfonica Carlos Chavez, Camara de Bellas Artes and Orquesta del Estado de Chihuahua; in China with the Shanghai Symphony and  China National Symphony.
He has also led to great acclaim the Polish National Radio Symphony, Orquesta de Cordoba, Orchestre de Bayonne Cote-Basque and Orquesta de Baja California and the Serbian National Theatre.

Marco Parisotto is the winner of no fewer than seven major international competitions. He crowned these achievements in 1997 with the Besançon International Competition for Conductors, joining the ranks of conductors like Seiji Ozawa, Michel Plasson or Zdenek Macal. A first in this elite event's history, he was awarded the Grand Prix as well as the Prix du Public.  Other top prizes have included the Tokyo International in Japan, Constantin Silvestri Competition in Romania and the Antonio Pedrotti in Italy - he was moreover conferred with all other special awards at these events.

Marco Parisotto has been hailed by critics around the world for his interpretations of Russian masters (Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Stravinsky...), of the great Germanic repertoire (Strauss, Bruckner, Mahler, Wagner...) and of Italian opera. He gave the Shanghai premiere performances of Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben and Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances. Praised for his passionate performances in the operatic field he has led productions of Pagliacci, Cavalleria Rusticana, Otello, Tosca, Boheme, Aida,  Rigoletto and Don Giovanni, among others.

He took his training both as a violinist and pianist and studied conducting with eminent maestros as Leonard Bernstein, Carlo Maria Giulini, Leonard Slatkin, Charles Brück, Yuri Temirkanov, Georg Tintner and, initially, with Raffi Armenian. He has made numerous recordings for international radio and television broadcasts as well as for disc.

In a few words...

“Wilfrid-Pelletier Hall is full, Marco Parisotto steps onto the podium and the enchantment commences... What a musician! ...he made the Montreal Symphony Orchestra sound like a marvel.
...In Francesca da Rimini [Tchaikovsky] Marco Parisotto’s formidable musical power radiated, revealing the mastery of this score to the audience...rendered with a fearsome energy and evocative force which literally left one shaking. To hear him efficiently animate this sonic canvas with all its warm or harsh colours was electrifying... What a performance! Better yet, this is the signature of an artist who stands among the greatest.”
Montreal Symphony Orchestra (Canada) - Le Devoir

. “...Marco Parisotto is one of, if not ‘the’ great conductor of the generation under forty years of age... This young conductor belongs to the greatest. Not since the debuts of Chailly and Rattle have I been so impressed.”
National Arts Centre Orchestra (Canada) - Le Droit

“...[Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci]: extraordinary performance... real opera and deeply moving... Marco Parisotto drew undreamt-of refinement from the OSM... The best opera performance of the year.”
Opera de Montreal (Canada) - La Presse

“...Parisotto, an award-winning young globetrotter, restyled the RPO into a fine Classic-era ensemble - no small achievement. He summoned the requisite clean, buoyant, transparent sound - even some remarkable delicacy and... The RPO applauded Parisotto and kept their seats, allowing him to take the spotlight during his final bows.”
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (USA) - Democrat and Chronicle

“... a triumph for Marco Parisotto... A conductor of stellar qualities... The OFUNAM responded with virtuosity, massive sound and moments of delicacy and finesse... The hall was full and Parisotto along with his musicians received a fitting tribute to these superb interpretations.”
Orquesta Filarmonica de la UNAM (Mexico) - Novedades

“Marco Parisotto may get on the list to succeed Saraste [at the Toronto Symphony] ...Saturday night in Roy Thomson Hall, the Montreal-born conductor leapt into a high position on the list.”
Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Canada) - The Toronto Star

“…both soloists [Igor and Valeri Oistrakh] were greatly assisted by extremely supportive playing from the Philharmonia Orchestra under Marco Parisotto.”
Philharmonia Orchestra (London) - The Strad