Biography
About Maria Luisa Macellaro La Franca
A conductor, composer and pianist, driven by one conviction: to keep memory alive, pass on heritage, celebrate cultural legacy and encourage women to take their rightful place in conducting and leadership.
Acclaimed by international critics, Maria Luisa Macellaro La Franca is considered one of the most interesting conductors of the new generation. The recipient of numerous awards as a pianist, composer and conductor, she has spent several years travelling the world and bringing her music to its most prestigious theatres. She began studying piano, composition and conducting at the Vincenzo Bellini Conservatory in Palermo, where she graduated with the highest honours in 2000. She then continued her studies at the prestigious Hochschule der Künste in Zurich, where she also earned diplomas in jazz composition, chamber music and early music, again with the highest distinction. A prizewinner at numerous national and international competitions — Osimo Coppa Pianisti d’Italia (1996), IBLA Grand Prize (2000) and Elsy Mayer Stiftung (2003) — she began her career at a very young age, performing in many countries and prestigious venues: Teatro Politeama in Palermo, Opéra de Bordeaux, the theatre of the MAM Museum and the Italian Cultural Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Berlin Synagogue, the Hall of the Hochschule für Musik in Düsseldorf, Auditorium de Los Andes in Mendoza, the Hall of Banco Hipotecario in Luján, Argentina, Grosser Saal in Zurich, Teatro di Ligerz, Teatro Boccadoro in Lugano, Centro de Cultura Collado Villalba in Madrid, Grand Theater in Osaka, Japan, the Presidential Hall in Ankara, Palazzo Metternich in Vienna and Yamaha Concert Hall in Bangkok…
Maria Luisa is principal conductor of the Bordeaux Chamber Orchestra, Les Virtuoses de Bordeaux, and the Orchestre Symphonique Unisson in Talence. She is also a guest conductor at La Biennale di Venezia and a guest artist at Opéra de Bordeaux. She made her Vienna debut in May with her Divenire me recital and also performed at Yamaha Hall in Bangkok last March. Recently appointed artistic director of the new French international festival “Nuit au Palais Gallien”, organised by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region and the Festival du Nouvel An Bordelais, she continues to pursue an intense artistic career. The orchestras she has conducted include the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, Orchestra Sinfonica di Sanremo, Ankara State Orchestra, the Philharmonic Orchestras of Pitești and Craiova, and the Bulgarian Classic Symphony Orchestra, among others. For several years, Maria Luisa has composed for French television and the theatre. Her operas, for which she writes both the music and the librettos, have received numerous distinctions, including: • “Envie d’Agir” — Best Musical Creation (2009) • IDDAC Label — Best French Theatrical Work (2009) • World Culture Ambassador for Italy (2012), for her Cantata for the Death of Falcone and Borsellino • Gironde General Council Prize • I.H.R.O. Human Rights Ambassador (2013) • Ambassador for Women’s Rights in Music (2014) • Goodwill Ambassador for Peace, International Human Rights Commission IGO, for the opera Emes Symphonie Committed to promoting women composers, she has received numerous awards: Solunto Award (2018), Donna di Fiori Sanremo (2019), Costa Normanna Award (2020), Bianca di Navarra (2020) and Federico II Award (2022). Maria Luisa is also a lecturer. She works as a film consultant specialising in French Romanticism (Netflix — Milos Twilight) and appears regularly on French television, including programmes on M6. She is also the author of two books: • L’Italia del Père-Lachaise, a collective work • Le Livre blanc des droits des artistes, published with Cabinet Vidok Avocat in Paris, a law firm specialising in artists’ rights.
In performance
Kodály · Dances of Galánta
A glimpse of Maria Luisa on the podium with the Baskent Akademik Orkestra in Ankara.