Education
BM University of Western Ontario
MM McGill University
About
Francesco Milioto continues to establish himself as an incredibly gifted conductor whose interpretations are fueled by deep curiosity and executed with a philosophy of collaboration.
Maestro Milioto currently serves as Music Director of OPERA San Antonio, The Florentine Opera, and Holy City Arts and Lyric Opera in Charleston, SC. Mr. Milioto's most recent acclaimed performances, outside his home companies, include productions at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Kansas City Opera, and Ballet San Antonio. He is currently a member of the music staff at the world-renowned Lyric Opera of Chicago. He is also a newly appointed faculty member to the DePaul University School of Music, serving as Music Director of the DePaul Symphony Orchestra, beginning in fall of 2025.
He begins the 2025-26 season with two Mozart productions back to back at his home companies in San Antonio and Milwaukee. First in San Antonio to conduct Barry Kosky's innovative production of The Magic Flute, and then quickly to Milwaukee for the Florentine Opera's production of Don Giovanni. Mr. Milioto will then head to the Lyric Opera of Chicago as cover conductor for Carmina Burana, A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness, and Così fan tutte. Maestro Milioto will finish the season with two productions at the Florentine Opera, in continued collaboration with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, of The Tales of Hoffmann and Puccini's Tosca.
Maestro Milioto is an avid coach and a much sought-after master teacher. He looks forward to continuing his fundamental mentorship of the young artists in The Florentine Opera's Baumgartner Studio Artist Program, as well as those in the 210 Festival, a summer collaboration between OPERA San Antonio and Classical Music Institute. The immediate bond created between Mr. Milioto and the DePaul Symphony Orchestra last season led to this important appointment as Music Director of the DPSO. Maestro Milioto is excited to begin working with the talented and eager students who comprise this unique and diverse ensemble.
As a music director and guest conductor, Mr. Milioto has thrived in Chicago and beyond. Over his many years in Chicago, he claimed the title of Music Director to the New Millennium Orchestra, the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Highland Park Strings, Access Contemporary Music, and the Chicago Cultural Center Summer Opera. As a guest conductor, he has amassed several critically acclaimed productions with Chicago Opera Theater and has collaborated with many professional local orchestras. His work with the New Millennium Orchestra and Chicago Opera Theater was each named to the Chicago Sun-Times list of the "10 best performances of the year." Mr. Milioto is particularly proud of his work with the New Millennium Orchestra of Chicago, which he co-founded in 2005. The NMO had an incredible range of repertoire, playing everything from classical music and opera to collaborations with jazz and hip-hop artists. His highly acclaimed work over ten seasons with both the Highland Park Strings and Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra ranged from early music to contemporary works and often featured world-renowned soloists. As Artistic Director/Conductor of Access Contemporary Music, Mr. Milioto led the brilliantly vibrant ensemble Palomar, which has been featured on the radio and in performances throughout the city and abroad. He has also conducted successful productions with The Atlanta Opera, Kentucky Opera, Arizona Opera, and Tulsa Opera.
As an assistant/cover conductor, Mr. Milioto flourished under world-class mentorship. As a member of the music staff of the Lyric Opera of Chicago since 2013, he has had the pleasure of working on numerous incredible productions and concerts alongside notable conductors such as Sir Andrew Davis, Enrique Mazzola, Jakub Hrůša, Marco Armiliato, and Edward Gardner. He was also a member of the music staff at the Santa Fe Opera, the Bregenz Festival, the Canadian Opera Company, and the Dallas Opera. For over 10 years, Mr. Milioto worked at the Ravinia Festival as an assistant conductor, prompter, pianist, and vocal coach. He was involved in over a dozen operas and numerous concerts with notable artists such as James Conlon and Daniel Barenboim.
Mr. Milioto is a first-generation Italian-Canadian and was born in Toronto. He began playing the piano at age seven and continued his early musical education at the Royal Conservatory of Music. He has earned a Bachelor's Degree in Piano Performance from the University of Western Ontario and a double Master's Degree in Orchestral Conducting and Opera Repetition from McGill University.