The young Italian conductor Mauro Mariani has studied cello (Lucerne) and is currently studying conducting with Nicolás Pasquet (Weimar). He is the Music Director of the Orchestre Universitaire de Strasbourg and has conducted orchestras such as the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Jenaer Philharmonie, Ensemble Ars Nova, Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina, Spanish Wind Ensemble and has participated in masterclasses with Sofia Gubaidulina, Riccardo Muti, Ton Koopman, Péter Eötvös and Heinrich Schiff among others. Mariani speaks fluent Italian, German, Spanish, French and English. Mariani attended the Aspen Conducting Academy in 2018 and returned in 2019 as a recipient of the James Conlon Prize.