German-Brazilian conductor and répétiteur André Callegaro is the new conductor in residence of the Royal Swedish Orchestra. As part of his assignment, André will collaborate closely with music director Alan Gilbert as well as all guest conductors, to ensure that each production is realized to its fullest potential. He will assist with the musical preparation, but also conduct numerous opera and ballet performances.
During the 2025/2026 season, André will conduct the ballet double bill Lifar/Forsythe, as well as several concerts with the Royal Swedish Orchestra, as a part of the orchestra’s 500 year jubilee in 2026.
Callegaro studied orchestral conducting at Musikhochschule ‘Franz Liszt’ Weimar. During his studies, he conducted orchestras including the Staatskapelle Weimar, Jenaer Philharmonie, North Czech Philharmonic Teplice and Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra. He studied with Mark Stringer at Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien and in masterclasses with Christian Thielemann, Peter Eötvös, Giancarlo Andretta and Jorma Panula. As Lied pianist he was rewarded with a special price for outstanding accompaniment at the International Brahms Lied Competition Pörtschach in 2015.
Callegaro was member of the International Opera Studio of Bayerische Staatsoper from 2016 to 2018 before he joined Mainfrankentheater Würzburg as Head of Music, where he conducted, among others, Hänsel und Gretel, Rigoletto and King Arthur. He became a vocal coach for the Opera Programme at Theaterakademie August Everding and Hochschule für Musik und Theater München in 2020. As assistant conductor and répétiteur he worked on Madama Butterfly at Oper Leipzig, an abridged Der fliegende Holländer for children at Bayreuther Festspiele and Fidelio at Landestheater Bregenz. In 2021/2022 he was assistant conductor and répétiteur at Bayerische Staatsoper on Il tabarro with Daniele Rustioni, at Theater an der Wien on La Wally with Andrés Orozco-Estrada and at Festspielhaus Baden-Baden on Pique Dame with Kirill Petrenko.
Callegaro made his conducting debut with The Royal Opera in 2023 with Handel’s Arminio, conducting the Orchestra of the Early Opera Company. His conducting debut at the main stage of Royal Opera House, Covent Garden was in the JPAP Summer Performance in July 2023. The following summer, he returned for another JPAP Summer Performance, conducting Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de perles. The following season, he conducted Offenbach’s Orphée aux enfers at Theater Aachen.
