He has taken up the position of conductor in residence at the Royal Swedish Opera, where he both conducts his own performances and serves as a link between Music Director Alan Gilbert, guest conductors, singers and orchestra.
The German-Brazilian conductor and répétiteur André Callegaro is the new conductor in residence of the Royal Swedish Orchestra. Born in Brazil and raised in Germany, he has worked across opera houses and orchestras throughout Europe – always with a particular focus on what happens in the meeting between singers, musicians and conductor.
Callegaro studied orchestral conducting at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in Weimar and continued his studies in Vienna. However, his path into the profession did not follow the traditional conducting route, but instead grew out of his work as a pianist and répétiteur in the opera world – an experience that has come to shape his approach to music-making.
– I’ve always been drawn to working with singers. The breath, the storytelling, how text and music connect – that’s where I really began to understand what music can be, says André.
After his studies, he worked at institutions including the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Theaterakademie August Everding in Munich, and several opera houses in Germany and Austria. As an assistant and répétiteur, he has been involved in productions at venues such as the Bayreuth Festival, Theater an der Wien and Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, and has also worked closely with conductors such as Antonio Pappano and Kirill Petrenko.
– Opera is something special. When everything comes together – stage, lighting, voices and orchestra – something happens that’s very hard to describe. It’s rare, but when it does happen, it’s magical.
He now takes up the position of conductor in residence at the Royal Swedish Opera, where he both conducts his own performances and serves as a link between Music Director Alan Gilbert, guest conductors, singers and orchestra.
– My role is to make everything come together. To be a bridge between different parts of the house – between rehearsals and performances, between different conductors, and between stage and pit.
During the season, André conducts Suite en blanc (one half of the double bill Lifar/Forsythe), concerts with the Royal Swedish Orchestra as part of the orchestra’s 500th anniversary, as well as performances of Swan Lake, Die Zauberflöte, Juliet & Romeo and Madama Butterfly.
– It’s an incredible range. From Mozart to Puccini and the world of ballet – it requires different ways of listening, and that’s exactly what makes the work so alive.
He describes the role of a conductor as a balance between structure and intuition:
– When you study a score, it’s almost like a recipe – you try to understand how everything fits together. But when you meet the musicians, it’s just as much about instinct and feeling. That’s where the music really comes to life.
For André, collaboration is essential. He often returns to the image of the opera house as a shared project:
– I often think of the opera house as a large ship. We all have different roles on board, but it only works if we move in the same direction. Contributing to that is something I really enjoy.
Moving to Stockholm was not an obvious step, but his encounter with the Royal Swedish Opera and the Royal Swedish Orchestra proved decisive.
– I immediately felt there was an openness and a willingness to work together. It felt like a place where I can develop – and at the same time contribute.
With his background in opera rehearsal work and his focus on listening and collaboration, he now aims to continue developing the work at the Royal Swedish Opera – both on stage and in the orchestra pit.
– You don’t need to understand everything to be moved. If the audience feels something, then we’ve done our job.
In the coming season, Andre Callegaro will conduct Tosca and Così fan tutte at the Royal Swedish Opera.
