Gerard Floriano
Conductor

Gerard Floriano, conductor

Emerging American conductor Gerard Floriano is equally accomplished in both the operatic and orchestral arenas.

As Artistic Director of Rochester Opera Factory, he led the rise of this ambitious company, conducting full-scale critically acclaimed performances of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci, Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, and Puccini's Suor Angelica.

As Co-Artistic Director of Mercury Opera Rochester, Dr. Floriano led Mascagni's L'Amico Fritz and Donizetti's Elixir of Love in the company’s inaugural season, and most recently Jerome Kern’s theatrical masterpiece Show Boat in June, Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors in December and Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail in October of the company’s 2006 - 2007 season.

Writing about L'Amico Fritz, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle's music critic John Pitcher wrote "Floriano proved to be nothing less than a virtuoso conductor… He led his fine orchestra with color, precision and a welcome degree of sweep... ushering in a New Age of Good Opera” in western New York.

In December of 2005, Dr. Floriano led the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in holiday concerts throughout the area and in March 2006 made his Carnegie Hall conducting debut with the Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra.

A regular guest conductor in Europe, Dr. Floriano has led performances in Krakow, Warsaw, Prague, Barcelona, Florence and Leipzig. He recently conducted the Orchestra di Vicenza and Venice Opera in a spectacular performance of Mozart's Requiem. Dr. Floriano is acclaimed as an innovative programmer and dedicated educational conductor. Under his leadership, the Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra has become a premiere training orchestra for the most talented young musicians in western NY.

Dr. Floriano is Director of Choral Activities at the SUNY Geneseo and Resident Conductor at the Brevard Summer Music Festival, where in the summer of 2007, he conducted a production of Bernstein’s Candide with the Janiec Opera Company. He is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music with Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in conducting.

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