Biography | My Site

'Marcello's conducting of Wagner

Tristan Prelude and Liebestod[...] showed

a real understanding of a complex work

with beautifully managed phrasing

and balance'

Edward Smith, former Chief Executive of the CBSO

Marcello Palazzo is a versatile composer and conductor, praised by Julian Anderson as "one of the brightest young talents on the musical scene." He has been commissioned by institutions such as the Tête-À-Tête Opera Festival, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, Castalian Quartet, Sir Thomas Allen, Vienna Opera Festival, and twice by Britten Pears Arts. He has conducted across the UK and Europe, including in Hungary and Austria, at venues such as the Musikverein, The Sheldonian Theatre and the Glasshouse Centre in Newcastle.

Marcello’s works have been widely performed, with collaborations involving Sir Thomas Allen, EXAUDI, and the BBC Singers. He most recently worked with Lumas Winds, and will soon work with the Aestus Quartet. As a Britten Pears Young Artist (2022/23), Marcello's music has twice been premiered at the Aldeburgh Festival. His first opera, Mount Herzog, was commissioned by the Tête-À-Tête Opera Festival, and was the best-selling show of the 2024 season.

Marcello has been mentored by renowned composers such as Mark-Anthony Turnage, Julian Anderson, Bent Sørensen, Judith Weir, Colin Matthews, Brett Dean, Gary Carpenter, and Christian Mason.

As a conductor, Marcello has been lucky to hold important positions, leading ensembles such as the Durham University Symphony Orchestra and the prestigious Durham University Chamber Choir. At the University of Oxford, he was conductor of the Oxford University Philharmonia and founded the Oxford Young Soloists Ensemble, conducting the world premiere

of a previously lost work by Elisabeth Lutyens alongside Stravinsky's Dumbarton Oaks Concerto and Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3.

Marcello also has experience in opera, having assisted the Durham Opera Ensemble, founded the Durham University Concert Opera, and curating a 'Night at the Opera' with the Oxford University Philharmonia where he conducted key scenes from Puccini's La Boheme. He was assistant to Toby Purser and Alessandro Pagliazzi at the Vienna Opera Festival, on Mozart's Don Giovanni and Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel. Marcello also conducted both the UK and Danish premieres of Amir Tafreshipour's The Red Room.

A passionate teacher, Marcello has worked with young musicians on Rodolfus Choral Courses and served as Assistant Composer at the Sound and Music Summer School, helping students write and premiere their own compositions.

Marcello is an accomplished violinist, pianist, and singer, and was a lay clerk in Oxford. He graduated with First Class Honours from Durham and earned Distinction in his MPhil in Composition at Oxford. He is hugely grateful to the Countess of Munster Trust and the Mazzini-Garibaldi Foundation, who support his work.