Fabio Mechetti

Music Director and Principal Conductor Emeritus of the Jacksonville Symphony, Brazilian-born conductor Fabio Mechetti is one of the most respected conductors in the United States. During his tenure, Maestro Mechetti took the Jacksonville Symphony to new artistic heights and led nine grand opera productions, continuing in 2010-2011 with a fully staged performance of Donizetti’s Elixir of Love.  Active on the international scene as well, Mr. Mechetti is the music director and principal conductor of the Mineas Gerais Philharmonic in Brazil and garners consistent praise from critics and colleagues for his artistry and knowledge of the repertoire.

Prior to coming to Jacksonville, he held the post of Music Director of the Spokane Symphony for 11 seasons, having become now its Music Director Laureate. He also led the Syracuse Symphony for ten seasons, beginning as associate conductor in 1989 and becoming music director in 1993. Winner of the 1989 Malko International Conducting Competition in Denmark, Mr. Mechetti served as resident conductor of the San Diego Symphony in 1986 and associate conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra from 1985 through 1989. During his years with the National Symphony, he led more than 75 concerts at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, also conducting performances on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol and at Wolf Trap Park for the Performing Arts. His children’s programs in Washington, D.C. won the National Endowment for the Arts Award for Best Educational Programming in the United States in 1985.

Fabio Mechetti holds Master’s degrees in conducting and composition from the Juilliard School of Music.