John Fiore

Well-known among international opera houses, John Fiore is renowned for his knowledge of a broad operatic repertoire, his sensitive and supportive collaborations with singers and soloists, and for his deft technique and ability to communicate between the stage and pit. A gifted linguist with command and fluency in eight languages, he has been a guest of the leading companies throughout Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia, leading works which span styles, languages, and centuries. 

Recent highlights include Schreker’s Der ferne Klang at the Royal Swedish Opera, Giordano’s Fedora at the Deutsche Oper, Puccini’s Tosca at the Dresden Semperoper, and Verdi’s Aida at the Berliner Staatsoper. In summer 2026, Fiore returns to Santa Fe Opera to conduct Madama Butterfly.

Over his career, Fiore has forged relationships with some of Europe and North America’s great institutions. He was the first music director of the Norwegian Opera, chief conductor of the Deutsche Oper-am-Rhein, and general music director of the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker. At the Metropolitan Opera, Fiore has conducted more than 100 performances of a dozen works. He also holds longstanding relationships with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and San Francisco Opera.

In the symphonic realm, Fiore’s orchestral engagements have included the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Dresdner Staatskapelle, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and Basel Radio Symphony Orchestra, among many others.

Fiore was born in New York City to a musical family, and he received his earliest training at home from his father, a pianist and choral director, and mother, a singer. He later attended the Eastman School of Music, joined the staff at the Santa Fe Opera in 1981, and assisted such renowned conductors as Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, and Leonard Bernstein. In 1986, he made his solo conducting debut at the San Francisco Opera with Gounod’s Faust.