Dr. Antonio Desiderio

BIOGRAPHY

Antonio Desiderio was born in Rome on August 19, 1976.

He began studying piano and classical technique at the age of 11 with Maestro Giuseppe Annese from the Rome Opera House. He later completed his studies and refined his skills with Maestro Vinicio Colella from the National Academy of Dance and with Maestro Marianna Starc, from whom he learned dance accompaniment techniques. Following this, he began working as a piano accompanist at major professional dance centers such as A.I.D., I.A.L.S., C.E.D., Balletto di Roma, Artem, and worked with teachers like Robert Streiner, Luc Bouy, Gaetano Petrosino, Alfonso Paganini, Flaminia Buccellato, Luisa Signorelli, Bruce Michaelson, Alessandro Molin, Sabrina Cerrone, Stephan Fournard, Brunella Vidau, Tuccio Rigano, Ivana Gattei, and Denys Ganio.

To further his studies, he obtained certificates in Academic Techniques from the National Academy of Dance in Rome, Music in Relation to Dance, and History and Styles of Dance from the Royal Academy of Dance. Simultaneously with his work as a pianist, he enrolled at the University of Tor Vergata in Rome, where he obtained a certificate in Legal Informatics and subsequently, in 2004, a law degree with an experimental thesis on the public profiles of opera house reform.

From 2005 to 2011, he was the personal manager of international bass-baritone Roberto Scandiuzzi.

In 2006, he completed a Master’s degree in Artistic and Musical Management at CEIDA in Rome with top honors and received certification from Trinity College London in English and Business English. Since 2004, he has been working in international artistic representation for the dance and opera sectors for Italian opera houses (Teatro La Scala, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova, Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Teatro Municipale di Piacenza, Teatro San Carlo di Napoli, Teatro Verdi di Salerno), European opera houses (Vienna State Opera, Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Teatro Real in Madrid, Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse, Opéra de Bordeaux, Tel Aviv Israeli Opera, Amsterdam Opera House, International Santander Festival, Zurich Opera, Athens Opera, Riga Opera House, Belgrade Opera House, Erfurt Opera House, Deutsche Oper Berlin) and non-European ones (Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami, Tokyo Opera House, National Opera House in Beijing), as well as coordinating and organizing dance galas (Erfurt Gala, Venezia in Danza, London Coliseum) and singing masterclasses in major capitals in Europe and beyond.

Through his work with opera houses and festivals on an international scale, he has been invited as a guest lecturer for seminars on Artistic Management at the University of Santander, Barcelona (Spain), New York (USA), and the University of Urbino Carlo Bo (Italy).

He has received several academic titles: Honorary Academician of the Faculty of Social Sciences awarded by the University of Palm Beach (Florida), the Order of Pakribas of Nepal for artistic activities, Distinguished Member awarded by the Royal Society of Friends of Spain for worldwide artistic promotion, and a member of the International Dance Council under UNESCO’s auspices.

He is frequently invited as a juror on the panels of major singing competitions (Alessandro Stradella Competition, Beniamino Gigli Competition, Rinaldo Pelizzoni Competition) and dance competitions (Lecco Danza, Festival Ballet, Milan Dance Expo, Musical Day). Since 2010, he has been present at the Maria Antonietta Berlusconi International Competition for young people (MAB) as a choreographic partner for international artistic residencies and at the Miami International Ballet Festival (USA) as a representative for Italy and abroad.

Since 2007, he has been a coordinator for the Japanese TV network Sky for the dance-opera sector, a member of the World Dance Alliance Europe, and a music critic for the Italian magazine “Musical.” Since 2008, he has collaborated with the production company Kicco Music for the creation of Opera and Ballet DVDs.

Since 2009, he has been a member of AIPS (Italian Association of Entertainment Professionals). In 2011, he organized the first edition of the Dance Grand Gala for the City of Rome as Artistic Director under the patronage of the Municipality of Rome at the Teatro Argentina.

Since April 1, 2012, he has been Artistic Consultant for Dance at the Erfurt Theater (Germany) and won the GD Award 2012 as the best dance manager that same year. He serves as Artistic Director of the Dance Excellence Award, the World Dance Award, and is Co-Director of Dance Open America.

Since 2020, he has been a Professor of Entertainment Law at the Institute of Advanced Choreographic Training in Genoa, directed by Irina Kashkova. He is the General Manager of the International Dance Etoile Giuseppe Picone, former Director of the Ballet Company of the Teatro San Carlo in Naples.

He speaks Italian, English, French, and Spanish.