Fabio Luisi is a Grammy Award-winning Italian conductor. He is currently principal conductor of the Metropolitan Opera and General Music Director of the Zurich Opera. As a child, Luisi suffered from asthma. Luisi attended the Conservatorio Nicol� Paganini and was a student of Memi Schiavina. After receiving his degree in piano studies, he continued piano instruction with Aldo Ciccolini and Antonio Bacchelli. Luisi developed an interest in conducting while working as a piano accompanist, and he studied conducting at the conservatory in Graz with Milan Horvat. He worked at the Graz Opera as an accompanist and conductor. His first conducting appearance was in Italy in 1984. From 1990 to 1995, he was principal conductor of the Graz Symphony Orchestra. From 1995 to 2000, he served as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Tonk�nstlerorchester in Vienna. From 1996 to 1999, he was one of three main conductors of the MDR Symphony Orchestra in Leipzig, along with Marcello Viotti and Manfred Honeck. From 1999 to 2007, he was sole principal conductor of the MDR orchestra. He was the principal conductor of l'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande from 1997 to 2002. 

January 17th, 1959 in Genoa (Age 65)