Francesco Cagnasso

Francesco Cagnasso has been assistant conductor of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra since January 2024, where he works closely with Maestro Michael Sanderling.

He also held the same position with the German State Philharmonic of Rhineland-Palatinate (Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz) from 2022 to 2024. He has participated in several international competitions, including the Malko Competition for Young Conductors 2024 and the IX Jorma Panula International Conducting Competition 2024, where he reached the semifinals. From 2021 to 2023 he held a scholarship from the Forum Dirigieren.

Born in Lugano, the conductor studied conducting in Zurich and Hamburg with professors such as Johannes Schlaefli, Christoph-Mathias Müller and Ulrich Windfuhr. During his career he gained experience with various orchestras in Europe, including the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, the German State Philharmonic of Rhineland-Palatinate, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana and others.