Gianluigi Gelmetti studied with Franco Ferrara at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in his native Rome, and later with Sergiu Celibidache in Siena and Hans Swarowsky in Vienna, graduating with distinction in Florence in 1985. He made his international debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker, followed by guest appearances in Ravenna, Paris and Strasburg in addition to regular appearances with the Munchner Philharmoniker.

He has served as principal conductor of the RAI National Symphony Orchestra, and artistic director of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, and as musical director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo and the Stuttgart Radio and Sydney Symphony Orchestras. He has made frequent appearances at the BBC Proms and worked for several seasons with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Gelmetti is also active as a composer, and in 1995 his work Algos was performed internationally. He also wrote a setting of In Paradisum in memory of Franco Ferrara, which was first performed at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. His discography includes albums and audiovisual recordings for Sony Classical and Teldec.