As the artistic director and principal conductor of Opera Southwest, Anthony Barrese draws on an extensive repertoire and experience with prominent opera companies around the world. He began his career in opera as the conductor of La Bohème with I Solisti Italiani in Milan and, since that time, has led performances by such opera companies as the Boston Lyric Opera, the DePaul Opera Theater, and Opera de Massy. At Opera Southwest, Anthony Barrese has conducted such masterworks as Don Giovanni, Otello, and Le Nozze di Figaro.A celebrated composer as well, Anthony Barrese received the New England Conservatory Contemporary Ensemble Composition Competition Award for his three-voice work, Madrigale a 3 Voci Femminili. He has also accepted two Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) Awards for his accomplishments as a student composer. As a conductor, he stands out as the 2007 recipient of the Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award for young professionals. Mr. Barrese, also a skilled musicologist, recently collaborated with Casa Ricordi to prepare and edit a new critical edition of Franco Faccio's Amleto.