Early life Chailly was born on 20 February 1953 into a musical family of
Romagnol and French descent based in
Milan. His father
Luciano was a noted composer and arts administrator, holding positions at numerous Italian musical institutions, including as music director of
La Scala. Luciano's
oeuvre was centered on a
neoclassical aesthetic, influenced by his former teacher
Paul Hindemith, Taken by his father to his first concert at age 6, Chailly quickly became obsessed with music, explaining in a 2002 interview by
The Guardian: "I didn't do anything else, and always chose music over regular boyhood activities such as sports". Among notable projects, Chailly led the 1995 Mahler Festival that celebrated the 100th anniversary of Mahler's first concert at the Concertgebouw. Chailly also conducted opera in Amsterdam, both at the RCO's annual Christmas Matinee concert as well as at
De Nederlandse Opera (DNO), where his final opera production in
Amsterdam was DNO's staging of
Giuseppe Verdi's
Don Carlo. One report stated that Chailly decided in 2002 to leave the RCO when, at his last contract negotiations, the orchestra offered him an extension for two years rather than five. In 1986, Chailly conducted the
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig for the first time, at the
Salzburg Festival, after
Herbert von Karajan had introduced Chailly to the orchestra. His next guest-conducting appearance with the Leipzig orchestra was in 2001, and after an additional appearance, he was named the 19th
Kapellmeister of the orchestra. In August 2005, he officially became the chief conductor of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and general music director (GMD) of
Oper Leipzig. His initial Leipzig contract was to run through to 2010. In May 2008, he extended his contract with the Gewandhausorchester to 2015. However, he concurrently resigned as GMD of the Oper Leipzig, reportedly after a conflict over the hiring of personnel without his consultation. In June 2013, the Gewandhausorchester and Chailly agreed on a further extension of his contract through 2020. However, in September 2015, the Gewandhausorchester announced the newly scheduled conclusion of Chailly's tenure as
Gewandhauskapellmeister in June 2016, four years ahead of the previously agreed upon contract extension, at Chailly's request. His projects in Leipzig have included an international Mahler festival in May 2011, featuring 10 different orchestras. Chailly became the first music director of the
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi (La Verdi) in 1999 and held the post until 2005. He now has the title of Conductor Laureate with La Verdi. In December 2013,
La Scala announced the appointment of Chailly as its next music director, starting in 2017. His most recent La Scala contract extension was through 2026. Chailly is scheduled to stand down as music director of La Scala at the close of 2026. In August 2015, the
Lucerne Festival Orchestra announced the appointment of Chailly as its next music director, effective with the 2016 Lucerne Festival, with an initial contract of 5 years. In February 2021, the orchestra announced an extension of Chailly's contract through 2026. In December 2025, the orchestra announced a further extension of Chailly's contract through the end of 2028. ==Recordings==