The Glasshouse

Conductor Nil Venditti debuted with Royal Northern Sinfonia in 2022, bringing her infectious energy to the North East. For the 2024/25 season, 29 year old Nil is our Guest Principal Conductor – a role she was thrilled to accept.

When Nil was four, her mother took her to a chamber music concert in Perugia, Italy, where she heard a stunning cello solo.

“The cello seemed the most gorgeous thing on earth, and I had to produce that sound,” she says.

Nil went on to study at the Conservatory in Perugia, where she played professionally. One day in Rome, a friend jokingly asked a conductor to let Nil have a go at conducting.

“I’d never conducted in my life,” she shares. “I tried and I was horrible at it! But the conductor saw potential and told me I should study it properly.”

Just a year later, Nil won the prestigious Premio Claudio Abbado Award for Young Musicians, which marked a milestone in her conducting career.

“Suddenly, I was touring and conducting concerts,” explains Nil. “I kept going along that path, which felt built for me – I fell in love with it.”

Nil met our orchestra in 2022, and from the first rehearsal, thought they were a brilliant group.

“Royal Northern Sinfonia was so willing to try my ideas, and that mindset blew me away,” says Nil. “They always want to do their best. When they asked me to be Guest Principal Conductor, I immediately said yes.”

Now, she builds projects that suit both her and the orchestra’s style.

“My time with Royal Northern Sinfonia is purposeful,” shares Nil. “I can spend time discussing ideas and building special concerts.”

Nil wants everyone to feel that classical music is for them. During concerts, she talks to the audience, encouraging them to connect with the music. She loves to hear the audience laugh and get involved.

“Some people say classical music isn’t for them because it was written 300 years ago. But classical music is about eternal issues of life, love and death – it speaks to us all.”

On 1 January 2025, Nil and the orchestra will celebrate Johann Strauss’s 200th anniversary at The Glasshouse’s New Year’s Day concert.

“It will be a beautiful afternoon, filled with music that makes you smile,” Nil describes. “The new year brings fresh hope, and you can float away for a few hours and dream of a snowy Austria.”

Nil also loves the music of Gioachino Rossini. She suggested the orchestra play the Overture to The Barber of Seville on Friday 9 May 2025, at The Glasshouse with Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia and solo singers,

“People love to hear people sing in Italian, it’s a happy accent,” she explains. “But Rossini’s music is so tricky to play! We’ll make it sound nice and breezy.”