PETAR VALENTOVIC (born in 1980) has gained worldwide recognition as an opera and orchestral conductor, as well as a pianist, partnering famous singers. Born in Slovakia, he won several national piano competitions as a young performer and began his musical career as a concert pianist and vocal accompanist. He studied conducting with Leopold Hager at Music University in Vienna and with Zsolt Nagy at the Conservatoire National Superiéur in Paris.
Valentinovic conducted his first opera, Le Nozze di Figaro at the age of 21 at University of Music in Vienna, where he also conducted Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, Carl Orff’s Die Kluge and Leoš Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen. During his studies in Vienna he was awarded with a scholarship for outstanding artistic talent. 2003 besides his engagements as vocal coach at the Opéra Bastille and Théâtre du Chatelet (Les Troyens) in Paris he collaborated with Sir John Eliot Gardiner.As assistant of Zsolt Nagy by Festival of Contemporary Music Ostrava Days (Czech Republic) he conducted the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra. Peter Valentovic was chorus master and resident conductor in Cape Town Opera in South Africa, where he extended his repertoire with Verdi’s Nabucco, Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Britten’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, Dvorak’s Rusalka and Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess as well as more symphony concerts and oratorios. He subsequently held the post of conductor at the Turkish State Opera in Istanbul.
In 2004 he conducted for the first time the Slovak Philharmony. They also perform Verdi’s Requiem. He is also a regular guest at the Slovak National Opera ain Brand State Opera Kosice.
In September 2013 he made his debut at the Theatre an der Wien, performing at the gala concert of the famous Slovak soprano Edita Gruberova (1946-2021) with the ORF Radio Vienna Symphony Orchestra. In the 2014/15 season he collaborated with soprano Pretty Yende at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, conducting the Prague Philharmonia.In the same season, he also appeared in Bratislava at the opening concert of the zero edition of the Eurokontext international theatre festival, where he conducted Ľubica Čekovská’s opera Dorian Gray, and in the 2015/16 season he conducted Bellini’s Norma at the Berlin Opera and Lehar’s operetta The Land of Smiles at the Slovak National Theatre.
In the autumn of 2016 Valentinovic conducted the orchestra and chorus of the Prague State Opera during their month-long tour of Japan, featuring Edita Gruberova.
His collaborations with the distinguished singer include impressive performances in spring 2017 at La Scala in Milan and the Vienna State Opera with Bellini’s Norma and Gruberova in the title role. Their joint solo gala concerts and song recitals were also very successful.