Marco Rizzello is an Italian pianist and opera coach. Currently based in Vienna, he holds the positions of Solorepetitor and Second Stage-Music Conductor on the full-time music staff of the Wiener Staatsoper.
During the 2026/27 season, his engagements in Vienna include appearances as fortepianist and recitative player for Le nozze di Figaro, L’elisir d’amore, and Così fan tutte, as well as assignments as répétiteur and backstage conductor for La clemenza di Tito, Il barbiere di Siviglia, La fille du régiment, Les pêcheurs de perles, Werther, Un ballo in maschera, Parsifal, I Capuleti e i Montecchi, and Der fliegende Holländer. He also appears in recital with soprano Florina Ilie and bass Bartosz Urbanowicz as part of the Staatsoper’s Ensemblematinée series.
Prior to moving to Vienna, Rizzello spent two seasons on the music staff of the Staatsoper Stuttgart, where he served as Solorepetitor and Italian Diction Coach. His work there encompassed repertoire ranging from Mozart and Rossini to Wagner, Verdi, Puccini, Prokofiev, and contemporary opera. He also performed with the Staatsorchester Stuttgart as an orchestral pianist and organist and played fortepiano for Don Giovanni and Barrie Kosky’s production of Die Zauberflöte.
During his time in Germany, Rizzello also worked as répétiteur and Italian diction coach for La Cenerentola in Baden-Baden with the Balthasar Neumann Ensemble and served as music director of Häßlich as fuck at JOiN – Junge Oper im Nord. In the 2026/27 season, he returns to the Staatsoper Stuttgart for a recital with four members of the ensemble.
Marco Rizzello has worked extensively throughout Europe and the United States. During the 2023/24 season, he was a Butler Studio Artist at Houston Grand Opera, becoming the first Italian artist to join the program. At HGO, he served as répétiteur for mainstage productions and played recitals in Houston and at the University of Texas at Austin. Other professional engagements include work as Italian Diction Coach at The Santa Fe Opera and as a staff pianist at the Ravinia Festival, where he appeared in four recitals with singers of the Ravinia Steans Music Institute. He is also a faculty member of the Spoleto Vocal Arts Workshop, where he works with emerging singers and pianists on operatic and vocal repertoire.
Rizzello has been a fellow and young artist at several leading training programs, including Wolf Trap Opera, the Georg Solti Accademia, and the Aspen Music Festival and School. He has also appeared on New York classical radio station WQXR and worked on the coaching staffs of the Manhattan School of Music and NYU Steinhardt.
A passionate recitalist, he has performed throughout Europe and the United States. Recent appearances include a recital at the North Norfolk Music Festival with tenor Jonah Hoskins. His background as a solo pianist includes performances and competition prizes in Italy, France, Austria, the Netherlands, and Denmark.
Rizzello has collaborated with conductors throughout Europe and the United States. During the current season at the Wiener Staatsoper, he works with conductors including Marco Armiliato, Gianluca Capuano, Patrick Hahn, Pablo Heras-Casado, Michele Mariotti, Cornelius Meister, Evelino Pidò, Leonardo Sini, Alexander Soddy, Emmanuel Villaume, and Simone Young.
His work in opera is closely connected to his interest in languages, style, and diction. A native Italian speaker, he is also fluent in English, German, Spanish, French, and Russian.
Rizzello holds a Bachelor’s degree in Piano from the Conservatorio “Bruno Maderna” in Cesena and Master’s degrees in Solo and Collaborative Piano from the Conservatorio “Gioachino Rossini” in Pesaro. He also studied at the International Piano Academy of Imola and completed a Professional Performance Diploma at the Manhattan School of Music in 2023.
