Following his studies at the conservatories of Genoa and Turin, Giulio Magnanini began his career as an accompanist and chorus master with musical institutions in Imperia. In 1994, he joined the Opéra de Nice, where he served successively as assistant chorus master under Maître Ghersi and subsequently Jean Laforge. In 1997, GianCarlo Del Monaco, then General Director of the theater, appointed him Chorus Master of the Opéra de Nice.
Since then, he has prepared the chorus for over one hundred opera titles, alongside an even greater number of symphonic and chamber music works, covering a vast repertoire from the Renaissance to contemporary premieres. High praise from prestigious conductors such as Myung-whun Chung and Michel Plasson, renowned directors like Daniel Mesguich and Robert Carsen, as well as outstanding critical reviews, bear witness to the exceptional quality of his work.
Regularly invited to perform on the most prominent French stages—including the Paris Opéra, Chorégies d’Orange, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and Salle Pleyel—he has received unanimous acclaim from audiences and institutions alike for his vocal preparation of the ensembles under his direction. In 2018 and 2019, he took part in a choral conducting training program across several major cities in China. He collaborated with the Paris Opéra Chorus in 2003, and was later appointed Chorus Master at La Monnaie in Brussels for the world premiere of Bastarda in the spring of 2023. In January 2024, he directed the chorus for the production of Roméo et Juliette at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing, followed by several programs with the Shanghai Opera House Chorus in December. He will return to Beijing in July 2026 to conduct Norma.
The outstanding quality of the a cappella programs presented in recent seasons has allowed the Opéra de Nice Chorus to tour extensively in Italy, China, Russia, and Tunisia, serving as a proud cultural ambassador for the City of Nice.
