Maurizio Montobbio

Maurizio Montobbio, born in Genoa in 1957, received his training as a lighting designer mainly in the USA, among others with Bob Brand and Thomas Skelton. He began as a stage technician at the Genoa Opera. In the meantime, he has worked on numerous important international stages. In the 1990s, his main focus was on the creation of lighting design for ballet, establishing a close creative relationship with Rudolf Nureyev, Patrice Dupont, among others, but above all with Patrice Bart. He worked with Bart at the Opéra de Paris, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Berlin State Opera, the Teatro Comunale di Firenze and the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich (1998 La Bayadère). Here he also created lighting designs for choreographer Jean Grand-Maitre (1998 Ecclesia, 1999 Emma B.) and for Limón's The Unsung. For several years he was also responsible for the lighting concept of Mikhail Baryshnikov's White Oak Dance Project. He has worked as a light designer for the opera stage at the Opéra de Paris Bastille, the opera houses of Lyon, Nancy and Caen, among others. For the city of Genoa, he created the lighting design for the 2004 New Year's Spectacular at the ancient harbour. At the Genoa Theatre, he also worked for a time as set director and created the lighting design for Parsifal and Don Giovanni.