Valeria Racco
Opera Role and Italian Coach
Italian conductor and pianist Valeria Racco is renowned for her imaginative approach to telling a story on stage
She is highly regarded for her collaborative artistry, her ability to communicate the connection between music and text, and her versatility across a wide range of Italian, American, French and German repertoire as a conductor and coach. In August 2026, she will debut at Longborough Festival Opera with a new production of Hänsel und Gretel and in May 2026 she will work with Grammy-award winning conductor Karen Kamensek on Philip Glass’s Akhnaten for the Dutch Radio Orchestra.
Valeria works regularly at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden (Les Vêpres Siciliennes, La Bohème, La Traviata, L’Elisir d’Amore, La Forza del Destino) and for English National Opera (Dead Man Walking, It’s a Wonderful Life, Akhnaten, Satyagraha, Jenůfa), and has worked on acclaimed productions for The Grange Festival (La Traviata, Macbeth, Tosca) and Opera North (Simon Boccanegra, La Bohème, Rigoletto, Tosca).
In the summer of 2025, she made her Italian conducting debut with a celebrated production of Gianni Schicchi at the Trentino Music Festival. Upcoming engagements include La Rondine for Opera Rara with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers.
She is sought after as opera coach, holding positions at the Royal Academy of Music, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and regularly works at the Guildhall School for Music and Drama. She coaches regularly at National Opera Studio.
Valeria has longstanding relationships with some of the leading conductors and directors of the moment. She works closely with conductors like Speranza Scappucci, Karen Kamensek, Sir Mark Elder, Richard Farnes and Keri-Lynn Wilson, and directors Phelim McDermott, Annilese Miskimmon and Dan Dooner.