Conductor John Neschling was born in 1947 to Austrian parents in Rio de Janeiro. He studied conducting under Hans Swarowsky and Leonard Bernstein and has built a solid career on the European continent. He has been artistic director of the Massimo Theatre in Palermo and he was also resident conductor both of the Vienna State Opera and of the Bordeaux-Aquitaine National Orchestra. Before moving to Europe he had already conducted at the São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro Municipal Theatres. John Neschling took over as the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra's artistic director in January 1997, assuming responsibility for restructuring the orchestra and installing it in its new concert hall, the Sala São Paulo. In the same year, he was awarded the Order of Rio Branco by the Brazilian Government. He has also conducted the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the orchestra of the Accademia Santa Cecilia, as well as making concert appearances in Italy, Poland and Belgium. He has composed the soundtracks for numerous Brazilian films. His engagement as Music Director and Chief Conductor of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra lasted until 2008.
Diapason d’Or de l’Année, 'Artistic Project of 2009', for the recordings of the 3-disc Villa-Lobos Choros cycle on the BIS label.