Gerardo Colella was born in Milan in 1968; is an Italian conductor and composer with an international career spanning opera, symphonic, choral and chamber music. He holds Master’s degrees in Composition, Orchestral Conducting, Choral Conducting and Classical Guitar from the Conservatory “Giuseppe Verdi” in Milan, as well as a Master’s degree in Modern History from the University of Milan. He subsequently specialized in composition and conducting with renowned masters including A. Corghi and G. Gelmetti, attending advanced courses at the Toscanini Foundation and the Accademia Chigiana.

His conducting career has taken him across Europe and Asia, working with opera houses, orchestras, choirs and ensembles in Italy, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and China. From 2009 to 2011, he served as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Dushanbe Opera House in Tajikistan, conducting numerous opera, ballet and concert productions.

In 2012–2013, he directed an EU-funded project to develop a youth orchestra in Central Asia, founding the Central Asian Youth Orchestra (CAYO) in 2013. Under his direction, CAYO performed throughout Central Asia and Europe.

Since 2017, he has been based in Berlin, working with various choirs and ensembles. He was awarded a classical music scholarship from the German Music Council in 2021 and 2022, and since 2022 has also been a guest conductor at the Dushanbe Opera House.

As a composer, he has worked as Managing Editor on an edition of opera transcriptions for BMG Ricordi. His recent achievements include the 2025 Special Prize at the Valentin Becker Choral Composition Competition, a 2026 Vienna performance of a work selected by the Max Brand Ensemble, and Third Prize at the 2026 International Composition Competition of the Tapiola Choir in Finland.