The long life and creative career of Giuseppe Verdi stand among the most astonishing in all of classical music. Over more than five decades, Verdi composed twenty-six operas, most of them powerful tragedies and melodramas that helped define the Italian operatic tradition. What makes his achievement even more remarkable is that, at the very end of his life, he created a comic masterpiece after nearly half a century devoted almost entirely to serious drama. With one early and unsuccessful exception, comedy had largely eluded him. In this special presentation for USC Thornton School of Music, James Conlon, world-renowned maestro and longtime music director of Los Angeles Opera, traces how a composer who deeply respected the distinctions between tragic and comic opera ultimately returned to a challenge that had once frustrated him. Drawing on musical insight, historical context, and a lifetime of experience on the podium, Conlon explores how patience, artistic maturity, and Shakespeare’s enduring influence led Verdi to Falstaff, the most sophisticated comic opera in the Italian tradition. Part lecture, part listening session, Maestro Conlon leads us through this sonic journey of one of the great operas. ABOUT JAMES CONLON James Conlon is one of the most esteemed and influential conductors of his generation, a rare figure whose work has shaped classical music life in the United States and Europe for more than five decades. Since his debut with the New York Philharmonic in 1974, he has led nearly every major American and European orchestra and appeared at many of the world’s leading opera houses. Equally at home in symphonic, operatic, and choral repertoire, he is widely recognized for his versatility. Through extensive touring, recordings, writings, and public lectures, he has become a prominent voice in the broader cultural conversation about music. Conlon serves as Music Director of LA Opera through the end of his 20th season in June 2026, by which time he will have conducted approximately 525 performances; he then becomes Conductor Laureate. He previously held leadership posts as Music Director of the Ravinia Festival, summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (2005–2015), and the Cincinnati May Festival (1979–2016). Since his 1976 debut, he has led more than 270 performances at the Metropolitan Opera. He was Principal Conductor of the Paris National Opera from 1995-2004, Music Director of the Gûrzenich Orchestra and Cologne Opera (1989-2002) and the Rotterdam Philharmonic 1983-1991, and Principal Conductor of the RAI National Symphony Orchestra (2016-2020). A noted advocate for composers suppressed by the Nazi regime, Conlon is also a champion of public scholarship and cultural institutions as forums for civic dialogue. His many honors include four Grammy Awards, France’s Légion d’Honneur, Italy’s Commendatore of the Order of Merit, and Austria’s Cross of Honor for Science and Art. This event is free and open to the public. Advance RSVP is required.