After graduating from the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan with a degree in organ and harpsichord, Ottavio Dantone began his concert career at a young age. He soon attracted the attention of critics as one of the most talented harpsichordists of his generation. In 1985 he won the prize for basso continuo at the International Competition in Paris and was a prizewinner at the International Competition in Bruges in 1986. As a profound connoisseur of historical performance practice, Dantone has been musical director of the Accademia Bizantina in Ravenna since 1996, with whom he has worked since 1989. Under his direction, the Accademia established itself within a few years as one of the most internationally renowned and recognized original sound ensembles. In recent decades, Dantone has gradually expanded his activities as a soloist and leader of chamber music groups to include conducting and has extended his repertoire to include classical and romantic music. He made his debut as an opera conductor in 1999, when he gave the first modern performance of Giulio Sabino with the Accademia Giuseppe Sartis at the Alighieri Theater in Ravenna. Since then, he has enriched the well-known repertoire at the world's most important festivals with numerous rediscoveries and modern premieres. Dantone has recorded both as a soloist and as a conductor for major record companies such as Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Naïve and Harmonia Mundi. He has received numerous prizes and awards. Since fall 2023, he has been Music Director of the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music.