“I have conducted regularly in Italy for over thirty years, and love the country for its beauty, its culture and its language.” James Conlon, director of the LA Opera, cannot hide his love for Italy while commenting his recent nomination to Commendatore della Repubblica Italiana.

The honor, established in 1951, is one of the highest granted directly by the Italian President through the order of merit, the highest order of the Italian Republic. The title aims to acknowledge “merits achieved for the nation in the fields of literature, arts, economics, and in the fulfillment of public duties.”L’Italo-Americano had a chance to interview James Conlon, who is the third American-born conductor to have received the honor (Leonard Bernstein in 1989 and Thomas Schippers in 1975 are the others).