
Ruben Jais
Managing and Artistic Director, Fondazione Arturo Toscanini Parma
Born in Milan, he pursued his musical education, alongside his university studies, at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory, where he graduated with highest honors in Choral Music and Choir Conducting, as well as in Vocal Polyphonic Composition. He later obtained a diploma in Composition and undertook studies in Orchestral Conducting, further refining his skills through advanced masterclasses abroad.
From 1998 to 2007, he served as Chorus Master of the Giuseppe Verdi Symphonic Choir of Milan, collaborating with renowned conductors such as R. Gandolfi, R. Chailly, C. Abbado, L. Berio, O. Caetani, C. P. Flor, C. Hogwood, V. Jurowski, H. Rilling, among others.
Between 2016 and 2019, he held the position of Artistic and Executive Director of the Fondazione Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro Sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, before being appointed General and Artistic Director, a role he held until December 2023. He currently serves as Superintendent and Artistic Director of the Fondazione Arturo Toscanini in Parma.
As a conductor, he explores a repertoire that ranges from the great masterpieces of the Baroque and Classical eras to contemporary works, with a particular passion for rediscovering lesser-known compositions from the Baroque period. His work has brought him to collaborate with leading institutions and festivals such as the Venice Biennale, Teatro alla Scala, Milano Musica, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, RTSI Lugano, Teatro Real in Madrid, the National Orchestra of Chile, UiS Stavanger in Norway, Adda Sinfonica Alicante, the MITO Festival, the Enescu Festival, the Gluck Festival, the Saint Moritz Festival, and Wigmore Hall in London.
For over twenty years, he was Music Director of the Mailänder Kantorei, an ensemble linked to Milan’s German community, with a repertoire focus ranging from the German Baroque to the Romantic era.
In 2008, he founded laBarocca, a vocal and instrumental ensemble specializing in 17th- and 18th-century music. With this group, he has performed major works of the Baroque repertoire across Italy and Europe. Noteworthy achievements include his debut at Wigmore Hall in London in 2016—followed by several return engagements—regular participation in the MITO Festival, the reopening of Teatro Gerolamo in Milan (where he is now a recurring guest), and appearances at the Enescu Festival in Bucharest and the Gluck Festival in Nuremberg. In 2019, laBarocca was featured in an Italian tour organized by CIDIM. Since 2014, he has also been regularly invited to conduct during the main liturgical celebrations at Milan Cathedral.
laBarocca began its recording activity in 2017. Its discography includes the album Heroes in Love – Gluck Opera Arias with Sonia Prina (2017), The Solo Cantatas for Bass by J.S. Bach with Christian Senn (2018), and Missa Omnium Sanctorum by Jan Dismas Zelenka (2019), which received several international awards.