Riccardo Chailly, (1953 - ) is an Italian conductor. Chailly studied at the music conservatories in Perugia and Milan. He later studied conducting with Franco Ferrara. At age 20, Chailly became assistant conductor to Claudio Abbado at La Scala. From 1982 to 1988, Chailly was chief conductor of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra and from 1983 to 1986 principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. From 1986 to 1993, he led the Teatro Comunale of Bologna. From 1988 to 2004, Chailly was chief conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra In 1986, Chailly conducted the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig for the first time, at the Salzburg Festival, after Herbert von Karajan had introduced Chailly to the orchestra. In August 2005, he officially became the chief conductor of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. Chailly became the first music director of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi (La Verdi) in 1999. In December 2013, La Scala announced the appointment of Chailly as its next music director. In August 2015, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra announced the appointment of Chailly as its next music director.