Born in Milan, Giovanni Antonini studied at the Civica Scuola di Musica and at the Centre de Musique Ancienne in Geneva. He is a founder member of the ensemble Il Giardino Armonico, which he has led since 1989 and with whom he has given concerts worldwide.

He works with artists such as Cecilia Bartoli, Giuliano Carmignola, Isabelle Faust, Sol Gabetta, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Katia e Marielle Labèque, Viktoria Mullova and  Giovanni Sollima.

Giovanni is Principal Guest Conductor of Kammerorchester Basel and Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg  and regularly guest conducts orchestras such as the Berliner Philharmoniker, Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam, London Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Tonhalle Orchester Zurich.  He has conducted numerous opera productions at La Scala, Theater an der Wien, Salzburg Festival and Opernhaus Zurich.

He has recorded for Teldec, Decca, Sony BMG, Naïve, Harmonia Mundi and Alpha Classics.

Giovanni is Artistic Director of the Wratislavia Cantans Festival (www.wratislaviacantans.pl) and the Haydn2032 project, created to perform and record the entire symphonies of Franz Joseph Haydn by the 300th anniversary of his birth.