Born in Spoleto, Italy, Maestro Muti received his musical education at the Curtis Institute, the Julliard School, and the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, Siena. He has conducted for both the Italian and the Charleston Spoleto Festivals, in major European centers including Rome, Florence, Milan, London (London Symphony, BBC Symphony) and Amsterdam (Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Netherlands Opera Company), and for several American opera companies (Washington, Michigan, Connecticut, Providence). He has been artistic director and conductor of the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle since 1988.

In addition, Muti is co-director of Spoleto Study Abroad, an independent program co-sponsored by a consortium of independent schools, which offers secondary school students the opportunity to participate in a month-long "educational journey" with emphasis on the arts and humanities in the renowned town of Spoleto, Italy.