Gianluigi Gelmetti (born 11 September 1945, Rome) is an Italian conductor and composer.
He studied conducting with Franco Ferrara, Sergiu Celibidache and Hans Swarowsky. He first conducted an orchestra in Siena at age 16.
Gelmetti has served as principal conductor of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (1989-1998) and of the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra (1990-1992). Gelmetti became chief conductor of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma in 2001. In July 2006, he and the company announced that he would conclude his tenure with the Opera di Roma at the end of his contract, in 2008.
Gelmetti premiered Hans Werner Henze's Seventh Symphony with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 1984, Lorenzo Ferrero's opera Marilyn at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma in 1980, and Sergio Rendine's Hermes 594 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 1987. Gelmetti made his first guest-conducting appearance with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 1994. He became chief conductor and artistic director of the orchestra in 2004, staying until the end of 2008. He has participated in conducting courses and masterclasses for young Australian conductors. In March 2006, the orchestra announced that Gelmetti would conclude his Sydney Symphony tenure at the end of his contract in December 2008, but would continue to work with the orchestra as a guest conductor.
Gelmetti's compositions include Algos (for orchestra), Prasanta Atma (in memory of Sergiu Celibidache), Cantata della vita, and In Paradisum Deducant Te Angeli. In addition, he has taught at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana of Siena since 1997.