[2] Rustioni studied conducting under Gilberto Serembe at the Milan Conservatory and under Gianluigi Gelmetti at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana.
Whilst at the Royal Academy of Music in London, his mentors included Gianandrea Noseda, who gave him the opportunity to make his debut as a conductor with the orchestra of the Teatro Regio in Turin in 2007.
[5] In March 2015, the Opéra national de Lyon announced the appointment of Rustioni as its next principal conductor, effective September 2017.
[8] In September 2022, the orchestra announced simultaneously the extension of Rustioni's contract to 2024 and the immediate elevation of his title to music director.
[12] For Sony Classical, Rustioni has recorded music of Giorgio Federico Ghedini,[13] and an album of opera arias with Erwin Schrott.