Biography
Giacomo Susani - Composer, Conductor, Guitarist
Premio Abbiati “Novità per l’Italia” 2026
Amadeus d’oro 2026
Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) 2025
“Susani’s musical thinking is profound and elegant, while at the same time emotionally engaging and permeated by magical, dreamlike atmospheres”
Amadeus, January 2026
Giacomo Susani is an Italian - British composer, conductor and guitarist.
His threefold international activity has allowed him to develop a personal approach to composition and interpretation that is met with enthusiasm internationally.
As a composer, his music is commissioned, performed and recorded all around the world, by prestigious orchestras, ensembles and soloists: among these are the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland Pfalz, Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto (OPV), New York Chamber Orchestra, Takács Quartet, Quartetto Goldberg, Quartetto Indaco, singers Tim Mead, Alexander Chance, Daniel Norman and guitarists David Russell, Jason Vieaux, Stefano Grondona and Nicolò Spera. His output includes solo, chamber, choral and orchestral music. Since 2026 he is an Edizioni Curci artist.
His composition activity achieved International reputation after winning the prestigious “Respighi Prize” of New York in Composition, which allowed him to feature both as composer and performer of his Fantasia for Guitar and Orchestra at Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall) accompanied by the Chamber Orchestra of New York in 2024.
He has been active as a conductor since his debut in December 2024, when he conducted the world premiere of his Concerto for 10 string guitar and orchestra “Lungo il Po” in Boulder, Colorado (US) with the Boulder Chamber Orchestra. Since then, he has conducted symphonic productions, including, most recently, a concert with Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto in January 2026, as well as assisted several Opera productions in prestigious theatres, including: Opera di Roma, Teatro Coccia (Novara) and Teatro Valli (Reggio Emilia) as the assistant of conductor Alessandro Cadario.
As a guitarist he conducts a busy performing career across Europe and the USA. His early career was supported by prestigious foundations, including The Julian Bream Trust, The Countess of Munster Musical Trust, the Park Lane Group, The Worshipful Company of Musicians and the City Music Foundation. He was the winner of several international awards, among which the London International Guitar Competition (2016) stands out.
In 2025 he was awarded the title of Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) by the London institution of the same name, an award intended for alumni who have distinguished themselves in their professional career.
He released 5 albums, most recently: “A Screenshot of Now” (Linn Records | Outhere Music) featuring his own compositions for guitar and three singers on lyrics by Chinwe D. John (2026); “Under a crescent moon”, featuring his own compositions and arrangements for solo guitar (Stradivarius, 2026); “Intrecci” featuring his own compositions and arrangements for solo guitar (Stradivarius, 2025, winner of Amadeus d’oro).
He is artistic director of the musical production of Barco Teatro, Padova, Italy. Under his artistic direction, its season “Scatola Sonora” was awarded the prestigious “Premio Abbiati - Novità per l’Italia” for programming, in collaboration with Francesco Antonioni, the first Italian performance of Spit Crystal Yeast-rack, dripping by Alex Paxton, with Ensemble degli Intrigati conducted by Andrea Molino.
He studied composition with Francesco Antonioni and Stephen Goss, conducting with Alessandro Cadario, guitar with Michael Lewin and Stefano Grondona. From 2014 to 2018 he worked in close contact with guitarist Julian Bream, as a Julian Bream Trust Scholar. He has a PhD in composition.