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ROBERTO CACCIAPAGLIA
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Roberto Cacciapaglia, composer and pianist, is among the most innovative figures on the international music scene. His music brings together classical composition and electronic experimentation, tradition and modernity, in a continuous search for the essence that unites languages beyond any distinction of genre. His work explores the primordial power of sound — melody, harmony, vibration — as a force capable of generating emotion, awareness, and spiritual communion.
Born in Milan, he graduated in composition under Bruno Bettinelli at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, where he also studied electronic music and conductorship. During those years, he worked at the RAI Phonology Studio and collaborated with the CNR in Pisa, exploring the early applications of computers in music.
In 1976, he released “Sonanze” (Ohr) – the first quadraphonic LP ever produced in Italy – marking the beginning of a journey that would unite acoustic and electronic sound. This was followed by works such as “Sei note in Logica” (Philips, 1978) for voices, orchestra, and computer, and “Generazioni del Cielo” (1986), a two-act opera premiered at the Teatro Metastasio in Prato and the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan.
In the same years, he presented “Lamentazioni di Geremia” (1988) at the International Festival of Tel Aviv, performed “In C” with Terry Riley and his “Transarmonica” at the Aterforum in Ferrara, and composed “Aurea Carmina,” based on a text by Pythagoras, commissioned by the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Other works from this period include “Il segreto dell’Alba” (Teatro Comunale di Bologna, 1989), “Un Giorno X” (1990, Milan Conservatory), and “Le Mille e una Notte” (1991), a musical fairy tale staged at the Berliner Festspiele, the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, and the Spoleto Festival.
In the following years, his research expanded into new forms of expression, where orchestra, voice, and technology blend into a single sonic space. Alongside his work in theatre and international festivals, he collaborated with poets, scientists, and artists from various disciplines, exploring the link between sound and thought, matter and spirit. Within this context, he also took part in “La Milanesiana,” conceived by Elisabetta Sgarbi, presenting projects such as “La Dissoluzione dell’Aria” (2003) with Nobel Prize–winning poet Derek Walcott, and “Mente Radiosa” (2005) with Nobel laureate in Medicine Rita Levi-Montalcini.
His artistic partnership with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London gave rise to works such as “Quarto Tempo” (2007), “Canone degli Spazi” (2009), and “Ten Directions” (2010), where symphonic breadth opens toward a meditative and visionary dimension. In the same year, he performed with the Dubai Philharmonic at the opening ceremony of Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi.
In 2013 he composed “Antartica” for the European Concordia expedition in Antarctica (European Space Agency), followed by “Alphabet” (Decca). The following year he created “Tree of Life” (Believe), the official soundtrack of the Albero della Vita, symbol of Expo Milano 2015, performed with the Orchestra of the Accademia Teatro alla Scala during the closing ceremony.
Sensitive to environmental issues, he took part in the 2017 Earth Day celebrations in Rome and the G7 Environment Summit in Bologna. The following year, he embarked on the Celebration Tour, which travelled through Russia, Europe, China, Turkey, and the United States, culminating in a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York – awarded “Best Live Act 2019” by Bluebird Reviews. Around the same time, he recorded “Diapason” with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London, later presented on the Diapason Worldwide Tour.
Among his cross-disciplinary collaborations, fashion designer Stella McCartney chose his piece “Sparkling World” for her 2018 Spring/Summer campaign. During the 2020 pandemic, he composed “Days of Experience,” dedicated to the collective experience of that time, presented in concert at Teatro Bibiena in Mantua. In 2021 he released “Angel Falls” (Believe Digital) and performed two solo piano concerts at the Milan Conservatory and London’s Cadogan Hall, home of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
His music has also accompanied the triumphs of Italy’s national rhythmic gymnastics team, the Farfalle Azzurre, who won Olympic gold performing to “Wild Side – Tree of Life Suite” (Tokyo 2020 and the 2021 World Championships in Kitakyushu).
Always committed to nurturing the new generations, he founded in 2012 the Educational Music Academy, created to offer young musicians a place for growth and experimentation.
Roberto Cacciapaglia, composer and pianist, is among the most innovative figures on the international music scene. His music brings together classical composition and electronic experimentation, tradition and modernity, in a continuous search for the essence that unites languages beyond any distinction of genre. His work explores the primordial power of sound — melody, harmony, vibration — as a force capable of generating emotion, awareness, and spiritual communion.
Born in Milan, he graduated in composition under Bruno Bettinelli at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, where he also studied electronic music and conductorship. During those years, he worked at the RAI Phonology Studio and collaborated with the CNR in Pisa, exploring the early applications of computers in music.
In 1976, he released “Sonanze” (Ohr) – the first quadraphonic LP ever produced in Italy – marking the beginning of a journey that would unite acoustic and electronic sound. This was followed by works such as “Sei note in Logica” (Philips, 1978) for voices, orchestra, and computer, and “Generazioni del Cielo” (1986), a two-act opera premiered at the Teatro Metastasio in Prato and the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan.
In the same years, he presented “Lamentazioni di Geremia” (1988) at the International Festival of Tel Aviv, performed “In C” with Terry Riley and his “Transarmonica” at the Aterforum in Ferrara, and composed “Aurea Carmina,” based on a text by Pythagoras, commissioned by the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Other works from this period include “Il segreto dell’Alba” (Teatro Comunale di Bologna, 1989), “Un Giorno X” (1990, Milan Conservatory), and “Le Mille e una Notte” (1991), a musical fairy tale staged at the Berliner Festspiele, the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, and the Spoleto Festival.
In the following years, his research expanded into new forms of expression, where orchestra, voice, and technology blend into a single sonic space. Alongside his work in theatre and international festivals, he collaborated with poets, scientists, and artists from various disciplines, exploring the link between sound and thought, matter and spirit. Within this context, he also took part in “La Milanesiana,” conceived by Elisabetta Sgarbi, presenting projects such as “La Dissoluzione dell’Aria” (2003) with Nobel Prize–winning poet Derek Walcott, and “Mente Radiosa” (2005) with Nobel laureate in Medicine Rita Levi-Montalcini.
His artistic partnership with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London gave rise to works such as “Quarto Tempo” (2007), “Canone degli Spazi” (2009), and “Ten Directions” (2010), where symphonic breadth opens toward a meditative and visionary dimension. In the same year, he performed with the Dubai Philharmonic at the opening ceremony of Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi.
In 2013 he composed “Antartica” for the European Concordia expedition in Antarctica (European Space Agency), followed by “Alphabet” (Decca). The following year he created “Tree of Life” (Believe), the official soundtrack of the Albero della Vita, symbol of Expo Milano 2015, performed with the Orchestra of the Accademia Teatro alla Scala during the closing ceremony.
Sensitive to environmental issues, he took part in the 2017 Earth Day celebrations in Rome and the G7 Environment Summit in Bologna. The following year, he embarked on the Celebration Tour, which travelled through Russia, Europe, China, Turkey, and the United States, culminating in a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York – awarded “Best Live Act 2019” by Bluebird Reviews. Around the same time, he recorded “Diapason” with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London, later presented on the Diapason Worldwide Tour.
Among his cross-disciplinary collaborations, fashion designer Stella McCartney chose his piece “Sparkling World” for her 2018 Spring/Summer campaign. During the 2020 pandemic, he composed “Days of Experience,” dedicated to the collective experience of that time, presented in concert at Teatro Bibiena in Mantua. In 2021 he released “Angel Falls” (Believe Digital) and performed two solo piano concerts at the Milan Conservatory and London’s Cadogan Hall, home of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
His music has also accompanied the triumphs of Italy’s national rhythmic gymnastics team, the Farfalle Azzurre, who won Olympic gold performing to “Wild Side – Tree of Life Suite” (Tokyo 2020 and the 2021 World Championships in Kitakyushu).
Always committed to nurturing the new generations, he founded in 2012 the Educational Music Academy, created to offer young musicians a place for growth and experimentation.
In 2023 he received the Premio Montale and, the following year, appeared on BBC Four in the UK, returning in concert at Cadogan Hall. In 2024 he performed at the Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh for the world premiere of “Incipit / Moz-Art K.488 ReComposed” and presented “Borderlands,” the third single previewing the album “Time to Be” (November 28, 2024). The piece premiered at the Scottish Parliament during the Festival of Politics and in Italy at the Sale Apollinee of Teatro La Fenice in Venice.
In 2024, “Time To Be” (Virgin Music Group) was released, reaching the top of the iTunes Classical charts in the United Kingdom, Italy, and China. The project marked a pivotal moment in his artistic journey: a sonic voyage toward a new dimension of awareness, an invitation to be music rather than merely make it.
Presented live in the spring of 2025 with the “Time To Be Tour,” which brought his music to some of Italy’s most prestigious theatres, the album reaffirmed his vision of a musical language that unites emotion and introspection.
In September of the same year, he performed in Tokyo for the Bvlgari Kaleidos – Colors, Cultures and Crafts exhibition at the National Art Center, and in October he appeared in concert in Gorizia to celebrate Gorizia and Nova Gorica as the European Capital of Culture 2025.
In February 2026, Cacciapaglia composed and conducted the music for the Finale and Grand Finale of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, as well as for the daily music-and-light show at Arco della Pace, attended each evening by thousands of locals and visitors. He later released the EP Olympia, featuring the four symphonic movements created for the occasion.
He is currently preparing his upcoming Italian tour Aural, produced by Baobab Music, alongside a namesake album set for release in Fall 2026.
In 2023 he received the Premio Montale and, the following year, appeared on BBC Four in the UK, returning in concert at Cadogan Hall. In 2024 he performed at the Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh for the world premiere of “Incipit / Moz-Art K.488 ReComposed” and presented “Borderlands,” the third single previewing the album “Time to Be” (November 28, 2024). The piece premiered at the Scottish Parliament during the Festival of Politics and in Italy at the Sale Apollinee of Teatro La Fenice in Venice.
In 2024, “Time To Be” (Virgin Music Group) was released, reaching the top of the iTunes Classical charts in the United Kingdom, Italy, and China. The project marked a pivotal moment in his artistic journey: a sonic voyage toward a new dimension of awareness, an invitation to be music rather than merely make it.
Presented live in the spring of 2025 with the “Time To Be Tour,” which brought his music to some of Italy’s most prestigious theatres, the album reaffirmed his vision of a musical language that unites emotion and introspection.
In September of the same year, he performed in Tokyo for the Bvlgari Kaleidos – Colors, Cultures and Crafts exhibition at the National Art Center, and in October he appeared in concert in Gorizia to celebrate Gorizia and Nova Gorica as the European Capital of Culture 2025.
In February 2026, Cacciapaglia composed and conducted the music for the Finale and Grand Finale of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, as well as for the daily music-and-light show at Arco della Pace, attended each evening by thousands of locals and visitors. He later released the EP Olympia, featuring the four symphonic movements created for the occasion.
He is currently preparing his upcoming Italian tour Aural, produced by Baobab Music, alongside a namesake album set for release in Fall 2026.