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Marco Lo Muscio was born in Rome on October 23 1971. Marco is
one of the most versatile
musicians of his generation: organist, pianist, composer. Marco cooperates for recordings and concerts with renowned artists as Kevin Bowyer, David Jackson (Van Der Graaf Generaor), John and Steve Hackett (Genesis).
He
graduated in piano with full honours “Cum Laude” at
"Licinio Refice" academy of music guided by Maestro Tonino Maiorani,
and later studied for three years with the great pianist Sergio
Fiorentino
(1927-1998) attaining the Diploma of Advanced Studies with full honours
at the
academy "Bartolomeo Cristofori". He also graduated in Pedagogy
"Cum Laude", guided by prof. Giulio Sforza, in the University of
"Rome Tre" (degree thesis on Keith Jarrett and Glenn Gould), and in
organ with prof. James Edward Goettsche (Main Organist of St.
Peter’s Basilica in Vatican).
Marco is the first musician who has brought transcriptions of
'progressive
music' into the concert halls and cathedrals, thrilling audiences with
music by
composers like Kieth Emerson, Rick Wakeman and Steve Hackett (Genesis)
in this
acoustic way. Marco's compositions are similarly 'progressive' in their
own
way.
He
has given more than 700 concerts as part of organ
and piano festivals at important venues
such as: France: Notre Dame de Paris. United Kingdom:
Cambridge “King's, St. John's
and Queens' College Chapels”; Oxford
“Exeter
and Queens' College
Chapels”; Temple Church, Methodist Concert Hall, Westminster and St. Paul's Cathedrals in
London, Hull City Hall, St.
Martin Church in Salisbury, and in the cathedrals of Canterbuty,
Lincoln, Lichfield,
Chester, Blackburn, Rochester, Gloucester, Truro, St. David and
Sheffield;
Festival in the Shire (dedicated to Tolkien) in Wales. Russia: “Grand Hall of
Philharmonia Shostakovic”
in St. Petersburg; Glinka Capella in St. Petersburg; Italian institute
of culture in St. Petersburg; Svetlanov
Hall (House of the Music), St. Mary Cathedral, Gnessin Academy and
Baptist
Church in Moscow; Volgograd (Stalingrad) Philharmonic Hall; in the
Organ Halls
in Chelyabinsk, Archangelsk, Kondopoga, Dubna, Kislovosk, Kirov; USA: New York (St. Thomas Church - Fifth Avenue, Central Synagogue in Manhattan and Barnard College), Boston (Trinity Church) ,Chicago (St. John Cantius), Washington (National City Christian Church), Milwaukee (Cathedral, St. Cyril and Methodius); Baltic Counties: Riga
Cathedral (Latvia) “Riga Dom Festival”; Vilnius
(Lithuania) “Christopher Summer
Festival”; Tallinn (Estonia) “International Organ
Festival”. Finland: Helsinki
“ Church of Rock”, Tyyki Jazz Festival, and
cathedrals of Turku, Lahti and
Mikkeli. Scotland: in
the St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh and in the Memorial Chapel in
Glasgow
University. Switzerland: St.
Peter and Paul Cathedral and Hammond Organ museum in Zurich. Denmark: Copenhagen
in the Holmens Kirche (the church of Queen of Denmark) and
Sorø International
Music Festival. Norway: Bergen
Organ summer festival in the Maria and Johannes churches; Oslo:
Røa Kirke
International Festival and Italian institute of culture; Molde
Cathedral. Sweden: Götheborg
and Uppsala Cathedrals. Germany: Nikolai
Kirche in Leipzig, Wiesbaden (in the Markt Kirche and St. Bonifatius
Kirche),
in the Magdeburg Cathedral, Landsberg Festival, in the church of St.
Gabriel
and St. Holy Spirit in Münich, Ingolstadt, Pforzheim, Immenstadt, Fussen. Poland: “Danzig
(Oliwa) and Frombork Festivals”; France (Strasbourg,
St. Räphael, Obernai, Paris). And also in: Iceland,
Belgium,
Palm
of Majorca, Ukraine,
Portugal,
Åland
Iceland
(XXXI
International organ festival),Bornholm
Iceland, in the church of St. Nicholas in Prague,
in the Seville
University in Spain.
Vatican: Basilica
of St. Peter, Clementina Chapel in the presence of Pope Giovanni Paolo
II. Italy: Roma:
I.U.C. “Aula Magna of the University La Sapienza”,
in the Pantheon, Barberini
Palace, Marcello Theatre, Villa Torlonia, St. Paul Basilica, St. Paul
within
the walls, etc...; Pontino and Euro Mediterraneo Festivals; Florence
(churches
of St. Maria dei Ricci, e St. Stefano al Ponte Vecchio), La Verna
International
Organ Festival, Cathedral and Piccolomini Palace in Pienza (with Mario
Luzi),
“Dusk Day 2008” in the Orvieto Cathedral, St.
Antimo Abbey, Cantù International
Organ Festival, Fano and Porto San Giorgio internationals organ
Festivals,
Tolkienian Path Festival in Piemont, Politeatro in Milan, Festival in
the
Valsesia, Festival “La fabbrica del canto” in
Milan, etc…
His
performances have
been broadcast in
radio and television: BBC TV and Radio, RAI TV, SAT TV2000, Vatican
Radio,
Russia TV, BR Classik, etc...
Important is also the work of collaboration with projects of Finnish
Magazine
Colossus and realized from the French label Musea Records:
“Rabid
Dogs...Opening Themes”, “Dante: Paradise, Divine
Comedy Book III”, “Homer:
Iliad”, “Tales of Edgar Allan Poe”,
“Boccaccio: Decameron”, “Homage to Flower
Kings”.
Marco's music is published by the Italian firm “Erreffe Musica”, and has been played world wide (Europe, Russia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, USA) by renowned musicians such as: Christopher Herrick, Thomas Trotter, John Hackett, Kevin Bowyer, David Briggs, John Scott, Roger Sayer, Stephen Farr, Andrew Canning, Aivars Kalejs, Alessandro Bianchi, Massimo Nosetti, Martin Setchell, Michael Eckerle, Willibald Guggenmos, Fredrik Sixten, Johannes Skudlik, Carson Cooman, Colin Walsh, Andrea Padova, David Jackson, etc.. Many composers have written new pieces dedicated to him: Andreas Willscher, Carson Cooman, Steve Hackett, John Hackett, Grimoaldo Macchia, etc... Marco has specialized not only in the classical repertoire but his transcriptions and arrangements of contemporary jazz and Progressive music brought him into contact with big historical names such as Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, David Jackson, John and Steve Hackett. From these contacts are born albums such as "The Book of Bilbo and Gandalf" (dedicated to Tolkien), and his latest CD "Playing the History" recorded with John and Steve Hackett and David Jackson. Since 2004, Marco is the Artistic Director of '"International Summer Organ Festival in Rome." In 2013 he started to recording for the famous British label "Priory Records" on the series "Great European Organs."
REVIEWS:
“...a
marvellous musician!”
Steve Hackett (Genesis)
"The CD of Marco Lo Muscio in Rome is really a great success! Marco's playing is so energetic and musical and the organ sounds fantastic with such clear choruses, mutations and reeds. I'm very impressed by the technique and musicality of Marco. A truly great organ!"
(Colin Walsh, International organist and Organist of Lincoln Cathedral)
“Thank you for your fine
recital last week. I have received a number of very nice comments about
it!”
Dr. Stephen Cleobury (Kings
College,Cambridge)
"...Brilliant CD played fantastically! It was wonderful to feel the
power of the organ combined with your complete commitment to the
instrument and the music of all the composers. It was a sensational
experience to hear music that started out as little doodles on the
guitar being given such a extraordinary treatment. I'm a big fan of the
sound of the organ which is a complete world in itself, especially in
dedicated hands."
Steve Hackett
“I have just been playing "Bilbo's Dream". It is a really lovely piece and so nicely structured with the lively Shire theme in the middle.
it is not easy to write a convincing work for solo flute but you have produced something really marvellous here and I hope to play it in concert soon!”
John Hackett
"This CD includes so much interest and makes for a very enjoyable listening experience. I look forward to further collections of this ilk."
Lark Reviews
"Typically for Lo Muscio the programme pushes eclectically at repertoire boundaries with an idiomatic certainty that pleases - and persuades."
Michael Quinn Choir and Organ
"These pieces would make fine inclusions in recital programmes - all are intensely inventive, and also listenable with plenty of interest for the listener whether expert or not. The registrations and performances on the fine instrument at Glasgow University are riveting - the clarity afforded to this music is second to none. These aspects are exactly what one has come to expect from this player and this recording company."
David Dewar - Organists Review
“What
Marco Lo Muscio presents is my ideal of music: entertaining
and meaningful. Prog-Rock played on pipe organ: why nobody else thought
of something so cool before?!? Marco is a keyboards
‘maestro’; his arrangements are warm, and
respectful of the
original. A real pleasure to listen to, both on CD and live”.
Corrado
Canonici (Director of “World
Concert Artists”, Double Bassist, Agent of Keith Emerson)
“I know about this guy; very very good as
well I'm told. Is a very good organist”
Rick Wakeman (Yes)
"...
exceptional, precise and of quality!"
Prof.
Antonio Latanza (director of the museum of
the musical instruments of Rome)
“ …He shows technical solid and strong, excellent
heir of the school of Fiorentino and Germani”.
Federico
Borsari (concert organist)
“A CD with little works well-known
and a large search in the touch and in the nuance. I love this way to
do music!”
Francis
Chapelet (concert organist)
“…when
this musician has started to play, public has understood: there has
arrived the talented powerful interpreter”.
Antonina Vinnikova
(Russian journalist)
“…Repertory of rare excellent listening played
with large taste. I recommend to all of the purchase of these original
CD for organ”.
Wijnand
Van de Pol (concert organist)
“...Marco Lo Muscio, remember this name, with its false air
of
Rick Wakeman of modern times, is nothing less than the revelation of
the year 2010 with this album “The Book of Bilbo and
Gandalf”. (RYM Review)
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