Media Kit & Press Resources

Press &
Media Kit

Bios, high-resolution photos, press quotes, and contact information for programmers, presenters, journalists, and festival directors.


Forbes
Feature coverage on artistic innovation and cross-cultural composition
LA Times
Editorial portrait and feature during pandemic-era commissions
Latin
GRAMMY
Nominated — recognized among the foremost composers of his generation
Carnegie
World premieres at Carnegie Hall, New York City

Press Highlights
Forbes
"Piacentini represents a new generation of classical composers fluent in multiple traditions — writing music that feels genuinely of this moment."
Feature on emerging American composers bridging classical and folk traditions.
Los Angeles Times
"His compositions carry an unmistakable warmth — the kind that can only come from a musician who has lived inside more than one musical culture."
Editorial portrait and profile, 2021. Photography by Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times.
The Recording Academy · Latin GRAMMY
Nominated for Best Classical Contemporary Composition — recognized for a body of work that bridges the classical canon with contemporary Latin-American voice.
Latin GRAMMY Nomination. Album released on Navona Records.
Carnegie Hall · New York City
World premiere performances at one of the most storied concert halls in the world — a testament to the reach and rigor of his compositional voice.
Multiple world premieres. Works performed by leading contemporary ensembles.

Biography
Short Bio
~50 words · For concert programs

Giovanni Piacentini is a composer and classical guitarist of Italian-Mexican heritage based in Los Angeles. A Latin GRAMMY nominee and Carnegie Hall premiérant, his work is released on Navona Records and he serves on the faculty of Pepperdine University.



Full Bio
~250 words · For press releases & features

Giovanni Piacentini was born in Mexico City to an Italian-Mexican family — an origin that would come to define the singular voice threading through his compositions. He grew up immersed in the tonal colors of both cultures, the warmth of Latin folk traditions and the rigor of European classical form, before emigrating to the United States, where a third inheritance would shape him further.

His work has been heard at Carnegie Hall, where multiple world premieres have taken place, and has been recognized by the Latin Recording Academy with a GRAMMY nomination. He is a recording artist on Navona Records, one of North America's leading new-music labels, with multiple releases to his credit spanning solo guitar, chamber, and orchestral works.

Trained at UCLA and shaped by extended study in both Mexico and Italy, Piacentini has developed a compositional language that speaks across traditions without serving any single one. His guitar writing in particular — drawing on flamenco, classical, and Latin American idioms — has been praised by the Los Angeles Times and Forbes for its cross-cultural fluency and emotional immediacy.

He is a faculty member at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, where he teaches guitar and composition. A dedicated educator as well as performer, he has given masterclasses and lectures at conservatories and universities across the United States and Latin America. Giovanni Piacentini is based in Los Angeles.


High-Resolution Photos
Giovanni Piacentini — LA Times editorial portrait
Editorial Portrait
© Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times · 2021
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Giovanni Piacentini — press headshot
Press Headshot
High resolution · For print and digital use
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Performance photo
available on request
Performance Photography
Stage and concert photography · Various venues
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All photos provided for press and promotional use only. Photo credit required. Contact for licensing and commercial use.


Discography — Navona Records
Sonata for Guitar
Navona Records
Navona Records
Sonata for Guitar
Available on major streaming platforms
Chamber Works
Navona Records
Navona Records
Chamber Works
Available on major streaming platforms
Full Discography
9 Albums · 3 Labels
Navona Records & more
Complete Discography
9 albums · 2017–2025

Press &
Media Inquiries

For interview requests, concert previews, feature articles, and media licensing — reach out directly. Response within 48 hours.

Send press inquiry
Affiliation
Faculty, Pepperdine University
Malibu, California
Record Label
Navona Records
navonarecords.com
Response Time
Within 48 hours