BIOGRAPHY

Carlo Zappa was Bon in Monza in 1967. After studying piano with prof. T. Airapetian and composition with prof. Carlo Pessina he graduated on trumpet under with Prof. Vito Calabrese.
He also graduated from "Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi" of Milan in conducting with Prof. Vittorio Parisi.

He studied lyric opera at Music Academy in Pescara with prof. Donato Renzetti. He has partecipated in numerous music courses: in Hungary in Szeged with Ervin Azel, in Italy at Chigiana Music Academy in Siena with Gianluigi Gelmetti, in Milan with Piotr Wolny.

 

He had is debut conducting musicians of Teatro alla Scala in Milan, performing "L"Histoire du Soldat" by I. Stravinsky. 

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He collaborated with prestigious national and international orchestras:

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Archi della Scala di Milano

Orchestra e Coro del Teatro San Carlo di Napoli

Haydn Orchester Bozen und Trient

Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali

Orchestra Milano Classica

Orchestra Cantelli di Milano

Orchestra Sinfonica Pro Musica

Orchestra Filarmonica Ettore Pozzoli

Orchestra Filarmonica del Conservatorio di Milano

The Jakarta Symphony

Sofia Festival Orchestra

Szeged Symphony

Orchestra Kurt Sonnenfeld

 

His performances have been acclaimed by the music critics and the musicians he collaborated with. 

 

Gustav Kuhn about Calo Zappa:

 

“…besides his music talent, I had the possibility to appreciate Carlo Zappa's human qualities. His positive attitude gave him the chance to establish a great relationship with all the musicians that worked with him...Carlo showed an extraordinary ability to prepare and conduct the orchestra with proficiency and professionalism. With his music knowledge Carlo can successfully deal with the symphonic repertoire, from the Classical/Romantic to Contemporary, and opera as well. The concerts that he conducted always pointed out a remarkable artistic..

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Maestro Roberto Rizzi Brignoli:

 

"I congratulated him for his extremely musical gesture, the quality of the fraseggio and the
sound of the orchestra. Carlo Zappa is not only a very talented conductor but he is also extraordinarily
keen on building interpersonal relations".

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Maestro Giuseppe Laffranchini, principal cello of Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala and Filarmonica della Scala said:

 

“The concerts were remarkable in many aspects, in terms of music and artistic results, and Maestro Carlo Zappa showed great conducting and fine tuning skills”.

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Carlo Zappa's repertoire features compositions from the Baroque period to the 20th century, focusing in particular on romantic composers and operas.

In 2003 and 2004 he conducted the Orchestra Filarmonica del Conservatorio di Milano, performing in the Main Concert Hall Prokofiev's 5th Symphony, the 3rd Symphony by C. Ives and Pulcinella by I. Stravinsky.

In 2005 with the same orchestra he conducted Carmen by G. Bizet.

He worked as assistant conductor at Orchestra Filarmonica del Conservatorio di Milano for several years, becoming assistant of M° Gustav Kuhn, and working on a wide repertoire that features:

Violin Concerto by Brahms, Violin Concerto by Beethoven, 1st and 2nd Symphony by Bruckner, Beethoven's Symphonies, Cello Concert n. 1 by Shostakovich, Concerto for violin, piano and strings by Mendelssohn, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen by Mahler, Inverno In-ver by Castiglioni, Ma mère l’oye by Ravel, Music for strings, percussion and celesta by Bartok, Kammermusik op. 24 n. by Hindemith, Concerto in Mib (Dumbarton Oaks) by Stravinsky, Terzo Concerto per Orchestra by Petrassi, Giardino Religioso by Maderna, Concerto n. 3 for piano and orchestra by Prokefiev, Shining Darkness by Vago.

 

In 2006 Carlo Zappa has been invited for a tour in Indonesia withThe Jakarta Symphony, becoming first guest conductor and performing music by Mozart, Verdi and Puccini.

He has been invited by M° Gustav Kuhn in 2008 and he made his debut with Haydn orchester von Bozen und Trient, collaborating with internationally acclaimed violinist Francesca Dego, performing Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto and Schubert's 2nd Symphony.

In 2010 he went on tour with the same orchestra in Trentino-Alto Adige conducting music by Rossini, and collaborating with harmonicist Gianluca Littera. In 2013 he conducted J. Brahms 4th Symphony.

In 2012 made his debut with Orchestra e Coro del Teatro  San Carlo di Napoli performing music by Mozart, Hoffmeister and Vivaldi.

In 2013 he conducted the orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali of Milano for a concert series dedicated to Beethoven, Rossini, Verdi and Cara.

In 2014 Carlo Zappa engaged himself as lecturer in a conference seires dedicated to Concertos for piano and orchestra.

In 2015 conducted the Orchestra Filarmonica Ettore Pozzoli performing Mendelssohn early symphonies for string orchestra.

 

In 2016 he wrote several compositions and made transcriptions for wind orchestraand composed the soundtrack for the short movie “Unconscious” by the young film director Luca Staffoni presented at the ShorTS International Film Festival.

 

In 2017 he started a new collaboration with the Orchestra Sinfonica Pro Musica conducting L’Histoire du Soldat by Stravinsky.

On october 2019, in 170th anniversary of the death of F.Chopin, he conducted the Concerto n.1 for piano and orchestra and Grande Rondò da Concerto Krakowiak with Orchestra Sinfonica Pro Musica and internationally acclaimed pianist Giulio Biddau.

 

He taught orchestra conducting at Scuola Musicale di Milano, a reputed music school funded in 1891 and leaded for several years by Prof Corrado Abriani, musician of Teatro alla Scala of Milano.

 

Carlo Zappa believes that music is social commitment and responsibility. For this reason on June the 30th 2012 he joined with enthusiasm and conducted the Orchestra dei Mille, a huge orchestra of one thousand musicians. The aim of the project was to offer moral support to the population hit by 2012 earthquake. A fundraising campaign was successfully completed in order to give scholarships to the music students of Fondazione Andreoli. The concert has been broadcasted on Rai Uno and Sky channel.