Daniel Espen began his piano studies with M° Riccardo Bettini at the “Luca Marenzio” Conservatoire in Brescia, Italy, earning his Bachelor’s Degree cum laude in 2006 and completing his Master’s Degree cum laude under M° Gerardo Chimini. He later pursued composition studies with M° Giancarlo Facchinetti, earning a Bachelor’s Degree from the “Arrigo Boito” Conservatoire in Parma under M° Luca Tessadrelli as top of his class. Espen also studied violin and visual arts with M° Elena Allegretti Camerini.
In 2007, as one of the top students of the Libera Accademia di Belle Arti in Brescia, he received an Erasmus Scholarship for Theatre Design at the University of Art and Design (UCE) in Birmingham, U.K., where he completed a Master’s Degree in Set Design and Theatre Direction with highest distinction.
Espen is the winner of several international composition competitions, including First Prize at the “David Maria Turoldo” Competition (2013), First Prize for his symphonic sketch Dance on the Spring of Life in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Arturo Toscanini (performed at Teatro Luciano Pavarotti and Sala Giuseppe Verdi), and First Prize at ICCCJ (International Choral Composition Competition of Japan, 2020) for The Chant of the Witches, recorded by the Metropolitan Choir of Tokyo. Additional honors include distinctions from the Seattle Composer Alliance, the “Ilaria Rambaldi” Competition in Italy, and the Busan Maru International Music Festival in South Korea.
Since 2006, Espen has been active as a concert pianist in Italy and abroad. In 2015 he released his debut CD Archetipi, featuring works by Luca Tessadrelli and himself. His artistic work extends to painting; his portrait Spirit and Matter – Portrait of Luca Tessadrelli advanced to the second round of the British Portrait Award Competition. In 2022, he exhibited in Shanghai at “db Art Space & Incubator” and “The Belgian House.”
Since 2018 Espen has served as a music professor in China, performing recitals in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Dalian. In 2021 he joined the faculty of the Royal College of Music (Shanghai section — Kingdom Music Education Group). In 2022 he received the Audience Prize at the “Costruttori di Armonie” International Composition Competition in Milan for his work Evocazione for cello and piano.
