Maestro Giacomo Franci is an internationally recognized pianist, conductor, and recording artist. He is the Founder, Artistic Director, and Conductor of The New York Chamber Players, established in 2004. Since their acclaimed debut at CAMI Concert Hall in New York City, the ensemble has continued to grow in reputation and artistic excellence.
Franci is celebrated worldwide as a foremost interpreter of Aaron Copland’s music. His landmark triple CD, The Complete Edited Piano Works by Aaron Copland (Fone’ Classics), earned critical acclaim and established his reputation. He performed at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, for Copland’s centennial in 2000 to outstanding reviews.
His discography also includes Igor Stravinsky: The Complete Published Piano Works (2010, Fone’ Classics), praised by Audio Review Magazine as “the Great Igor Stravinsky in the outstanding performance by Giacomo Franci.” In 2016 he began recording Beethoven’s Complete Piano Sonatas for Sheva Collection, with multiple releases planned.
As a performer, Franci has appeared in major venues across Europe, the United States, South America, and Asia. His Carnegie Recital Hall debut in 1998 drew comparisons from Musica magazine to Glenn Gould and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. He has performed with leading orchestras including the Philharmonic Orchestra of Veneto, Orchestra Sinfonica di Grosseto, Richmond County Orchestra, Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina, Ensemble Orchestral de Bordeaux, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, and many others, often appearing in the dual role of soloist and conductor.
Franci’s conducting career has expanded internationally, with appearances leading the Shanghai Baroque Chamber Orchestra, Concepción Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra dei Pomeriggi Musicali di Milano, Boston Chamber Orchestra at Tanglewood, and the New York Chamber Players. He was invited as Guest Maestro at the Escuela de Dirección de Orquesta in Córdoba, Spain, for the 2010–11 season.
Trained in both piano and conducting, Franci earned his Bachelor’s degree at the Boccherini Music Institute in Lucca, studying with Gaetano Gaeta and Giampiero Semeraro. He was awarded a Master’s scholarship at the Scuola di Alto Perfezionamento Musicale in Saluzzo, where he studied with Jean Fassinat and Aldo Ciccolini, and later pursued conducting studies with Piero Bellugi and Gustav Kuhn at Teatro Comunale di Pisa.
Franci has been featured in broadcasts on WQXR’s Reflections from the Keyboard and WWFM’s Piano Matters with David Dubal, alongside appearances on ABC, WPIX, Manhattan Cable, Hofstra University Radio, and international television and radio networks. In 2008, he was included in the Cambridge Who’s Who Registry of accomplished professionals.
Originally from Tuscany, Maestro Franci resides in New York City, where in addition to his performing and conducting career he leads The Tribeca Music Studio, dedicated to training the next generation of pianists and singers.