Bio

“One of the most outstanding composers
of his generation”

–matias Nespolo- el mundo

Italian-American composer, keyboardist and conductor Raphael Fusco has been hailed by the international press as “one of the most outstanding composers of his generation (El Mundo),” and “accomplished and winning (The New York Times).” 

His genre-crossing compositions for voice, chamber ensembles, historical instruments, orchestra, opera and theater have been commissioned by Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Cecilia Chorus of New York, I Cantori New York, Hartford Chorale, Opernfestival Oberpfalz, Forum Neue Kunst, Opera Lucca, Classic Lyric Arts Festival, The German Forum, New York Repertory Orchestra, Empire Chamber Orchestra, Bachanalia, I Porporini and members of the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera Orchestras. He has collaborated with world-class artists such as GRAMMY Award winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis, countertenor Nicholas Tamagna, conductors Dirk Brossé, Mark Shapiro and many others. His works have been premiered in Carnegie Hall, Kimmel Center Philadelphia, Lincoln Center, St. Bavo Kerk Haarlem, Gaudì’s Casa Milà in Barcelona, Église de Saint Séverin in Paris, Dvorak House in Prague and Teatro Titano in San Marino. 

“An extremely multifaceted, atmospheric tone world of pure poetry and powerful energy.”
— Mittelbayerische Zeitung Regensburg

In 2023 his song cycle Quarantine Camp was awarded 2nd Prize  NATS Art Song Composition Competition and his choral work God is in All Things won 3rd Prize in the Fyfe Choral Composition.  He conducted the world premieres of his An American Requiem in the Herz Jesu Kirche of Graz and his cantata La canora contesa in Lucca, Italy in 2022. In 2021 he conducted the premieres of his operas inSOMNIA in Amberg, Germany (“a multifaceted, atmospheric tone world of pure poetry and powerful energy” Mittelbayerische Zeitung) and Der Telefonist in Oldenburg, Germany. His debut album REMIXED featuring original compositions for solo piano praised for their “stunning sonic ideas (Jazz Corner)” was released in 2019. In 2016 he premiered his concerto for saxophone Alternate Routes with GRAMMY Award winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis. In 2012 Cecilia Chorus and Orchestra premiered Divis Cetera in Carnegie Hall (“a wise piece…simply wonderful” Theaterscene). In 2010 The New York Repertory Orchestra premiered his Sinfonia Drammatica. In 2007 Raphael made his Lincoln Center Debut conducting his Concertone from the harpsichord with Bachanalia Festival Orchestra, and his oratorio Lamentations of Jeremiah was premiered by Barbara Dever and I Cantori New York at the New York Society for Ethical Culture in the 2004. 

Mr. Fusco has received awards from the American Prize for Music, NATS Art Song Composition Competition, Aliénor International Harpsichord Competition, Padre Martini Fugue Award, Bohuslav Martinū Composition Award, as well as grants from the  National Italian American Foundation, Exploring the Metropolis, Kunstuniversität Graz KWDS, and Land Steiermark.  His works are published by Universal Edition and Verlag Vienna and Ries & Erler Berlin. Since 2019 Raphael Fusco has served as Senior Artist in the Institute for music theater at the University for Performing Arts in Graz, Austria where he is pursuing a doctoral degree in artistic research.

“A lively player and fine improviser.”
— Los Angeles Times

As a pianist and harpsichordist Mr. Fusco has performed with the New York Philharmonic, American Ballet Theatre, Gotham Chamber Opera, Graz Opera, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Amherst Early Music Festival, and toured with Branford Marsalis.  In 2013 and 2015 he was artist-in-residence at the Piccola Academia di Montisi where he composed on one of the world’s finest collections of historical keyboard instruments. He has conducted opera productions at Kunstuniversität Graz, Morningside Opera, Boston University, Amato Opera,  Company XIV,  and was music director of Figaro90210! off Broadway ("Hands down the best opera update I've ever seen." Placido Domingo).

Raphael studied composition, piano, and conducting at the Mannes College of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Conservatorio G. Verdi di Torino, Vienna Konservatorium, and Paris Schola Cantorum. A passionate educator, he has given masterclasses at the Escuela Superior de Canto de Madrid, Manhattan School of Music, Boston University, Opera Lucca Festival and Classic Lyric Arts Festival in Italy.

Der italienisch-amerikanische Komponist, Keyboarder und Dirigent Raphael Fusco wird von der internationalen Presse als "einer der herausragendsten Komponisten seiner Generation (El Mundo)" und als "erfolgreicher und gewinnender Künstler (The New York Times)" gefeiert. Seine genreübergreifenden Kompositionen für Stimme, Kammerensembles, historische Instrumente, Orchester, Oper und Theater wurden von der Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, dem Cecilia Chorus of New York, I Cantori New York, dem Hartford Chorale, dem Opernfestival Oberpfalz, Forum Neue Kunst, der Opera Lucca, dem Classic Lyric Arts Festival, dem German Forum, der New York Repertory Orchestra, dem Empire Chamber Orchestra, Bachanalia, I Porporini und Mitgliedern der New York Philharmonic und Metropolitan Opera Orchestern in Auftrag gegeben. Er hat mit Weltklasse-Künstlern wie dem GRAMMY-prämierten Saxophonisten Branford Marsalis, dem Countertenor Nicholas Tamagna, den Dirigenten Dirk Brossé, Mark Shapiro und vielen anderen zusammengearbeitet. Seine Werke wurden im Carnegie Hall, im Kimmel Center Philadelphia, im Lincoln Center, in der St. Bavo Kerk Haarlem, in Gaudìs Casa Milà in Barcelona, in der Église de Saint Séverin in Paris, im Dvorak House in Prag und im Teatro Titano in San Marino uraufgeführt.

Sein Liederzyklus Quarantine Camp wurde 2023 mit dem 2. Preis im NATS Art Song Composition Competition ausgezeichnet. Im Jahr 2022 dirigierte er die Uraufführungen seines An American Requiem in der Herz Jesu Kirche von Graz und seiner Kantate La canora contesa in Lucca, Italien. Im Juli 2021 dirigierte er die Uraufführungen seiner Opern Der Telefonist in Oldenburg, Deutschland, und inSOMNIA in Amberg, Deutschland ("ein vielschichtiges, atmosphärisches Klanggemälde" Mittelbayerische Zeitung). Sein Debütalbum REMIXED mit Originalkompositionen für Solo-Klavier, das für seine "atemberaubenden Klangideen (Jazz Corner)" gelobt wurde, wurde 2019 veröffentlicht. Im Jahr 2016 führte er sein Saxophonkonzert Alternate Routes mit dem GRAMMY-prämierten Saxophonisten Branford Marsalis auf. Im Jahr 2012 wurde Cecilia Chorus und Orchestra Divis Cetera in der Carnegie Hall uraufgeführt ("ein weises Stück...einfach wunderbar" Theaterscene). Im Jahr 2010 führte die New York Repertory Orchestra seine Sinfonia Drammatica auf. Im Jahr 2007 gab Raphael sein Debüt am Lincoln Center und dirigierte sein Concertone vom Cembalo mit dem Bachanalia Festival Orchestra, und sein Oratorium Lamentations of Jeremiah wurde von Barbara Dever und I Cantori New York im Jahr 2004 an der New York Society for Ethical Culture uraufgeführt. Herr Fusco hat Auszeichnungen von The American Prize for Music, NATS Art Song Composition Competition, Aliénor International Harpsichord Competition, Padre Martini Fugue Award, Bohuslav Martinů Composition Award sowie Stipendien von der National Italian American Foundation und Exploring the Metropolis.

Seine Werke sind bei Universal Edition, Verlag Vienna und Ries & Erler Berlin veröffentlicht. Seit 2019 ist Raphael Fusco als Senior Artist am Institut für Musiktheater an der Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Graz, Österreich tätig, wo er einen Doktorgrad in künstlerischer Forschung verfolgt.Als Pianist und Cembalist hat Herr Fusco mit dem New York Philharmonic, American Ballet Theatre, Gotham Chamber Opera, Graz Opera, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Amherst Early Music Festival und auf Tourneen mit Branford Marsalis aufgetreten. Im Jahr 2013 und 2015 war er Künstler in Residence an der Piccola Academia di Montisi, wo er auf einer der weltbesten Sammlungen historischer Tasteninstrumente komponierte. Er hat Opernproduktionen an der Kunstuniversität Graz, Morningside Opera, Boston University, Amato Opera, Company XIV, The Duke off Broadway und anderen durchgeführt.Raphael studierte Komposition, Klavier und Dirigieren am Mannes College of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Conservatorio G. Verdi di Torino, Vienna Konservatorium und Paris Schola Cantorum. Als leidenschaftlicher Pädagoge hat er Meisterkurse an der Escuela Superior de Canto de Madrid, Manhattan School of Music, Boston University, Opera Lucca Festival und Classic Lyric Arts Festival in Italien gegeben.

Il compositore, pianista e direttore d'orchestra italo-americano Raphael Fusco è stato definito dalla stampa internazionale "uno dei più importanti compositori della sua generazione (El Mundo)" e "un artista di successo e carismatico (The New York Times)". Le sue composizioni trasversali per voce, ensemble da camera, strumenti storici, orchestra, opera e teatro sono state commissionate dalla Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, dal Cecilia Chorus of New York, I Cantori New York, dal Hartford Chorale, dall'Opernfestival Oberpfalz, dal Forum Neue Kunst, dall'Opera Lucca, dal Classic Lyric Arts Festival, dal German Forum, dalla New York Repertory Orchestra, dall'Empire Chamber Orchestra, da Bachanalia, da I Porporini e da membri delle orchestre della New York Philharmonic e della Metropolitan Opera. Ha collaborato con artisti di fama mondiale come il sassofonista premio GRAMMY Branford Marsalis, il controtenore Nicholas Tamagna, i direttori Dirk Brossé, Mark Shapiro e molti altri. Le sue opere sono state eseguite per la prima volta al Carnegie Hall, al Kimmel Center di Philadelphia, al Lincoln Center, nella St. Bavo Kerk di Haarlem, nella Casa Milà di Gaudì a Barcellona, nella Église de Saint Séverin a Parigi, nella Dvorak House a Praga e al Teatro Titano di San Marino.

Il suo ciclo di canzoni Quarantine Camp ha ottenuto il secondo premio nella competizione di composizione di art song NATS 2023. Nel 2022 ha diretto le prime mondiali della sua An American Requiem presso la Herz Jesu Kirche di Graz e della sua cantata La canora contesa a Lucca, in Italia. Nel luglio 2021 ha diretto le prime delle sue opere Der Telefonist ad Oldenburg, in Germania, e inSOMNIA ad Amberg, in Germania ("un dipinto sonoro multifaccettato e atmosferico" Mittelbayerische Zeitung). Il suo album di debutto REMIXED, contenente composizioni originali per pianoforte solo lodate per le loro "idee sonore sorprendenti (Jazz Corner)", è stato pubblicato nel 2019. Nel 2016 ha presentato il suo concerto per sassofono Alternate Routes con il sassofonista vincitore del GRAMMY Branford Marsalis. Nel 2012 il Cecilia Chorus and Orchestra ha presentato Divis Cetera alla Carnegie Hall ("un pezzo saggio... semplicemente meraviglioso" Theaterscene). Nel 2010 il New York Repertory Orchestra ha presentato la sua Sinfonia Drammatica. Nel 2007 Raphael ha fatto il suo debutto al Lincoln Center dirigendo il suo Concertone dal clavicembalo con la Bachanalia Festival Orchestra, e il suo oratorio Lamentations of Jeremiah è stato presentato da Barbara Dever e I Cantori New York presso la New York Society for Ethical Culture nel 2004.

Il signor Fusco ha ricevuto premi dall'American Prize for Music, dalla NATS Art Song Composition Competition, dall'Aliénor International Harpsichord Competition, dal Padre Martini Fugue Award, dal Bohuslav Martinů Composition Award e sovvenzioni dalla National Italian American Foundation e dall'Exploring the Metropolis. Le sue opere sono pubblicate dalla Universal Edition e dalla Verlag Vienna e Ries & Erler Berlin. Dal 2019 Raphael Fusco è Senior Artist presso l'Istituto di musica teatrale dell'Università per le arti performative di Graz, in Austria, dove sta perseguendo un dottorato di ricerca artistica.

Come pianista e clavicembalista, il signor Fusco si è esibito con la New York Philharmonic, l'American Ballet Theatre, la Gotham Chamber Opera, la Graz Opera, la Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, l'Amherst Early Music Festival e ha fatto un tour con Branford Marsalis. Nel 2013 e nel 2015 è stato artista in residenza presso la Piccola Academia di Montisi, dove ha composto su una delle più belle collezioni di strumenti a tastiera storici al mondo. Ha diretto produzioni d'opera presso l'Università delle arti di Graz, la Morningside Opera, la Boston University, l'Amato Opera, la Company XIV, il The Duke off Broadway e altri.

Raphael ha studiato composizione, pianoforte e direzione d'orchestra presso il Mannes College of Music, la Manhattan School of Music, il Conservatorio G. Verdi di Torino, il Vienna Konservatorium e la Paris Schola Cantorum. Appassionato educatore, ha tenuto masterclass presso l'Escuela Superior de Canto de Madrid, la Manhattan School of Music.