Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dario Forzato. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Dario, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

As a parent of two wonderful young kids myself, I find myself thinking about this question more and more lately.
My parents weren’t musicians—actually, no one in my family was, or even is today. They loved music as listeners, but they could have easily been skeptical about me pursuing it as a career. It’s a difficult path, and I’ve seen many parents, understandably, try to steer their kids toward something more secure.
But they did the opposite. They always supported me.
During my formative years as a music student, they gave me the space and encouragement to take it seriously. And on my end, I think I gave them some reassurance by starting to work professionally at 19, while also attending university—which, for them, probably felt like a solid Plan B. Luckily, it’s one I never had to use.
One of the biggest things they did right was helping me understand the value of commitment and perseverance. I started studying classical guitar very young—at 7 years old —and it wasn’t easy. It’s physically demanding, your fingers hurt, and it requires a lot of discipline. I remember wanting to quit many times.
But my mom, especially, struck this perfect balance of love and firmness. She didn’t force me in a harsh way, but she gently pushed me to stay with it, helping me see that meaningful things often come from sustained effort.
Looking back, that made all the difference.
Years later, I can’t imagine my life without music—and that foundation they gave me has shaped not just my career, but the way I approach everything: with patience, resilience, and a deep respect for the process.

Dario, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a composer for film and television, focused on helping filmmakers tell compelling and emotionally resonant stories through music.
I come from many years as a touring and recording musicians, working in the Music Industry, but I see myself now as a Filmmaker because story and characters come first and music is just the tool I can use to help the audiences feel all the layers that can’t be seen on screen.
I primarily work on scripted film and TV, though I’m equally drawn to meaningful, well-crafted documentaries. Across both, my role is to help translate narrative into emotion—guiding the audience’s experience in a way that feels organic, intentional, and deeply connected to the story.
What I offer is a highly collaborative and tailored approach. I really value the creative relationship with directors and showrunners, and I tend to work in a more boutique way—taking the time to understand the unique voice of each project and building a musical world around it. Rather than applying a fixed style, I aim to create a distinct sonic identity every time, developing a custom palette that reflects the tone, themes, and emotional core of the story.
As a multi-instrumentalist, performance is also central to my process. I believe music should breathe—it should respond to the acting, the camera, the rhythm of the edit, and the overall language of the film. That human, expressive element is something I always try to preserve, even when working with modern production tools.
What sets me apart is this combination of narrative sensitivity, musical versatility, and a deeply collaborative mindset. I’m not just delivering a score—I’m investing in the story alongside the team, contributing to something bigger than the music itself.
What I’m most proud of is being able to do work that feels meaningful—to support stories that resonate, and to build lasting creative relationships in the process.
Ultimately, what I want collaborators and audiences to know is that I care deeply about the work. Every project is an opportunity to create something honest, intentional, and emotionally impactful, and I approach it with that level of commitment every time.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is collaboration—working with like-minded people to create something meaningful.
I truly believe that in a great collaboration, the result becomes greater than the sum of its parts. When things click, you push each other into places you wouldn’t reach on your own—creatively, emotionally, and even in how you understand the story itself. Those moments, when new perspectives emerge and something unexpected takes shape, are incredibly fulfilling.
Being a film composer gives me a unique opportunity to experience that constantly. Every project is a new exploration—not just of my own voice, but of my collaborators, the story, and the characters we’re bringing to life. It’s a process of discovery every single time.
At the core of it, I love the fact that this work allows me to keep learning and growing—with every project, not just as a musician or professional, but as a person.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I don’t know if it’s a single lesson as much as it is a mindset I had to gradually unlearn.
Coming from a structured academic background—I studied classical guitar at the Conservatory, and later modern guitar, harmony, theory, jazz, and composition in both Italy and the U.S.—I was exposed to a lot of rules. And those rules are incredibly valuable. They give you a strong foundation, a technical vocabulary, and a deeper understanding when studying the work of other composers.
But at a certain point, I realized that those same rules can also become limiting if you hold onto them too tightly.
I’ve seen many talented musicians get stuck there—so focused on doing things “correctly” that they lose the sense of play, instinct, and curiosity that makes art feel alive. For me, the real growth came when I started letting go of that rigidity and allowing myself to reconnect with a more intuitive, emotional approach.
In a way, I think artists have to go full circle: you learn the craft, develop the tools, and then—at the right moment—you step beyond them. You return to something more raw and honest, where emotion leads and technique supports, not the other way around.
That doesn’t mean complexity isn’t valuable—it absolutely can be. But complexity alone doesn’t make something meaningful. Over time, I’ve learned that what really matters is taste, sensitivity, and emotional clarity—keeping the core of the music, and of any art, rooted in something that truly resonates.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.darioforzatomusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darioforzatomusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darioforzatomusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dario-forzato
• Other: SPOTIFY ARTIST PAGE: https://open.spotify.com/artist/28gQI50bvd5HOxU9wmelEN?si=uxCpxybsQdi2q-zmKWRN9A

Image Credits

Photos by Axia and Emanuele Pica.