We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Giovanni Piacentini a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Giovanni , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

One of the most meaningful artistic project I’ve done is my Guitar Concerto written for Eliot Fisk. The reason it’s so meaningful to me is because it represents a huge milestone in my career and both an arrival and departure point for me artistically. Eliot and I met in the most serendipitous way one day in Rome. I was about 15 years old and had been a fan of Eliot for many years. He was by far my favorite guitar player and I admired him as a virtuoso and a maverick. One day, I was having lunch with my family at a restaurant in Rome, (where I was living at the time), and in walks Eliot Fisk. I couldn’t believe my eyes and with astonishment I told my father. He couldn’t believe it either and, driven by the impulse of such a random and wonderful coincidence, he walked over to his table, introduced himself and told him about my feverish fanaticism. My father, in his trademark charisma, said “I can’t stand your playing anymore! My son has your album on repeat 24/7!”. They laughed out loud, he came to our table for desert and the rest is history.

Many decades later, I find myself writing a large scale work for one of my childhood heroes. Something I never thought would happen in a million years. In fact, this project really makes me question if opportunity, or luck comes to those who work the hardest and stick to their passion no matter how hard. In my case, I feel like it did.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been held captive by music ever since I was a child and now I suffer from the Stockholm syndrome. I was born and raised in Mexico City with an Italian father, (which is why I have such and Italian name), and a Mexican mother with Spanish descent. I’m the product of a true multicultural upbringing and this is a huge part of my artistic persona. My music is very international and eclectic and is a reflection of my own background.

I’m a composer who explores his own voice mainly through my instrument; the guitar. I’ve worn these two hats for most of my career sometimes focusing more on writing and others on playing but really doing both simultaneously as they feed off of one another. I got into music because as a child I had very strong “musical visions”. It’s like my ear and mind somehow knew what notes to put together. Sound made, (and still makes), a lot of sense to me.

I’ve recorded several solo albums both of guitar works, ensemble and, most recently, orchestral works. I find that my musical voice is a crossover between classical music and contemporary music. I’ve always had a hard time finding a label or fitting my music into a genre and I’ve come to understand that therein lies its power and authenticity.

I’ve seen the power that music can have over individuals and societies first hand. My mission is to contribute as much as I can to enrich peoples lives. Entertain them while also inspiring them and igniting passion in their hearts. Good music has the potential to do all of that and more. I will continu

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I’ve built a solid social media following through many years of creating the most authentic content I can. I went to school for a long time to study things that I’m extremely passionate about and found myself with this huge depository of information. I decided that the best use of this knowledge was to spread it and so social media provided the ideal outlet for that. One day, I put my ego aside and just started making videos of my practicing certain pieces, explaining musical concepts that I find fascinating and just being me. And this leads me to the advice part; Most of us are too self conscious to reveal our true selves when that’s exactly what the world wants to see. The more real, relaxed and open you are, the more your content will connect with people. Everyone has something interesting to share. Just find what gives you energy and gets you excited and post about that.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

There is a wonderful book by James Clear called “Atomic Habits”. This book explains how the powerful concept of developing the right habits can change your life. If there is one book I’d recommend in order to get you to the next level, in whatever field that may be, this is the one.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.giovannipiacentini.com
• Instagram: @Giovanni_Piacentini
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/giovannipiacentinicomposer/
• Linkedin: Giovanni piacentini
• Twitter: @Giopiacentini
• Youtube: Giovanni Piacentini
• Other: TikTok: @giovannipiacentini

Image Credits
Zony Maya, Jill Sander