World-renowned classical guitarist Diego Campagna is known as a charismatic performer famed for his poetic and virtuosic repertoire.
On May, 2019, he received a Medal of Honor from the USA for his artistic career around the world. On January 30, 2015, Diego debuted at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City where he received a “Standing ovation” at the end of his solo recital.
On December 23, 2016, after his second recital at Carengie Hall in NYC, he received a triple standing ovations from the audience, after his 3 encores. Born in Imperia, Liguria, Italy, consecrated among the most important guitarists in the world of his generation, he began studying the guitar in Italy at the age of eight, after listening to a record by the unforgettable Maestro Andrés Segovia. Beloved for his charm and humanity as well as his talent, he is treasured by audiences throughout the world who respond not only to his remarkable artistry, but also to his humanity and his irrepressible joy for making music.
He studied at the Salzburg “Mozarteum” University graduating with full marks with the Maestro Eliot Fisk, with whom he deepened the technical fundamentals of the instrument and defined his own identity as interpreter of the guitar literature. For several years he has been carrying out an intensive concert activity as
a soloist and in chamber groups, among them the great soprano Mariella Devia, the “Neus Wiener Quartet” of Wien, the violinist Fation Hoxholli, the cellist Katharina Gross, performing in some of the most prestigious concert halls of Europe, USA, Asia and Africa., including the Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City, the Juilliard School of Manhattan, the Jordan Hall in Boston and the New England Conservatory, the Mozarteum Großes Saal in Salzburg, the Jan Hus Church and the Pisek Hall in Manhattan-NYC for Vox Novus, the Newport Casino Theater, the Kaway Hall in Osaka, the Alpen Hall in Cape Town, the I. Pane Theatre in Asuncion, the Beijing Central Conservatory. On June 2014, after his concerts in Newport, Rhode Island and after the workshops with the students of the public schools he received the Key to the City by the Mayor for its important artistic merit and June 22 was declared the “Diego Campagna Day”. On July 5, 2015, after his recital in Asuncion, Paraguay, at the presence of the Minister of Culture and the Ambassadors of seven Countries, he received the title of “Illustrious Guest” for its high artistic and cultural merits, in 2016 he was also given honorary citizenship by the Mayor of Badalucco, Italy; The same year he received an Award from the public schools of New York for his artistic cereer in the world and for the commitment to young people. He is the dedicatee of many
compositions by some of the most important contemporary composers in the world.
Regularly he is invited to hold masterclasses everywhere in the world and he is Visiting Professor at the prestigious Juilliard School of New York and the Beijing Central Conservatory. He is the Artistic Director of the label “Ets Cordes”, Rome. He won the prestigious “Platinum Disc Prize” for the guitar
music played in the single “Barrio” by the international popstar “Mahamood” priduced by Universal.
Upon listening to a record by the unforgettable Maestro Andrés Segovia at the tender age of eight, Diego Campagna began studying the guitar under Carlo Ghersi and Mario Senise’s direction in Sanremo, Italy. Diego continued his studies with Davide Ficco at the Conservatoire G.F. Ghedini in Cuneo where he graduated with honors very young obtaining his doctorate. From 2003 to 2006, admitted as the only Italian, Diego studied at the Salzburg Mozarteum University graduating with full marks (Postgraduate Universitätslehrgang) under Eliot Fisk, one of the greatest interpreters of our time and dedicatee of the Sequenza XI for solo guitar by Luciano Berio.
Campagna followed the master classes of some of the world’s greatest representatives of the six strings: Alirio Diaz, Eliot Fisk, Eduardo Fernandez, Roland Dyens, Benjamin Verdery. For several years he has performed extensively as a concert soloist as and in chamber groups alongside the likes of Mariella Devia, the Neus Wiener Quartet of Wien, Fation Hoxholli, and Katharina Gross in Italy and abroad, USA, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Mexico, Thailand, Chile, South Africa, Paraguay, Bolivia, Luxemburg, Austria, Germany, France, Pais Vasc, Spain, Switzerland, Catalunia, Croatia, Romania, Hungary, Norway, in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls of Europe, USA, Asia and Africa, including the Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City, the Juiliiard School of Manhattan, the Jordan Hall in Boston for the Boston GuitarFest and New England Conservatory, the Mozarteum Großes Saal in Salzburg, the Jan Hus Church and the Pisek Hall in Manhattan-NYC for Vox Novus, the Sagrato dei Corallini for the 49° and 50° Festival Internazionale di Musica da Camera di Cervo, the
Newport Casino Theater, the Kaway Hall in Osaka, the Alpen Hall in Cape Town, the I. Pane Theatre in Asuncion.
The Beijing Central Conservatory.
Diego is regularly invited to judge major national and international competitions including the international competition Counterpoint 2012 in New York dedicated to guitar compositions. On January 27, 2013 in his recital at the prestigious Jan Hus Church in Manhattan, he executed “World Premiere” in the piece for solo guitar of Greg Caffrey, a composition winner of the Counterpoint in New York, other recitals Diego gave in the United States were dedicated to the “Segovia” repertoire for guitar and music of the most important Italian composers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. On January 30, 2015, Diego debuted at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City where he received a “Standing ovation” at the end of his recital and he is consecrated among the most important guitarists in the world of his generation.
In June of 2014, after his master classes and concerts in Newport, Rhode Island, Campagna received the Key to the City by the mayor for his important artistic merit and June 22nd was declared the “Diego Campagna Day “. On July 5, 2015, after his recital in Asuncion, Paraguay, at the presence of the Minister of Culture and the Ambassadors of seven Countries, he received the title of “Illustrious Guest” for its high artistic and cultural merits and in 2016 he was also given honorary citizenship by the Mayor of Badalucco, Italy.
On December 23, 2016, after his second recital at Carengie Hall in NYC, he received a triple standing ovations from the NYC audience, after his 3 encores, Together, with the concert activities, Diego has a fervent didactic report with numerous advanced pupils and every August he leads an international master class in four languages at the Badalucco (Imperia) town council during the international MusicalMente Festival.
In 2015 he founded and leads as the Artistic Director of the Sanremo International Guitar Festival & Competition, one of the best guitar festivals in the world, the MusicalMente Festival in Badalucco (Valle Argentina). Diego is also the President and the Artistic Director of “Guitar & Friends” Italy (Imperia-Boston). Campagna has recorded for M.A.P. Classics Milan the album “Music from a parallel world,” New music for guitar, entirely dedicated to new compositions for guitar and for “ETS CORDES” Record his last album “The moon represents my heart”. Diego plays a SAKURAI MAESTRO RF guitar and a SANTO VRUNA guitar. He is the Artistic Director of the label “Ets Cordes” Rome.
Critics acclaim
“A wonderful world class guitarist” DAILY VOICE. “A protègè of Eliot Fisk, Diego Campagna is an excellent guitarist who combines Italian spirit with training from Mozarteum in Salzburg” NEW YORK TIMES. “Diego Campagna’s playing was full-bodied, often muscular, and made excellent us of pace and silence” VOXNOVUS -Manhattan- NYC. “Despite his young age he has already reached a high and refined level of preparation” LA STAMPA. “An extraordinary talent” IL SECOLO XIX “A name, a guarantee” IL TIRRENO. “A pure talent” LA NAZIONE. “A musician with an extraordinary and uncommon intelligence” ELIOT FISK (considered among the world’s greatest guitarists, favorite student of Segovia). “Thank you for your immense musical talent and for your art” RADOVAN VLATKOVITCH (world-class performer, principal horn of the “Berliner Philharmoniker”). “My compliments for your great musicality, a great talent ”
EDUARDO FERNANDEZ (world-class performer and teacher).