Meet Giovanni Piacentini | Composer and Guitarist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Giovanni Piacentini and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Giovanni, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind my, (or anyone’s) success is, to a certain extent, not thinking about it. Focusing too much on “success” and achieving this or that, can be detrimental. I believe that success comes from focusing on the task at hand the most while only dedicating brief moments to the “goal” or “destination”. For me personally , this might mean working intensely and consistently on a few measures of music a day instead of rushing to finish a large work or being overwhelmed by that thought. If you do this, then the quality of your work will be much greater and you will feel at peace with the fact that you gave it your best effort. This is my definition of success.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My background is extremely diverse and this is a big part of my musical voice. I was born in Mexico City to a Mexican mother and Italian father. I had a true multicultural upbringing being mostly surrounded with much older intellectuals from whom I learned to appreciate art among many other things.. I was exposed to all kinds of creative outputs and my house was filled with all kinds of music from rock and roll to Brazilian jazz and from opera to Chinese folk music. My music is infused and informed by this melting pot of sound. My music has no nationality and is a true synthesis of influences.

Early on I learned from my father that in life there isn’t “one way”. You must find YOUR way which will be different from anyone else’s. It’s very good to have mentors and teachers who inspire you but you must carve your own path and realize that what you create from a place of honesty will be truly unique. Don’t try to be like anyone else!

I’m most proud of the fact that despite coming from a privileged background, no one in my family is musically inclined and so I had to work very hard to understand my personal creative output and find my own musical voice. A very important lesson that I learned along the way is to listen to your intuition. What feels natural? What feels effortless? What feels exciting and enthusiastic? What energizes you in a positive and clean way? The answer to that is what you should do every day for the rest of your life. I’m currently writing a concerto for guitar and orchestra for legendary guitarist Eliot Fisk

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
LA is many worlds in one. If I had a visitor I would take them to the Santa Monica beach, to Korea town, to the Disney Hall and opera house, to the Hollywood Bowl and to a Dodgers game. Oh, and also to a food truck or two. There are some amazing botanical gardens as well.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a shout-out to my composition teacher Ian Krouse. His generosity and kindness are truly an inspiration to be better. His knowledge and the enthusiasm with which he imparts it is unrivaled. He is a great inspiration.

Website: www.giovannipiacentini.com

Instagram: @giovanni_piacentini

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giovannipiacentini

Twitter: @giopiacentini

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/giovannipiacentinicomposer

Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/GiovanniPiacentiniMusic

Other: TikTok: @giovannipiacentini

Image Credits
Aaron Lyles Inma Mariscal Keltse Bilbao