musica universalis organization
Watford
Award-winning conductor, pianist and composer, Claudio Di Meo has established
himself internationally as an exceptional talent in orchestral and choral music,
bringing clarity, integrity and dynamism to his interpretation of wide-ranging
repertoire. Winner of the International Conducting Competition Westminster
London with the London Classical Soloists, Claudio Di Meo began his musical life
in Italy, where he studied piano, composition and conducting, winning First
Prize at the Italian National Choir Conducting Competition in 2011 and First
Prize at the Enrico Caruso International Competition in 2014. An ardent exponent
of the music of Sibelius, Claudio is a member of the prestigious Sibelius
Society Italia, whose Honorary President is Sir Antonio Pappano. Claudio Di Meo
has performed regularly on the international stage, including appearances in
Hungary (Olasz VendègKòrus Concert Hall, Budapest), Sri Lanka (A New Direction
International Performing Arts Festival, Colombo), Mexico (Festival de las Almas,
Valle de Bravo), Lebanon (Al Bustan Festival, Beirut), Singapore (The Silent
Lines of Its Lips), Cyprus (Lefkoşa International Festival), France (La scene
Parisienne), and the USA (2014 New Year Concert, St. John the Divine Cathedral,
New York). Recent chamber music engagements include performances with soprano
Olivia Robinson (BBC Singers), Nicholas Korth (Co-principal Horn BBC Symphony
Orchestra), Selena Markson (Co-principal Clarinet of Goteborgs Symfoniker),
Susanna Candlin (former Co-leader London Mozart Players) and Hans Adler
(Principal double bass of Goteborgs Symfoniker). In addition to conducting,
Claudio Di Meo is widely experienced in film music, musical theatre and thematic
musical stage productions as both pianist and composer. A specialist in Italian
film music, Claudio Di Meo won a composition award in 2013 from the Governor of
the State of Mexico and the Director of the National Conservatory in Mexico City
in recognition of his “great professionalism and future potential as a composer
of music for cinema.” Recent highlights include a production of Maria Callas The
Black Pearl, which premiered in a series of performances at the prestigious
Esplanade Theatre in Singapore and subsequently in Paris and at Grange Park
Opera in England, with Claudio Di Meo as Music Director and composer.. Claudio
Di Meo’s discography as a pianist includes recordings of Ravel’s Ma mère l’Oye
and Debussy’s Six épigraphes antiques, as well as his own compositions Oceano di
cielo and most recently, Memories, a collection of 10 pieces for solo piano.
This collection has also been published by Upper Esk Music, alongside Three
Motets for the Virgin Mary, a collection of his choral music. Claudio Di Meo
recognises the importance of music education and is highly skilled in developing
the talent of young performers. Appointed Principal Conductor of Dacorum Youth
Orchestra in September 2015, Claudio Di Meo continues to inspire a new
generation of musicians with his infectious enthusiasm and commitment to
achieving high levels of performance. In October 2018 he was appointed Principal
Conductor of the Hemel Symphony Orchestra and, as a freelance conductor, has
been invited to work with other London-based orchestras, including the London
Classical Soloists, Trinity Orchestra Harrow, and Watford Symphony Orchestra,
among others. In May 2020 Claudio Di Meo has also been appointed Principal
Conductor of the Kensington Philharmonic Orchestra, in London.
