Described by acclaimed composer Franco Donatoni as “…a composer, musician and conductor of great talent and one of the most interesting personalities of the Italian generation”, Giorgio Magnanensi (b. 1960) has gained an International reputation winning numerous composition awards and serving as conductor for a number of esteemed Canadian and International new music ensembles. He has taught composition in Italy (1984–1998), at the School of Music of the University of British Columbia (2000–09) and currently he is lecturer at the School of Music of the Vancouver Community College.
Magnanensi’s music, which includes over 100 orchestral, chamber, electronic, installation and multimedia works, strives “to emphasize the value of difference, communication, and active participation in the creative process as a path towards a deeper availability to the encounter.” He explains: “the process is a living one that leads towards the foundation of a meaningful social function of the musician/composer in contemporary society, while fostering a deeper democracy of knowledge.”
Besides his renowned work as artistic director of Vancouver New Music where he has been programming and producing innovative and original new music events, concert series, and festivals fostering a wide and experimental curatorial approach, he has become “…an increasingly influential figure in Vancouver’s developing classical/jazz crossover culture […] one of the most outgoing, provocative, and multifaceted musicians on the local scene.” (Alex Varty). “His style disperses the ego—command model of western composition into an assemblage without centre or maybe with a myriad of them, evolving in relationship rather than static form.” (Carl Wilson)
His eagerness to explore the worlds of sound brought him to work in as many and diverse environments from multimedia projects to underground experimental electronic, video art, circuit bending, improvisation and contemporary dance. In 2007 he founded the Laboratorio Arts Society to actively engage in creative work within and for the communities of the Sunshine Coast where he resides with his family.