“Not many conductors today can combine such an intuitive understanding of the repertoire, and such a secure technique, with so natural an understanding of how to get the best out of any orchestra. Claudio has been a breath of fresh air on the British music scene.”
Benjamin Buckton (English Chamber Orchestra)
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.
“The Classical Soloists award Di Meo for performances that enchant London… he delivered powerful emotions through the music for the entire concert.” (Editoriale Oggi)
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), among others.
“Claudio Di Meo conquered the audience in Colombo… his music reached the heart of the East.” (Repubblica)
Claudio Di Meo is passionate about working with singers in choral and chamber music. In April 2015, he formed the Lumina Choir, and has since established performance exchanges with orchestras and choirs in Sweden, Germany and Italy. He has recently conducted the Lumina Choir in performances of Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mozart’s Requiem, Vivaldi’s Gloria and Faure’s Requiem, as well as a cappella repertoire of works by Palestrina, Bach, Brahms, Bruckner, Stanford and Rutter, among others.
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.”
“The artist Claudio Di Meo exceeds all expectations at the Festival de las Almas to win the most prestigious award for talent in Mexico. It’s incredible how his music could unite people and culture.” (Il Quotidiano)
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 has collaborated with the well-established theatrical production company Stage Entertainmentin productions of Beauty and the Beast in Rome and has conducted performances of popular musicals such as Aladdin, The Lion King, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and Oklahoma! in England.
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 is one of the most inspiring and committed musicians I have met. A wonderful educator, conductor, composer and pianist, Claudio’s passion and enthusiasm is a shining beacon. I have experienced first-hand his exceptional ability to achieve extraordinary results when working with both children and adults and to convey his boundless energy and positivity to all around him.” Nicholas Korth (composer and Co-principal Horn, BBC Symphony Orchestra)
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.
Future engagements in 2020/21 season include performances in the UK and abroad of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Tchaikovsky’s piano concerto No. 1, among others.
“It is fair to say the first concert of the Hemel Symphony Orchestra, under its new conductor Claudio di Meo, was an outstanding success…The HSO is incredibly fortunate to have Claudio Di Meo as its new conductor.” (Philip Worth, HSO review)
