Marcello Fantoni
began studying classical guitar at the age of eight. Under the guidance of Lena Kokkaliari and Paolo Paolini he graduated from the Conservatory of Milan summa cum laude in performance. At the same institution, for a brief period, he studied composition with Danilo Lorenzini and Davide Anzaghi. He also studied musical analysis at the Department of Musicological and Paleographic-Philological Studies of the University of Cremona.

He was awarded a Sergio Dragoni Foundation scholarship and in 1996 took advanced courses with Eliot Fisk at the Salzburg Mozarteum, and then with Leo Brouwer in Córdoba, and Oscar Ghiglia at the Accademia Chigiana, Siena, where he won a scholarship and a Diploma of Merit. The Rome ARAM Association hailed him as an emerging talent, inviting him to play during their concert season.

He attended masterclasses held by Eduardo Fernández (2005), Timo Koronen (2005), Leo Brouwer (2006) and Pavel Steidel (2006) at the Conservatory of Florence where, in 2007, he earned a master’s degree in performance.

His compositions include Perpetuum, omaggio a Egberto Gismonti (for solo guitar, 2004), Omaggio a Michel Petrucciani, Omaggio a Manuel de Falla and Sonata Semplice. He has a number of broadcasts and recordings to his credit including the works of Spanish composer Tomás Marco released on the Italian label Dynamic. In 2014 Tomás Marco dedicated to Marcello Fantoni his chamber work for guitar, the Trio Concertante n. 5 “Cartografias of Melodrama” (for flute, viola and guitar). In 2015 he made the world première recording of guitar works by the Sevillian composer Manuel Castillo (1930–2005) on Naxos.