Marco Galvani is an award-winning composer based in London, whose choral and instrumental works have been performed throughout the UK, Europe, and America. Galvani has been commissioned by institutions and ensembles such as the Borough New Music, Tête à Tête, Museum of Liverpool, Classic FM, Edington Festival, Rushworth Foundation, The Sixteen, and Siglo d’Oro, SANSARA, Southern Cathedrals Festival, among others. 

Galvani was the inaugural recipient of the Schellhorn Prize for his choral work Ecce Quam Bonum, was a finalist in the NCEM Young Composers competition 2017, and was one of seven young composers selected for Classic FM’s 25th Anniversary commission in association with Royal Philharmonic Society, which resulted in two commissions from The Sixteen.

Galvani has written pieces for a variety of instrumental combinations, from solo instrument commissions for cellist Rebecca Hepplewhite and pianist Matthew Schellhorn, to chamber works for The Hermes Experiment, CoMA, CHROMA, and Consortium Novum of Oxford. Galvani’s work, The Day Does Not Pass (2018), was written for the London Accordion Orchestra who performed it in Slovenia in 2018, which led to the commission Vermillion (2020). Recent instrumental commissions have included a work for Guitar Quartet ‘Infinite Wave’ written for Quartet Malamatina and commissioned by Creative Scotland, as well as The Calm Sea (2024), written for the 90th anniversary of the Union of Accordionists of Geneva.

Choral music has been at the core of Galvani’s musical output, including commissions for accompanied and a cappella ensembles alike. His work, On Christmas Morn (2017), was performed by The Sixteen in venues such as Glyndebourne, Cadogan Hall, Sage Gateshead, and Birmingham Symphony Hall during their 2017 Christmas Tour. Galvani was subsequently commissioned by The Sixteen to write Stella Caeli (2019), which was released on CORO in 2018 alongside other works by contemporary composers in response to the Eton Choirbook. His choral work has also been performed by ensembles such as The Cambridge Chorale, Icosa, Voces Inauditae, Salisbury Cathedral Choir, Arcadian Singers and Chester Bach Singers, as well as being featured on multiple recordings. Galvani is Associate Composer with SANSARA, a post he has held since 2014, resulting his debut album of choral and electronic music ‘Invisible Cities’, which was released on Resonus Classics in 2021. Galvani has also written three chamber operas, Rothschild’s Violin, Autopilot Saves Model S, and Helena, written and performed in 2015, 2017 and 2021 respectively. During lockdown Galvani collaborated with Virtual Reality artist Rosie Summers to create a live improvised audio-visual show, which was live-streamed online, commissioned by the Museum of Liverpool. His recent work has been performed globally, and Galvani is represented by Birdsong Music Publishing, who are part of Harrison Parrott group.

Galvani studied for three years with Professor Robert Saxton at the University of Oxford, and subsequently with David Sawer and Oliver Knussen at the Royal Academy of Music. Galvani is currently Deputy Director of Music at the Yehudi Menuhin School, and balances his time between work at the school and composing engagements.