Mauro Cardi (Roma 1955) received his musical education at the Santa Cecilia Rome Conservatoire, under Gino Marinuzzi jr., Guido Turchi and Irma Ravinale. He continued his studies with Franco Donatoni at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena and at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. In 1984 he attended the Ferienkürse in Darmstadt. He won many International Composition prizes, among them the “Valentino Bucchi”, the “Gaudeamus”, the “International Gian Francesco Malipiero”. In 1987 was chosen by RAI to represent Italy at the “International Composers’ Tribune” organised by UNESCO. 

He composed radio operas commissioned by RAI, in 1995 it was performed the opera Nessuna coincidenza commissioned by the Accademia Filarmonica Romana and in 2019 Il Diario di Eva, in Florence. He has received commissions from the Accademia Nazionale Santa Cecilia, Rome and Naples RAI Symphony Orchestras, Gaudeamus Foundation, City of Geneva, Biennale di Venezia, Ravenna Festival, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Orchestra Haydn, Nuova Consonanza, Festival Pontino… In 2019 he won the bando SIAE "Classici di Oggi".

Since 1990 he has been involved in computer music. In 1995 he has been selected by IRCAM for its international stage and he won several international competitions (among them Bourges and the ICMC). With Edison Studio he composed the soundtracks of some silent movies, Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari and Inferno have been published in DVD by the Cineteca di Bologna. 

President of Nuova Consonanza from 1999 to 2001, co-founder of the “Scuola di Musica di Testaccio”, he teaches Composition at the Conservatory “Alfredo Casella” in L’Aquila; he has taught and lectured about his music, beyond that in Italy, in different countries. 
His works are published by Casa Ricordi, RAI Trade, Curci, Edipan, Ut Orpheus, Sconfinarte, Sinfonica, Taukay, Semar and recorded in CD by Ricordi, RCA, BMG Ariola, Nuova Fonit Cetra, RAI Trade, Stradivarius, Brilliant, Edipan, Adda Records, Happy New Ears, Il manifesto, CNI, Taukay.

Photo: Francesca Checchi