“From the insurrectionary squares of Kiev to migrant ships off the coast of Sicily, from abandoned theaters in Venezuela to hospitals during the pandemic — Francesco Taskayali brings the piano where no one else does.”
With Ian Urbina · The Atlantic, Pulitzer Prize
Francesco Taskayali is an Italian-Turkish pianist and composer based in Milan. His work moves between contemporary neoclassical music, ambient soundscapes, and what critics have called Mediterranean minimalism — a sun-bleached counterpoint to the Nordic post-classical tradition of Einaudi, Beving, and Arnalds.
Artistic Direction
Francesco is the Artistic Director of Piano City Palermo, one of Italy’s most internationally recognized piano festivals, where he curates programming that bridges classical tradition with contemporary voices. He also directs deipratidellestelle, an Alpine festival in San Sicario rooted in landscape, altitude, and the languages of the mountains.
Recorded Work
His catalog includes HIVERN (2024), a solo piano album written at altitude in the Alpine Occitan valleys; Dreambox (Sugar Music, 2024), winner of the Per Chi Crea grant; Retrospection (Sugar Music), reviewed by Rockit as the work of “one of the new reference names of Italian instrumental neoclassical”; Weaving Sound with Larissa Giers, a high-altitude collaboration recorded in the Western Alps; and the earlier Pandataria, inspired by the island of Ventotene.
Collaborations & Press
His music has been featured in international press including The Atlantic, where his compositions scored Ian Urbina’s investigative reporting on the high seas. He composes for film, dance, theatre, and contemporary art installations, with a particular focus on site-specific projects where music engages with place.
Live
Francesco performs regularly across Italy and Europe — recent appearances include Piano City Milano, Teatro Franco Parenti, Teatro Biondo Palermo, Auditorium Novecento Naples, Tempio di Giove Anxur in Terracina, the Italian Cultural Institutes circuit, and festivals from Albera Ligure to Vicenza.