Francesco Gioia graduated in piano in 2002 at the Conservatorio “B. Marcello” in Venice, studying with V. Sivilotti, M. Puxeddu and W. Themel. In 2008 he completed a further degree with top honors, 110/110, at the Conservatorio “J. Tomadini” in Udine in piano, solo and chamber music, and composition, under A. Carcano, I. Gregoletto and D. Zanettovich.
He also obtained a law degree from the University of Udine in 2005. He studied conducting with Lior Shambadal, Donato Renzetti, Klaus Arp, Romolo Gessi and Giuseppe Lanzetta, and further refined his work with Ennio Nicotra at the University of Milano-Bicocca and with Antonino Fogliani at the Tartini Conservatory in Trieste.
He won Second Prize at the International Conducting Competition organized by M° M. Dittrich in cooperation with the Duna Symphony Orchestra in Budapest, received a Special Diploma of Merit from the jury of the Black Sea Conducting Competition in Constanța, Romania, and was a semifinalist in the International Conducting Competition in Córdoba organized by Lorenzo Ramos and the Orchestra of Córdoba.
He was selected to conduct Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 with the Orchestra Teatro Dal Verme in Milan and Brahms’s Symphonies Nos. 1, 3 and 4 with the Filarmonica G. Rossini of Pesaro.
He has worked and continues to collaborate with soloists including David Cooper, Marco Braito, Friedrich Edelmann, Stefano Flaibani, Paolo Armato, Rocco Rescigno, Luca Rasca, Rebecca Rust, Carlo Teodoro and Sebastian Di Bin, and is active as a teacher in conducting masterclasses.
He is founder and conductor of the AUDiMuS Orchestra, guest conductor of the Dutch Symphonic Ensemble, Bellagio Festival, I Fiati di Milano and Orchestra “G. Legrenzi” of Montebelluna, and Artistic Director of the “G. Canciani” Festival in Tolmezzo. He is also co-organizer of the Ottoni a Nordest Festival with Stefano Flaibani.
He is co-author, with Giovanni Canciani, of the book Chopin Method (Audax, 2010), creator with Giulio Pravisani of the lecture Math&Music, a member of the Friuli Venezia Giulia regional list of cultural experts, and a fluent speaker of Italian and English.