Born in Caltagirone, Sicily, in 2004, Samuel Vaccaro began studying classical guitar at the age of eleven. He graduated from the V. Bellini Conservatory in Catania with the highest honours and continued his training in Kraków with Michał Nagy and Ewa Jabłczyńska, in Lucca with Giampaolo Bandini, and at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz with Paolo Pegoraro.
His concert activity has taken him across Italy and abroad. His United States debut included a solo recital at the Italian Cultural Institute in New York and an appearance at Carnegie Hall. Other engagements include the RAI Auditorium in Palermo, broadcast on Rai Radio 1, the Solitär Hall at Salzburg’s Mozarteum University, and Casa Verdi in Milan.
As a soloist with orchestra, he has performed concertos by Joaquín Rodrigo and Leo Brouwer. His repertoire also includes music by Scarlatti, Regondi, Paganini, López-Chávarri and Ponce.
A prizewinner in national and international competitions, including the Niccolò Paganini International Competition in Parma, he has further developed his musicianship through masterclasses with Carlos Bonell, Aniello Desiderio, Marcin Dylla, Álvaro Pierri, Judicaël Perroy and Lorenzo Micheli.
In 2022, he was received at the Vatican by Pope Francis in recognition of his early career. His cultural engagements have also included initiatives supporting Ukrainian refugees and a concert representing Italy at the invitation of the Italian Cultural Institute in Kraków.
