Marco Di Stefano, composer

Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in music?

I started dreaming of a career as a film composer at the age of 10, when I fell in love with the soundtrack of movies like Back to The Future, Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones or Jaws.

Most recently I have been fascinated by composers like Arvo Part who are able to fulfill their artistic career while maintaining themselves out of the lights, focusing solely on their artistic creation and even inventing new styles of music.

Who or what have been the most significant influences on your musical life and career as a composer?

As already mentioned, the soundtrack of the classic movies of the 90’s have greatly influenced my style, with Ennio Morricone being my favourite composer and source of inspiration for his ability to tell stories with music.

From another perspective, I deeply love classical music, and composers like Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninov or Scriabin have built important pieces of my music language.

What have been the greatest challenges/frustrations of your career so far?

Like many artists at the start of their career, I juggle between professional activities and music, therefore finding sufficient time to spend composing is always a struggle. I have built a daily routine to shift from work to family to music in a sustainable way, and respecting that routine is key to remain in balance and be able to create at a good pace.

How do you work? What methods do you use and how do ideas come to you?

My work is always a description of how I perceive the world around me. Introspection is my key tool, which helps me shape and create abstract forms inside myself which will manifest as music. I spent many years being able to easily write what is in my mind, and today the process is very smooth. Most of the time I just need to focus and listen to the music in my head, which then I carefully notate.

I love to collaborate with other artists: in the past I have written an album inspired by a book (L’Estate del 78), one inspired by portraits (Portraits) and another by poems (Multiverse).

How would you characterise your compositional language/musical style?

My language is purely narrative, telling a story with music is my key objective. To achieve this goal I use a mix of classical and modern styles, acoustic and electronic instruments.

Of which works are you most proud?

Far Inside is my latest album, a collection of cinematic pieces which I composed, orchestrated and produced. This is the first album that I have produced end to end, therefore, it is the one I am most proud of.

As a musician, what is your definition of success?

Music exists when it is consumed, and having people who discover, listen and appreciate my music is certainly a success. As my music is purely cinematic, the biggest success will be to feature my music in a movie.

What advice would you give to young or aspiring composers?

Never stop learning, what we know is always just the tip of the iceberg. It is key to go deep and discover what is under the surface, and never to be afraid of what we do not know yet.

What’s the one thing we’re not talking about in the music industry which you really feel we should be?

There should be more discussion about finding new ways to monetize artists, as it is clear that the current model of the digital platforms is not fair especially for younger artists.

What next? Where would you like to be in 10 years time?

I see myself as a movie composer, having written scores for the big screen and for major productions.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

It is about the many small things that happen in a day, and not that one big thing in the future that never arrives. 

Marco Di Stefano’s new album Far Inside is out now