Born in Rome, Sebastiano Brusco discovered his passion for music very young, he received a distinguished diploma from the Conservatory “F. Morlacchi” in Perugia, studying with Valentino Di Bella Who discovered his talent.
He attended various courses with pianists Lya de Barberiss, D. de Rosa, K. Labeque, P. Cassard, J. Achucarro (Accademia Chigiana of Siena), and with the Duo Moreno-Capelli.
Of great importance to his formation were his studies with Ennio Pastorino, (former student of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli), with whom he followed a three-year course and received a diploma of excellence from the Accademia Musicale Umbra, as well as his studies Aldo Ciccolini at the same academy.
Sebastiano has won many national and international competitions, among which first prize at the Carlo Soliva International Competition (1998), finalist at the International Competition of Musical Execution “Provincia di Caltanissetta” (member of the Federazione Mondiale dei Concorsi Internazionali di Musica di Ginevra), as well as first prize at the Gubbio Festival International Competition and numerous others.
As a soloist, he has performed with important Italian and foreign orchestras: I Solisti Veneti, l’Orchestra Verdi of Milan, l’Orchestra Nazionale di Stato della Transilvania, l’Orchestra di Tirana, l’Orchestra Sinfonica di Pesaro, l’Orchestra Sinfonica Abruzzese. He has worked with conductors such as R. Chailly, C. Scimone, R. Hickox, F. Totan, R. Gandolfi, and V. Antonellini.
In Italy, Sebastiano has played as a soloist or in chamber music formation in notable theatres and auditoriums and in important musical seasons and festivals: Parco della Musica of Rome, Nuovo Auditorium of Milan, Teatro Valli of Reggio Emilia, Teatro Regina Margherita of Caltanissetta, Teatro Ventidio Basso of Ascoli Piceno, Teatro Diana of Naples, Teatro Savoia of Campobasso, Istituzione Sinfonica Abruzzese in Aquila, Amici della Musica in Pistoia, Fondazione Concerti “N. Piccinni” in Bari, his debut at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto in 2005 (the final concert with orchestra was broadcast in Worldvision), Pergolesi Festival in Jesi, Settimane Internazionali di Musica da Camera (Ravello), Todi Festival (Todi)…
He has given numerous concerts abroad in Canada (Montreal Istituto Italiano di Cultura), in the United States (Washington IIC and New York University, in the Arab Emirates, etc. In Mexico (Monterrey), his recital was broadcast by satellite in Mexico and in the southern United States. He was invited there again in 2008 for a masterclass and solo concert with the Orquesta de Cámara de la Facultad de Música de la UANL of Monterrey. In Europe he has played in Spain, in Paris where he performed as a soloist at the Maison D’Italie (Citè Universitaire), and at the Atéliers de la Main d’Or (2011), in Switzerland (Zurigo) in the prestigious seat of the Zürcher Kammerorchester where he inaugurated the new auditorium. Currently, he gives frequent recitals and collaborates with Swiss artists in Losane and province. Other concerts abroad include the first national performance of Poulenc’s concerto for two pianos and orchestra in Cluj, Romania, Poland (Warsaw, Museo Chopin), Germany (Bonn, Schumann-Haus), in Belgium at the Festival Van Vlaanderen where the concert was broadcast on Radio Klara Nazionale, Brussels (Concerts de Midi) with well known Belgian clarinetist Ronald van Spaendonck. He played at the Grieg Festival in Bergen Norway, gave recitals for the Dark Music Days Festival in Reykjavik and other festivals in Iceland where he is invited every year. In August 2012, he gave a recital for the events leading up to the Olympics at the Italian Cultural Institute of London and after his success, was immediately invited a second time in October to play for an evening in honor of Italian ballerina Carla Fracci. Sebastiano was a guest artist in Turkey in 2011 for a recital in Dolmabahce at the Simposium dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the death of Sultan Abdülmecid presented by Turkish head of state Erdogan.
He dedicates particular attention to the music of the 20th century and has performed many world and Italian premiers: Tosatti, M. Gould (Concerto for two pianos and orchestra), Milhaud (concerto for two pianos and four percussionists), Boriolo, Taglietti, Busoni (first recording of pieces for four hands), Matteo D'amico and others.
Sebastiano recorded a CD for the record label Phoenix with pianist Marco Scolastra which was broadcast many times on Rai Radio Tre. He plays in piano duo with Marco Scolastra (since 1993) The next 5th february they'll play Schubert's 4hands works in the concert season of “Accademia Filarmonica Romana” in the “Teatro Argentina” of Rome.
He played also several times with the Russian violinist Vadim Brodksy (winner of the Paganini, Tchaikovsky, Tibor Varga, Wienansky competitions) and in other chamber formations from duo to quintet.
He recorded in piano duet with Marco Scolastra music composed by Matteo D'amico for Rai 5 television in the tv-serie “Inventare il tempo” directed by Sandro Cappelletto in 2015.
He recorded a CD of the complete impromptus of Franz Schubert, and currently he is recording a CD of all Chopin's Ballades, some Nocturnes and Etudes and Polonaises.
Sebastiano composed the theme song and other music for an animated cartoon series “Hocus Lotus” which was broadcast for three consecutive years on RAI 3 and translated into more than ten languages around the world. At the Derivio Cartoon Festival in 2005, he won first prize for “Best Soundtrack.”
He also composed and played a soundtrack, recorded for Warner Bros, of an italian and French movie “WAX” that is in the cinemas from 2016.
He is the founder and artistic director of the “Concerti della Sagrestia del Borromini” concert season in Rome which was started ten years ago with the intent of diffusing chamber music in Italy. The season was noted by the prestigious NY Times newspaper where it was chosen as the “Best deal in a cultural event” in Rome.
As the organizer and artistic director of the highly successful initiative “Museo in Musica,” his ideas led to the realization of numerous concerts in the great museums of the capital city and were adopted by the Municipality of Rome.
He directed an exposition in 2011 (Rome) called “Musica Arte” uniting visual artists and musicians in synesthetic collaboration in the extemporary realization of new and unrepeatable works by the artists and the performance of live music.
Sebastiano was the artistic director of two festivals in the Abruzzo region: Festival dei Marsi in Pescina for the 30th anniversary of the death of Ignazio Silone and Notti di Note in Pescasseroli from 2010-2011.