Marco Giongrandi is a guitarist, banjoist, composer, singer-songwriter, producer and music teacher from Milan (IT) based in Brussels (BE) since 2014. Active in various musical scenes around Europe, such as jazz, improvised music, pop and rock, he is also a founding – though no longer active – member of Honolulu Records, an independent Italian label with a focus on Europe.
• STUDIES: Marco has studied at the “Civici Corsi di Jazz di Milano” (4 years degree), has a bachelor degree in Jazz from the Conservatory G.Verdi of Milan, a master degree in Jazz Guitar from KBC, the Royal Flemish Conservatory of Brussels, and a master in Music Pedagogy (AESS) from CRB, the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles. He was inspired most of all by the teachers Roberto Cecchetto, Franco Cerri, Bebo Ferra, John Taylor, Kris Defoort during his studies.
• AWARDS: As a performer he was awarded a scholarship for “best guitar player” at Nuoro Jazz 2009, second place at “Porsche Live Giovani e Jazz 2011” competition with Marta DG Quartet, and has performed twice in “Toots Thielemans Jazz Award” winning ensembles Fil Caporali Quintet and Hendrik Lasure’s “Warm Bad”.
• PROJECTS: In 2015 he released his debut album “Departures” on “Honolulu Records” as leader, composer and arranger of the band “Soares” with whom he toured extensively around Europe and China. Throughout the years, he has performed as a sideman in projects such as Dear Uncle Lennie, Hendrik Lasure’s “Warm Bad”, Kettle of Kites, Arra di Allas, Martha Moore, Honolulu Orchestra, ANK, Fil Caporali Quintet, among many others. These experiences led him to further integrate banjo and vocals into his core practice, culminating in his 2025 debut singer-songwriter album,When Birds Call in the Darkness.
• TEACHING: A music educator since 2006, he has worked since 2021 for the public academies of the FWB (Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles).