Works

Fabio Vacchi studied with Giacomo Manzoni at Bologna Conservatory and attended the courses at Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood (USA) where he was awarded the Koussewitky Prize in Composition (1974). First prize at Gaudeamus Competition (Netherlands, 1976), he received commissions by RAI-Radiotelevisione Italiana, Berliner Festwochen and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Teatro alla Scala, Opéra Nationale de Lyon, Radio France, Opéra Comique and Théâtre du Châtelet of Paris, National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, Pittsburgh Orchestra, Wien Modern and other theatres and festivals. His compositions performed in outstanding Italian and international venues, have been commissioned and conducted by Abbado, Berio, Chung, Harding, Marriner, Mehta, Muti and others.
His work Briefe Büchners commissioned by Claudio Abbado was performed at Berlin Philharmonie in 1997. In the same year, on his invitation, he wrote a transposition for big orchestra of the work Dai Calanchi di Sabbiuno (performed in its different versions more than a hundred times and conducted by Luciano Berio and Zubin Mehta, Roberto Abbado and others). Tre Veglie for mezzosoprano, cello and big orchestra was commissioned by Salzburg Festival in 2000 and performed afterwards many times. En Vinternatt, commissioned in 2001 by Ferrara Musica for a tour of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, was conducted by Sir Neville Marriner. 
Terra Comune, for big choir and orchestra, on a text by Marcoaldi, conducted by Myung-Whun Chung was performed in December 2002 on the occasion of the opening of "Santa Cecilia" Hall at the new Auditorium of Rome. 
In 2002 he won the David di Donatello cinema prize, mention for best soundtrack, for Ermanno Olmi's film Il mestiere delle armi. In pace, in canto was written in the summer of 2003 to be inserted in the soundtrack of Cantando dietro i paraventi by Ermanno Olmi.
Patrice Chéreau (to be realeased in May 2005) used only his music - original or in repertoire - for the soundtrack of his film Gabrielle. 
Until 2006 he is going to be composer in residence at Mittelfest. The festival commissioned him the work Cjante which was included in the opening concert of the festival in 2004. In the season 2005/6 the Théâtre du Châtelet of Paris will organise a monographic concert series dedicated to the composer. 
He is Academic of Santa Cecilia.