VINICIO CAPOSSELA

Biography

Vinicio Capossela (Hanover, 1965) is a singer-songwriter, modern troubadour and imaginative storyteller whose work has continually expanded the boundaries of Italian songwriting through music, literature, theatre and cultural projects.

He made his recording debut in 1990 with All'una e trentacinque circa, an album that immediately earned him his first Targa Tenco, Italy’s most prestigious award for singer-songwriters. It was followed by Modì (1992) and Camera a Sud (1994), while Il ballo di San Vito (1996) further established his singular artistic voice. Two years later he released his first live album, Liveinvolvo.

In 2000, Capossela released Canzoni a Manovella, awarded the Targa Tenco for Best Album, followed by the anthology L’indispensabile (2003). The following year he published his first novel, Non si muore tutte le mattine (Feltrinelli), marking the beginning of an important parallel literary career.

Subsequent albums—including Ovunque Proteggi (2006), Da Solo (2008) and Marinai, Profeti e Balene (2011)—explored recurring themes of the human condition through increasingly ambitious musical and theatrical projects. These artistic journeys were also documented in live recordings such as Nel niente sotto il sole (2006) and Solo Show Alive (2009).

In 2012, he released Rebetiko Gymnastas, featuring original songs and reinterpretations inspired by the Greek rebetiko tradition, performed alongside Greek musicians. This fascination with rebetiko culture and the Greek economic crisis later gave rise to both the book Tefteri and the documentary film Indebito (2013).

That same year, Capossela founded Sponz Fest, the multidisciplinary festival he continues to direct artistically. Now one of Italy’s most distinctive cultural events, the festival explores themes of community, memory, folklore and contemporary society.

Also in 2013, he produced and recorded Primo Ballo with La Banda della Posta, a project dedicated to traditional dance music. His continuing exploration of rural culture and oral traditions inspired both the novel Il paese dei coppoloni (2015), nominated for the Premio Strega, and the double album Canzoni della Cupa (2016).

In 2017, Capossela received the prestigious Premio Tenco alla Carriera, recognizing his outstanding contribution to Italian music.

His album Ballate per uomini e bestie (2019) became the third of his works to receive the Targa Tenco, further confirming his status as one of Italy’s most original and influential artists.

On February 14, 2020, he released Bestiario d’amore, an EP inspired by the world of troubadour poetry and medieval symbolism. Following the interruption of live performances during the pandemic, he resumed touring in 2021 with the Bestiario d’amore project and premiered Bestiale Comedìa, a concert celebrating the 700th anniversary of Dante Alighieri’s death. The same year also saw the publication of Eclissica (Feltrinelli) and the launch of Personal Standards, a concert project revisiting songs from his early repertoire.

On April 21, 2023, Capossela released Tredici canzoni urgenti, an album born from the desire to engage with the most pressing issues of contemporary society. The work won the Targa Tenco for Best Album. Later that year, on September 26, he was awarded an Honorary Master’s Degree in Languages and Intercultural Communication in the Euro-Mediterranean Area by the University of Naples L’Orientale.

In October 2023, he launched the acclaimed theatre tour Con i tasti che ci abbiamo – Tredici canzoni urgenti in teatro, performing in more than thirty major Italian theatres. On December 15, he performed beneath the glass pyramid of the Louvre Museum in Paris in a special concert titled Giocondità.

On October 25, 2024, Capossela released SCIUSTEN FESTE N.1965, a collection of fifteen songs including original compositions, rewritings, reinterpretations and festive standards. The album was released alongside the documentary film Natale Fuori Orario, directed by Gianfranco Firriolo and presented at the Rome Film Festival, celebrating more than twenty years of Capossela’s legendary holiday concerts at the historic Fuori Orario venue in Taneto di Gattatico.

The album was followed by Conciati per le feste, an extensive Italian and international tour that once again showcased the extraordinary creativity, theatricality and cultural depth that have made Vinicio Capossela one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary European music.