LONG VERSION

(248 words)

Post-classical guitarist and composer Emmanuel Jacob Lacopo is a boundary-pushing artist whose work is rooted in collaboration, and experimentation. His practice reimagines the possibilities of 21st-century classical music by dissolving stylistic and cultural boundaries, imbuing classical guitar tradition with live electronics, progressive metal, improvised music, and post-rock to create a distinct post-classical language.

Recognized as one of CBC’s 2023 “30 Under 30 Classical Musicians,” Lacopo’s performances often feature multi-instrumental setups and real-time electronic processing, emphasizing the guitar as a modular, expanded instrument. His 2023 release Eastman (People Places Records) reimagines the music of Julius Eastman for guitar and electronics and was praised by CBC as a “must-hear” recording. Moving fluidly between cascading layers of electric and classical guitar, the album honors Eastman’s radical musical vision while asserting Lacopo’s own compositional perspective.

Lacopo’s upcoming album, Dreamscapes and Our Modern Contradictions, marks his first full release of original music. Blending classical guitar with contemporary sound processing, the project explores what the guitar is capable of today, and invites listeners into an immersive sound world that challenges genre, form, and expectation.

Alongside his artistic practice, Lacopo is an active educator and advocate for accessibility in contemporary music. Holding a Master of Music from Yale University and a Doctor of Music from McGill University, his teaching and online work share technical knowledge, creative tools, and critical perspectives with a growing international audience. Through performance, composition, and pedagogy, Emmanuel Jacob Lacopo is contributing to a more open, pluralistic vision of classical music today.

short version

(129 words)

Post-classical guitarist and composer Emmanuel Jacob Lacopo is a boundary-pushing artist whose work is rooted in collaboration and experimentation. His practice reimagines 21st-century classical music by dissolving stylistic and cultural boundaries, merging classical guitar tradition with live electronics, progressive metal, improvised music, and post-rock to form a distinct post-classical language.

Recognized as one of CBC’s 2023 “30 Under 30 Classical Musicians,” Lacopo’s performances treat the guitar as a modular, expanded instrument through multi-instrumental setups and real-time electronic processing. His 2023 album Eastman (People Places Records), a reimagining of Julius Eastman’s music for guitar and electronics, was praised by CBC as a “must-hear” recording.

His upcoming album, Dreamscapes and Our Modern Contradictions, marks his first full release of original music, exploring immersive sound worlds that challenge genre, form, and expectation.