Jacopo Lazzaretti (b. 1994) is “an accomplished guitarist” (Classic Music Live! Falkirk – March 2022) from Rome, currently based in Glasgow and active as a soloist, chamber musician, educator and recording artist.

His recent musical activity (2019-2022) includes concerts at the Stromness Town Hall for the St Magnus International Festival, in Edinburgh at the Usher Hall, Greyfriars’ Kirk, St. Giles Cathedral, National Portrait Gallery, Scottish National Gallery, Costorphine Dower House as well as at the Paisley Abbey, the Music Society of Helensburgh and at the Macrobert Art Centre in Stirling. As a member of the JKL DUO (Flute and Guitar), formed with his partner Kerry Lynch, before everything stopped as a result of the pandemic, they toured in Scotland in the first trimester of 2020 playing at the St Margaret Episcopal Church and St Andrew’s Church in Glasgow and for the Inverurie Music Festival.

In 2022, they started the UK Tour of their debut album ‘The International Poet’, featuring music new music commissioned especially for them from some of the most celebrated works by Robert Burns and receiving excellent praise: “The word “virtuoso” is often overused, but the musicianship and rapport of the JKL DUO who played for the Clitheroe Concerts Society last week deserve it fully.” — Clitheroe Concert Society (March 2022).

In addition to that, his passion for chamber music has resulted over the years in collaborations with other musicians, such as guitarists, violinists, flutists and singers. Recent performances include concerts for the Glasgow Mela (2021) as part of the Banine Music Ensemble; the Clitheroe Concert Society with Violinist Shlomy Dobrinsky (2020); St. John’s Kirk in Perth with Organist Stuart Muir (2019). At the moment, he also performs with Cuban Violinist Eddy Betancourt and Lithuanian Clarinetist Matas Ščerbauskas.

Since 2018, Jacopo has been an artist for Live Music Now Scotland and thanks to them he had the opportunity to bring his music to public venues as well as Scottish communities (Care Homes, Schools, ASN Schools) who wouldn’t normally have access to live music. As an educator, together with his partner Kerry, he regularly teaches from the JKL DUO Studios in-person and online students living in Glasgow and other Scottish cities.

Actively taking part in International Guitar Competitions, he was awarded the first prize of the 30th Young Musician International Competition Città di Barletta (2020), 8° International Competition Alirio Diaz of Rome (2019), North East Scotland Classical Guitar Society Award (2017) and the International Istanbul Guitar Festival (2015). In addition to that, he received the second prize at the 3° International Guitar Competition ‘Giuseppe Caputo (2019), the second prize (first not awarded) at the 7th International Guitar Competition Acerra Guitar Meetings (2016), the third prize at the Leicester MusicFest Competition (2018) and the third prize at the 11th Montenegro International Guitar Competition (2017).

His formal studies began at the Conservatoire of Santa Cecilia in Rome where he graduated from with a First Class Bachelor Degree in Music with Honours in 2017, studying with Arturo Tallini. During that period, he had the opportunity to pursue an Erasmus at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2015-16, which inspired him to come back in 2017 to study under the tutelage of Matthew McAllister and Professor Allan Neave on the Master in Performance Degree programme, from which he graduated in June 2019. During his studies, Jacopo has performed in many masterclasses with some of the worlds most well-known guitarists and he has been strongly inspired by musicians such as Giulio Tampalini and Pavel Steidl.

Jacopo plays a guitar made by the Italian Guitar maker Leonardo de Gregorio.