World-renowned musician, concert pianist, composer, pedagogue and musical organizer, he was born in Quartu S. Elena (Cagliari), Italy.
He began studying classical guitar at the age of 6 and graduated very young at the State Conservatory of Music G.P. da Palestrina of Cagliari, obtaining the highest grades. He specialized with Leo Brouwer and Alirio Diaz. Winner of national and international competitions, he obtained a scholarship and moved to Paris, where he enrolled at the prestigious “Ecole Mormale Superieur de Musique A. Cortot”, graduating with a special mention.
At the same time, he graduated in musicology and ethnomusicology at the University of Paris “Paris VIII”.
Since 1988, he has been involved in the conception and management of cultural projects and musical events.
In 1989, he was appointed Artistic Director of the Ensemble International de Musique de Paris.
He manages the Artistic and General Direction of the Orchestra’s artistic activity and all related and instrumental activities.
He is in charge of the planning, realization and organization of the Orchestra based in Paris. As soloist and Artistic Director of the Orchestra, he performs in the main International Festivals such as Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse, Lyon, Cannes, Bordeaux, Strasbourg and Paris, highlighting the Italian chamber music repertoire with works by Boccherini, Vivaldi, Paganini and the Italian bel canto repertoire with works by Verdi, Rossini, Donizzetti and Bellini.
Parallel to his career as a musician, concert pianist, composer, artistic director and musical organizer, he is the creator and realizer of special projects for the promotion of music and culture linked to the region, as well as an expert in the research and organization of tours, productions and international co-productions.
Very active as a concert performer in chamber music ensembles, he collaborates with international theaters and festivals and with the most important musicians of the musical circuit such as I Solisti dell’Opera Bastille in Paris, Gerard Caussé, Katia Ricciarelli, Luciana Serra, Yuri Bashmet, Fabio Bidini, Pierre Amoyal, Marc Coppey, Jean-Frederic Neuburger, Jean-Marc Luisada, Gerard Poulet, Dang Suk Kang, Roland Daugareil, Federico Agostini, Jean Ferrandis, Alain Meunier, Philippe Muller, Modigliani Quartet, Anton Quartet, Koichiro Harada, Shigenori Kudo, Italian Quartet, Hermes Quartet, Michelangelo String Quartet, Mihaela Martin, Frans Helmerson, Nobuko Imai, Daniel Austrich, Enrico Pace, Pietro De Maria, Julien Beaudiment, Romain Guyot, Florent Heau, Alexander Chaushian, Marc Danel, Michel Moragues, Tatjana Masurenko, Krzysztof Wegrzyn.
He has a vast repertoire, ranging from baroque music and Bach to contemporary music, including forays into jazz and film music.
He has a profound knowledge of the great symphonic repertoire and of the bel canto style and opera theater.
Very present on the national and international scene, in 2001 he created the Accademia e Festival Internazionale di Musica di Cagliari, now in its 19th edition, of which he is also Artistic Director.
With the Academy, he carries out an exciting work of support and assistance to musical culture on an international level. His work has enabled young musicians to continue to cultivate the dream of pursuing an important concert career. Thanks to their tenacity, many young people have had the opportunity to perfect their studies with the most authoritative pedagogues of classical music, to enter the most important schools of higher musical education with scholarships and to be part of the international concert circuit.
The collaboration between internationally renowned musicians and young artists is the strong point of Cristian Marcia’s artistic policy.
This commitment has been officially recognized by UNESCO, which has chosen the International Academy of Music of Cagliari as one of its musical partners of reference.
The Academy collaborates with important music schools such as the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris, L’Ecole Normale A. Cortot in Paris, La Der Kunste in Berlin, La Geddai in Tokyo, The Julliard School in New York, The Royal College in London.
Cristian Marcia teaches classical guitar in Paris and Cagliari and is regularly invited to give master classes at the most prestigious Academies in France, Italy, Japan, USA and Korea.
He has made numerous radio and television recordings for RAI and Radio France.
In 2008, he founded the event “La Sardaigne, la Musique au coeur de la Méditerranée”, at the world headquarters of the UNESCO House in Paris, now in its 10th edition.
This event, of which he is Artistic Director, was created to support the development of musical culture in disadvantaged areas and help young musical talents, with the participation of show business personalities such as Claudia Cardinale, Marisa Berenson, Macha Meril, Katia Ricciarelli, Caterina Murino.
In 2019, he created the Multimedia Showcase “Bentu of Notes”, an innovative event organized to promote the knowledge of the territory of Sardinia. Music, performance and dance join the history and nature of the Molentargius Park.
The music he composed is articulated in the Mediterranean Suite ” I Quadri di un Ambiente “. in a minimalist style conceptually inspired by visual arts, dance and theater.
In 2020, he created the Musical and Multimedia Show AMBIENS where hypnotic and contemplative music, lights, projections and water lead the viewer on a journey through the natural environment of the Public Gardens and the art of the Municipal Gallery of Cagliari. A continuous dialogue between Art, Music and Nature . The music he composed is articulated in the composition IS STASONIS ” BERANU-ISTIU-ATTONGIU-IERRU in minimalist style , conceptually inspired by the four seasons of Sardinia.