Gianluca Cascioli was born in Turin in 1979 and studied piano with Franco Scala (a pupil of Carlo Zecchi) at the Accademia Pianistica di Imola. Mr. Cascioli's career was launched with his victory at the 1994 Umberto Micheli International Piano Competition before a jury that included Luciano Berio, Elliott Carter, Maurizio Pollini, and Charles Rosen. He has since appeared in the major music centres of Europe, North America, and Japan.

Cascioli has performed with such prestigious ensembles as Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Camerata Salzburg, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Chicago Symphony, English Chamber Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mahler Jugendorchester, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, La Scala Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Wiener Symphoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker.

Conductors with whom he has collaborated include Claudio Abbado, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Myung-Whun Chung, Valery Gergiev, Daniel Harding, Riccardo Muti, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Metha, YuriTemirkanov and Mstislav Rostropovich, among others. Cascioli has performed chamber music with Mstislav Rostropovich, Yuri Bashmet, Maxim Vengerov, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Alban Berg Quartett, Clemens Hagen, Sabine Meyer, among others.

Mr. Cascioli's first recording (one of his awards as winner of the Micheli Competition) was released in 1995. There followed a second recording (featuring works by Bach, Beethoven, Busoni, Scarlatti, Debussy, Prokovieff, Falla) and in September 1999, he recorded an album of several of Beethoven's variations for solo piano, all three of which where recorded for Deutsche Grammophon.

In 2002 he recorded Schumann's Phantasie for piano and orchestra (first version of the A minor Piano Concerto op. 54) with the Basel Symphony Orchestra with Mario Venzago conducting (label: Novalis). In 2005 he recorded Chopin's 4 Scherzi for Decca (476 702-9) and in 2006 Debussy's complete Preludes (Decca 476 5724). In Spring 2009 Decca released Beethoven's Piano Sonatas op 27 n°2, op 31 n°2 and Eroica Variations op.35 (Decca 4763208).

Cascioli's most recent releases for Deutsche Grammophon include Beethoven's Complete Violin Sonatas together with violinist Sayaka Shoji, Beethoven's Piano Sonatas op. 78, 81a,106 (DGG 4815653), several XX century works from Russia-Ukraine-Estonia (DGG 4812809), Austria/Germany (DGG 4817315) and from Italy (DGG 4818978). In November 2021 Harmonia Mundi released a cd with Piano Concertos op. 58 and 61a by Beethoven, together with Ensemble Resonanz conducted by Riccardo Minasi. In 2022 Deutsche Grammophon published a new recording of 3 Violin Sonatas by Mozart performed on original instruments by Shoji and Cascioli.

Gianluca Cascioli studied composition at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi di Torino with Alessandro Ruo Rui and later with Alberto Colla. Cascioli's compositions have been performed in important venues such as the Musikhalle (Hamburg), Wigmore Hall (London), and Palau de la Musica (Barcellona). In 2018, the record company Universal released 2 digital albums with Cascioli's compositions.

Some of Cascioli's compositions have been awarded in national and international composition competitions, such as:

• 2020: 6th International composition competition Antonio Smareglia, second prize for Quarta Sonata for solo piano (1st prize not awarded).
• 2015: Secondo Concorso Nazionale di Composizione “Francesco Agnello” (E. Morricone, president of the jury), first prize for Secondo Trio for violin, cello and piano. (During the 2016 season, Cascioli's Secondo Trio was performed several times in Italy by Trio di Parma)
• 2014: European Musical Competition (Moncalieri), first prize for Trio for clarinet, cello and piano.
• 2012: Primo Concorso Nazionale di Composizione “Francesco Agnello”, first prize for Trasfigurazione, for orchestra. During the 2012-13 season Trasfigurazione was performed 12 times in Italy, under conductors such as Gianandrea Noseda (with Turin’s Teatro Regio Orchestra), Diego Matheuz (Teatro La Fenice Orchestra), Günther Pichler (Haydn Orchestra, Bolzano e Trento), Tito Ceccherini (Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino).
• 2010: XVI Concorso Internazionale di Composizione “2 Agosto” (E. Morricone, president of the jury), “Mozart-prize” for Fantasia for piano and orchestra (performed by Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna).
• 2010: 28th ICOMS International Composition Competition, first prize for “Tre pezzi lirici” for violin and piano.
• 2009: 27th ICOMS International Composition Competition, second prize for “Trio n.1” for violin, cello and Piano.