Curt Cacioppo

Who is Curt Cacioppo?

Curtis Cacioppo is an American composer of contemporary classical music and pianist. He is of Sicilian ancestry on his father's side, and Anglo-Saxon ancestry on his mother's side.

He received his bachelor's degree from Kent State University, where he majored in piano and also studied composition. He earned an M.A. degree in musicology from New York University in 1976, where he studied with Gustave Reese. He studied at Harvard University with Leon Kirchner, Earl Kim, and Ivan Tcherepnin, earning M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in composition. He was also mentored by the ethnomusicologist David P. McAllester.

Cacioppo taught at Harvard University for four years. Since 1983 he has taught at Haverford College. His music is influenced by Native American music, and he teaches courses on Native American subjects at Haverford College.