A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of being briefly interviewed by Maxi Broecking, who created this beautiful article fully embracing the poetic world of The Value Of Choices.
The article is featured in the April/May 2026 issue of Jazz Thing magazine.
Thank you Maxi for your deep listening and your wonderful words, here’s a short quote below.
“A sonic narrative, a true cinematography of sound.
The music is written with open spaces, like a commedia dell’arte of jazz.”
My new album for jazz orchestra The Value Of Choices is now officially released on Challenge Records (NL).
The project brings together 8 original compositions written over the past years, combining jazz tradition, orchestral writing, and contemporary influences from classical and popular music.
The title reflects one of the most important ideas behind the project: in composition, as in life, every decision shapes the final result.
The album features four wonderful guest artists:
Lieselot De Wilde — soprano voice
Vanesa Diaz Gil — alto voice
François Vaiana — baritone voice
Federico Pecoraro — electric bass
Together with an incredible orchestra of musicians who brought this music to life.
(all streaming platforms)
If you would like to support the project and own a physical copy of the album, you can order it through Challenge Records or simply reply to this email and I’ll gladly arrange it.
As an alternative, there are also four beautiful A4 posters created by Federico Fiordigiglio, available to support the project.
If you’re interested, just send me a message.
Available via Challenge Records and major stores
https://www.challengerecords.com
This album would not exist without the 22 incredible musicians who brought this music to life.:
Woodwinds: Martin Gasser, Pierre Lagache, Lennert Baerts, Tobias Volckaert, Duilio Ingrosso
Trumpets: Antoine Colin, Loïc Dumoulin, Jany Van Lul, Thomas Mayade, Pierre-Antoine Savoyat
Trombones: Frederik Heirman, Tim Daemen, Quinten De Cracker, Nabou Claerhout, Els Verbruggen
Rhythm Section: Fil Caporali, Daniel Jonkers, Toni Vitacolonna, Yu-Ting Li, Machiel Heremans
Guests: Lieselot De Wilde, Vanesa Diaz Gil, François Vaiana and Federico Pecoraro.
An extra thank you to:
Federico Fiordigiglio (graphics, photo, videos), Vincent De Baest (sound), Robbe Willems (recording supervisor), Kris Defoort, Natahn Surquin, Elly Brouckmans, and the entire Challenge Records team.
I am thrilled to announce that my composition “Bloemen” has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious “Scrivere in Jazz 2024” competition, category B. This recognition provides me with an incredible opportunity for international exposure and network expansion.
The finals will take place at Teatro Verdi in Sassari on August 12, where all finalist compositions will be performed, and composers will present their creative processes to the jury. The winners will be announced on August 13, followed by performances of the winning pieces.
Stay tuned for more updates and wish me luck!
For more information, visit Associazione Blue Note Orchestra.
I’m thrilled to share that I recorded my album “The Value Of Choices” in July. It was an incredible experience, made possible by the support of fantastic musicians. Although there’s still a lot of work ahead with mixing, mastering, and finalizing the release details, I can’t wait to share this project with everyone!
Stay tuned for updates and more information on my website/socials/newsletter! 🙂
This is one of Gabriele di Franco’s most profound values. This led Gabriele to create “The Value Of Choices”, his new orchestral constellation and upcoming album. Gabriele has passionately devoted his creative efforts to composing for large ensembles, resulting in an impressive collection of awards. In fact, he has won no less than 7 international composition awards in the past few years alone. Among them, 3rd prize with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra & JamMusicLab University in 2023 (AT), 1st prize at Scrivere in Jazz in 2022 (IT), commissioned composer at the European Composers project of Subway Jazz Orchestra in 2021 (DE), 3rd prize at UMO Jazz Orchestra (FI), and many more. Today, Gabriele has decided to reinvest the awards won into this new ambitious project. The album, sharing its title with the project, draws inspiration from Gabriele’s mentor Kris Defoort’s greatest teaching, which is why its title track is dedicated to him. Featuring a mix of previously awarded compositions and fresh material from the past three years, the music promises an engaging travel through the diverse tapestry of jazz. The Value Of Choices features 8 original tracks, perfectly capturing Gabriele’s musical journey, with the special participation of 4 exceptional guests: Lieselot De Wilde (soprano), Vanesa Diaz Gil (alto), Francois Vaiana (baritone), and Federico Pecoraro (electric bass). Bridging the worlds of jazz and classical orchestration, Gabriele’s writing style is deeply rooted in jazz traditions, drawing inspiration from the great orchestrators of classical music while embracing modern and pop grooves. The album will be released on Challenge Records (NL) 6th March 2026.“While composing, one is often faced with an infinite range of possible timbres, dynamics, and evolutions through which the music may unfold. Every note chosen, every decision made, has a profound impact on the final result. In composition, as in life: this is the value of choices.”
“The Value Of Choices” is made by 18 wonderful human beings. Woodwinds: Alto Sax/ Soprano/ Flute/ Alto Flute/ Piccolo Flute: Martin Gasser Alto Sax/Soprano/Flute: Pierre Lagache Tenor Sax/Soprano/ Flute : Lennert Baerts Tenor Sax/Bb Clarinet: Tobias Volckaert Baritone Sax/Bass Clari: Duilio Ingrosso Trumpets: Trumpet/Flugelhorn 1: Antoine Colin Trumpet/Flugelhorn 2: Jany Van Lul Trumpet/Flugelhorn 3: Thomas Mayade Trumpet/Flugelhorn 4: Pierre-Antoine Savoyat Trombones: Trombone1 : Frederik Heirman Trombone 2: Quinten De Cracker Trombone 3: Tim Daemen Bass Trombone / Tuba: Els Verbruggen Rhythm Section: Double Bass: Fil Caporali Drums: Daniel Jonkers Piano & Effects: Yu-Ting Li Guitar & Effects: Machiel Heremans Conducting & Composition: Gabriele di Franco Guests: Lieselot De Wilde – voice Vanesa Diaz Gil – voice Francois Vaiana – voice Federico Pecoraro – el. bass
It is with pride that I can finally announce that my composition for Symphony Orchestra ‘5.8.15 for Carla‘ was awarded third prize in the Composition Contest Spheres of a Genius by Jam Music Lab Vienna & ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra.
The jury selected the 3 winners from more than 100 applications from all over the world!
Congratulation to the other participants and winners!
THE JURY:
– Marin Alsop,
– Angelika Möser,
– Christoph Becher,
– Bill Dobbins,
– Marcus Ratka
Gabriele di Franco and Francesco Negro are a duo of composers and musicians originally from Puglia (Italy). Their musical history is a fusion of two distinct paths: while Gabriele spent over a decade abroad and currently lives in Belgium, Francesco chose to root his artistic path in their homeland. Their collaboration was born from the desire to explore the blending between the acoustic timbres of the piano with the sounds of a semi-acoustic guitar, which often drifts into totally electronic sounds. In 2022 they released their first album Synolon (Workin’ Label 22 – IT), in which they channeled their musical research into writing strongly composed music, but which often opened up to moments of free improvisations. “Synolon” sees them on an extensive tour between Italy, Belgium, and Germany, and “Acqua“, the album’s opening track, was awarded at the 1st Ise-Shima International Popular Music Composition Competition in Japan. August 2023 sees them return to the studio, ready to create their second recording work entitled “Cantabile“.
Cantabile is the second album by the Italian-Belgian duo of Gabriele di Franco and Francesco Negro. Cantabile is a quiet journey that continues the exploration begun on their first album (Synolon), but greatly accentuates Gabriele and Francesco’s passion for melody and lyricism. Indeed, it is no coincidence that the album’s only guest is the Spanish singer and composer Vanesa Gil Diaz, who joins the duo on two splendid compositions ‘At The Border’ and ‘Dopo Tutto’. But the singability element remains strong throughout the album. Acoustic piano timbres mingle with the sounds of a semi-acoustic guitar that modulates to pure electronics. This musical research has led Gabriele and Francesco to explore new timbre combinations, generating a sound that, although strongly rooted in jazz, is not afraid to steal sounds and shapes from improvised music, electronics, and pop.
TRACK LIST 1. At The Border 2. Peace 3. LAMA 4. Dopo Tutto 5. Bloemen 6. Ombre 7. Oh My Love Recorded on 12th and 13th August 2023 at Cicaleto Recording Studio (Arezzo- IT) Mixed and Mastered by Francesco Ponticelli At The Border, Peace composed by Francesco Negro LAMA, Bloemen, Dopo Tutto composed by Gabriele di Franco Ombre composed by Gabriele di Franco and Francesco Negro Oh My Love composed by Riz Ortolani
TOUR DATES
I am extremely pleased and proud to announce that ‘Deep’, a series of 5 etudes and 1 interlude for modern classical guitar, will be released on all digital platforms on 10 March.
Deep will be released by the Belgian/Dutch label Etcetera.
The etudes were recorded by the talented young Belgian guitarist Jasper Iturrospe, who masterfully interpreted them.
But guitarists beware!
The scores of every single study are already available as a free download on this dedicated page, and starting from March, a live video clip for each composition will be published every month on my YOUTUBE channel
new content and updates will be posted on my socials:
and you can stay connected by subscribing to my four-monthly newsletter!
Oh yes! BETSABEA got the 1st prize (A cat) at the international jazz competition for jazz orchestra ‘Scrivere in Jazz’ hosted by Orchestra Jazz della Sardegna ! This is a double win as it was a long time since my music wasn’t played in Italy, so this makes it even more special. But I want to congratulate all the finalists, all terrific composers, and human beings! A special ‘hug’ goes to my fellow composer and old friend Tobias Hoffmann and to my new compositional friend Gerardo Pepe for winning in categories B and C! And to Laura Giulia Veltri that got a Special Mention for her nice work. And last but not least…thanks to the Jury members that choose Betsabea: Marco Tiso, Corrado Guarino, Michele Corcella, Gianluigi Trovesi
