Giulio Zappa studied with Oleg Marshev, graduating in piano with the highest distinction at the Conservatory of Novara. At the same time he graduated with honours in Foreign Languages and Literatures at the State University of Milan, with a thesis on Russian opera. He started his career as a piano accompanist in the class of Bianca Maria Casoni in
Milan, continuing with Aldo Ciccolini and Irwin Gage. Since 1996, he has performed all around the world.

Specializing in the bel canto repertoire, he has been senior vocal coach at the Rossini Opera Festival since 2002, also teaching singers and accompanists at the Scuola dell’Opera (Bologna), Accademia del Maggio Fiorentino, Accademia Verdiana (Parma), Accademia Teatro Carlo Felice (Genova), Accademia del Belcanto di Martina Franca, Teatro Real (Madrid), Escuela Superior de Canto de Madrid, University of Jaén, Opera Studio of Tel Aviv, Wexford Factory, Glyndebourne, Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires), Bolshoi Theatre Young Artists Opera Program, and Oslo National Academy of the Arts (KHiO).

Giulio Zappa was artistic director of the Opera (e)Studio Young Artist Programme at the Ópera de Tenerife from 2013 to 2021 and since 2022 has served as the Artistic Secretary of the festival Donizetti Opera (Bergamo) and leader of its young artist programme, Bottega Donizetti.