Mario Garuti graduated cum laude at the Conservatory of Milan with U. Rotondi and then attended post-graduate courses at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena with Donatoni (1982-83). His compositions, many of them published by BMG Ricordi, have awarded international competitions as Gaudeamus (Amsterdam), RAI (Milan), Fiocchi (Milan), Berg (Vienna), Hambach (1985), Carme (Milan), Petrassi (Parma). In 1982 he took part in the Venezia Opera Prima Festival. From 1984 to 1994 he was regularly invited to the summer courses in Darmstadt, where he won the Stipendienpreis.

He has given several masterclasses at the Conservatory of Paris, St. Petersburg, Damascus, Marina di Massa, the University of Cremona, Musikhochschule Stuttgart, the University of Milan, the Conservatory of Vilnius, the Conservatory of Granada, and the University of Malta. He also writes for the Sttutgart magazine Musik & Ästhetik. His works are commissioned and performed by prestigious interpreters around the globe, such as Trio Accanto, Alter Ego Ensemble, Arditti String Quartet, Icarus Ensemble, EX-novo Ensemble, Het Trio, Divertimento Ensemble, Baden Baden Sudwest Rundfunk Orchestra, RAI Orchestra in Milan, Orchestra La Fenice of Venice, Ensemble Novecento in Paris, Pomeriggi Musicali Orchestra in Milan, Marco Rogliano, J. Faber, Paolo Tini, Stefano Scodanibbio, Steven Schick, Robert Szreder, Oscar Pizzo, Duo Stefano Vismara e Nicole Kern, Manuel Zurria, among others. His new String Quartet ‘Cielo Perso/Anima tersa’ has been played by Arditti String Quartet during last Venice Biennale. He currently teaches Composition at the Conservatory of Milan.