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Biography
Of French and American origins, I grew up in Italy where I completed my classical music education. I began to study piano at the age of seven and violin two years later. Until 1989, I performed regularly as a second violinist in the orchestra of the Istituto Musicale Corelli of Pinerolo and as a solo classical pianist. I participated in a dozen international classical piano competitions (Stresa, Bardolino, Senigallia, Torre Pellice, Capri), always reaching the top positions, including two absolute first prizes. At the age of thirteen, I participated in a classical piano master class with Jean Micault (former assistant to Alfred Cortot), and a few years later in a jazz improvisation master class with Raf Cristiano . In 1989 I obtained my BA in Classical Piano at the Conservatory of Cuneo , under the supervision of Aurora Verso. Between 1983 and 1992 I also played in a variety of rock bands, such as High Voltage (rock), Anatema (Italian rock and '80s AOR), Spleen ('80s new wave) and Dirty Secrets (ELP, Yes and original prog rock).
In the '90s my attention turned to pop and rock: in 1991 I won a scholarship and I obtained the diploma of sound engineer at the Scuola di Alto Perfezionamento Musicale (APM) in Saluzzo (Italy), then I relocated to Los Angeles to attend the Keyboard Institute of Technology at the Musicians Institute , graduating with honors in 1993. Soon after graduation, I joined Biloxi , a melodic rock band whose debut CD "Let the Games Begin" obtained worldwide success, reaching n. 10 in the Japanese charts (Burrn! Magazine) and n. 1 in England as the best import CD of 1993 (Kerrang! Magazine), as well as collecting an impressive amount of rave reviews worldwide. Biloxi toured the Los Angeles club scene extensively in 1993-1994, regularly headlining and selling out all the legendary Sunset Strip clubs, such as the Roxy, the Wiskey à Gogo and the Troubadour, among others. Biloxi then went on a promotional tour in Mississippi which culminated by headlining a show at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi (MS) in January 1994. Biloxi was about to record a second album and tour Scandinavia and Europe, and even open for the Monsters of Rock festival, but the band broke up following the tragic deaths of Bob Simis (our manager) and of Rich Symons (our guitar player). After the demise of Biloxi, I worked on an as yet unreleased progressive rock conceptual sci-fi project which deals with the evils of organized religion and alien genetic manipulations. Some of these tracks feature Tony Franklin on fretless bass. During my stay in the US I had the opportunity to work and study with some of the most skilled rock musicians in Los Angeles, such as Derek Sherinian (keyboardist for Kiss, Alice Cooper and Dream Theater), Tony Franklin (bass player for Jimmy Page, Whitesnake), Philip Wolfe (keyboardist for WASP, Keel, Angel), Tim Bogert (bass player for Vanilla Fudge), Craig Goldy (guitarist for Dio, Giuffria), Al Pitrelli (guitarist for Alice Cooper, Asia), Elias Arts (producer for Duran Duran, Yes), Carl Schroeder (pianist for Sarah Vaughan), Tom Hooker (Den Harrow) and Cat Grey (keyboardist for Prince).
In 1995 I returned to Italy where I founded the electronic space-pop/rock project Area 51 and the following year I released its debut album "In the Desert". Featuring Mio Nakamura on vocals and guitar, this project was a unique blend of progressive rock songwriting, AOR vocals, synth-pop sounds and arrangements with a futuristic image. At the same time, I founded Silhouette, a band which presented a split show with a first part concentrating on progressive rock (ELP, Yes, Rush and Dream Theater) and a second part focusing on R&B, funk and disco covers. In 1997 I created and developed Night Fever , which was designed to be a theatrical disco music band with a rock attitude and a futuristic sci-fi look inspired by Kiss, Star Wars and Japanese anime. Today known as Disco Inferno , the band is considered as the best theatrical disco music show in Italy.
After Night Fever , I took a break from performing for a few years, traveling to Sweden, Thailand and France, and resuming my academic studies. In 2005 I obtained a second BA in Musicology at the Sorbonne University . I also resumed my performing activities with American Piano Music, a solo piano program with a historical perspective that focuses on African-American piano music, particularly spirituals, ragtime, novelty, stride, boogie-woogie, honky-tonk, progressive rock and classical music. In July 2006 I returned to Thailand to shoot a 2-hour DVD documentary on pi phat ensembles and in 2007 I obtained an MA in Ethnomusicology. My specialization is traditional Thai music, with an emphasis on the ritual repertoire, pi phat ensembles, the wai khru ritual and the Tantric and esoteric worship of Brahmanic deities and demons by Thai musicians, particularly the supreme demon/god known as Phra Phirap. Currently, I work for the Istituto per i Beni Musicali in Piemonte as a freelance researcher.
Besides being a pianist, keyboardist and musicologist, I am also a songwriter, composer, arranger, producer and teacher in a variety of music disciplines. I have recorded several albums, both as an artist and as a session man, and I have composed soundtracks. I am working on a new science fiction progressive rock album.
In addition to music, I have also been active as an English teacher (TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge CAE, CPE, Trinity exams and particularly Business English for a wide range of international companies) and teacher trainer (TESOL certificates) for over 10 years and in several countries (Italy, Sweden, Thailand).
Discography