What artists and performers have you had the pleasure of playing for?
I have shared the stage with several artists including: Javier Girotto, Max Ionata, Fabrizio Bosso, Alexia, Valerio Scanu, Francesca Michielin, Aiello, Alex Wyse, Noemi, Giorgio Poi, Ghali, Serena Brancale, Michele Bravi, Francesco Sarcina, Ermal Meta, Gaia, Willie Peyote, Marco Masini, Niccolò Fabi, Carmen Consoli, Anna Tatangelo, Alessandra Amoroso, Aries, Ditonellapiaga. With some of them I shared single concerts, with others long tours in squares, theaters, clubs and sports halls.
What would you suggest to someone who is just now entering the world of music as a professional?
I would suggest doing it with the utmost passion and commitment, trying at all costs to achieve one’s goal without losing heart. It is important to honor one’s role, to never feel like one has arrived but to always aim higher, to try to put oneself out there and humbly continue one’s path while trying to improve day by day.
What has St. Louis represented for you?
Saint Louis is definitely a reality that allowed me to become the musician I am now. I consider it a milestone in my personal growth and in learning theoretical/practical skills useful in my profession. The great helpfulness on the part of the teaching secretary, the care of the curricula and the teachers’ attention to the students have made a strong contribution to the training of so many musicians on today’s scene.
What is the most important lesson that St. Louis left you?
I am very close to the teachers I have had in the past, those people who were once my teachers and have now become dear colleagues. They passed on to me their love and passion for music, in explaining it, composing it, and especially in fully understanding it not only on a technical, expressive and practical level, but also in reading a hidden thought behind every note written or played.
For you, what is the biggest responsibility you have as a teacher?
It is important to be able to point the way forward by providing one’s skills and experience. The responsibility lies in trying to convey a method by putting the vast material and useful means of practice on the plate. The real challenge lies in trying to make people understand that a simple course of study within a structure is not enough to make great musicians. The rest of the work is also outside in sharing and meeting the outside world.
What is your favorite song that you would take to Noah’s Ark?
It is very difficult to select a single composition in the vast musical landscape. I choose Fabrizio De André‘s “La canzone dell’amore perduto,” a song that has taken root inside me and that despite the passage of years every time knows how to excite and capture me as if it were a first listen.
