At 16 I started to take music and drum lessons moving to the next level, annoying the neighbours too.

Pino Basile, my first music teacher, kindled and pushed forward my passion for music. I fondly remember those lessons with a genius and skilled musician who still inspires me nowadays.

 

After college, I went to study classical music at the Conservatory of Matera, Italy, and graduated in Percussion Instruments Performance.

Here I transformed my passion in a profession and moved to another level, annoying the neighbours professionally.

The years at the Conservatory under the supervision of Professor Giovanni Tamborrino have been the best period of my life.

 

The wisdom of my professor and the varieties of musical experience so different among each other, have been useful and formative for me:

 

Recording albums with a number of rock and pop bands;

 

Playing classical music with different orchestras such as Orchestra Sinfonica di Puglia e Basilicata and Orchestra Ico della Magna Grecia, working with artists such as Catia Riccarelli and Annalisa Minetti;

 

Playing in Jazz bands and big bands, working with Italian Jazz trumpet Paolo Fresu;

 

Playing in Tamborrino Ensemble, an élite avant-garde music group of four percussionists whose purpose was to research different music timbres and different sounds using both conventional percussion and various objects. With the Tamborrino Ensemble I had the chance to play in important Italian music venues and festivals such as Mittelfest, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Teatro Piccinni and many more, working together with artists such as Daniele Abbado (conductor Claudio Abbado’s son) and Gabriele Amadori.

 

 

In 2009, I moved to the UK, where I continue my musical career playing with numerous bands. During my time with Harrogate Band, we took part and won the Hardraw Scar Contest, a historical brass band music competition in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. In July 2014 with Foxwood Steel Pans band, I played outside the Leeds arena for the Tour de France Grand Depart, the prestigious bicycle race which that year started from Leeds. In addition to playing music, I work in schools as a music teacher employed by Leeds City Council.