Born in Palermo on 29th October 1959.
Since 1980 starts to devote himself by profession to the music,
to the theatre and to performance in general,
getting to be a member of a chorus that later on will became a vocal
and instrumental ensemble,
under the direction of maestro Gabriel Garrido, specialised in the
repertory of ancient music.
He studies Renaissance singing, first with C. Carbi, then with
V. Zimtea, W. Fromme, J. Dudley.
Since 1981 starts working with a theatrical company (Il Teatro
Vagante of Palermo).
Meanwhile he devotes himself with passion to the study of Sicilian
history and folk traditions.
Since the middle of the 80th he goes deep into the technique
and the study of wind instruments
(trumpet, saxophone, clarinet) as an self-taught man, playing with
the group ìAgricantusî, too.
With his own theatrical company, he devotes himself to performances
that can be brought back to the
theatre of ìFigureî (marionette, Chinese shadows, puppet), looking
for a way of playing that starting
from the manner of ìpupariî (the typical Sicilian puppet showmen) and
of ìcuntastorieî (traditional ballad-singer)
searches its own vocal style.
From 1985 to 1996 devotes himself to the spreading of theatre
and music in the schools in Sicily,
first of all on behalf of the Ente Autonomo Teatro Massimo (the local
theatre organisation) in Palermo
and then for the cultural co-operative society Agricantus of Palermo.
From 1987 to 1995 he took part to several recordings
(TACTUS, SYMPHONIA (Diapason díoro award in 1991), K 167
(Diapason díoro award in 1994, Vivaldi award in 1995),
ACCENT, JAZZ HALO'.
taking part to many theatrical and musical tour in Italy and abroad.
In 1990 took part to the theatrical performance ìLa sposa di
Messinaî (the bride from Messina)
on a text of F. Schiller, directed by Elio De Capitani on the occasion
of the Orestiadi in Gibellina.
During the season 1991/92 worked for the organisation of the
bill of the Piccolo Teatro in Palermo
dedicated to the contemporary authorís theatre.
Actually conceives and directs artistical and didactic projects
in the fields of music, theatre and animation.
These projects have been adopted and realised by several regional and
municipal assessorships, schools, quarters and so onÖ
Since 1992 collaborates firmly with the cultural co-operative
society AGRICANTUS of Palermo,
whom artistic direction he took upon himself in 1995.
In 1994 he starts collaborating about the music of search and
of improvisation with other musicians of the improviser area.
In 1995 he took care of the artistic direction of the music and
theatrical review for teenagers ìMusic on the mirrorî.
He took place as an actor to the short film of Salvo Cuccia ìMother
Earthî.
In July 1996 he took place to the ìpoets nightî organised by
Alberto Masala in Rimini.
In summer 1996 he took on tour in Belgium (Alden Biesen and Anversa
festivals) the performance ìRolandís Taleî
(those text he wrote) with the group of Renaissance music of Geneva
ìDedalusî directed by Roberto Festa.
Still in 1996 he took place at a theatrical workgroup given by
the director Carlo Cecchi and under the leading
of the same director he played in W. Shakespeareís tragedy Hamlet,
performed in Palermo on occasion of the
reopening of the half-destroyed historical theatre ìGaribaldiî, collaborating
to the sceneís music, too, with the
composer and conductor Aimone Mantero.
Since 1996 belongs to the ìHereo nonettoî directed by Giorgio
Occhipinti.
Actually is the artistic director of the Polyvalent Cultural
Centre AGRICANTUS on behalf of which directs different
theatrical and musical seasons of international level. He has been
the musical responsible of the project ìInquiry of the Godî
written by Beatrice Monroy with the direction of Walter Manfrè
and financed by the Town Council of Palermo
(January - June 98). He collaborated with the weekly newspaper
ìAvvenimentiî with some articles about history
and costume of Palermo. He founded in 1998 the Cultural Association
ALF LEILA.
Some participation and collaborations with public
and private organisations:
E. A. Teatro Massimo di Palermo / Teatro
Biondo di Palermo / Orestiadi di Gibellina (TP) /
Teatro Olimpico (Roma) / Teatro Due (Parma)
/ C.T.F. (Cervia) / Teatro Goldoni (Venezia) /
PiccoloTeatro di Palermo / C.R.T. (Milano)
/ Museo Int. delle Marionette (Palermo) /
Ist. Cult. Italo-Francese (Napoli) / Rassegna
di teatro di figura (Padova) /
Ass. Figli d'Arte Cuticchio (Palermo) / Ass.
"Antonio Il Verso" (Palermo) / Daedalus Ensemble (Ginevra) /
Ass. Accademia Cantori Nuovi ( Palermo) /
Officina Studi Medievali (Palermo) /
Liceo musicale Ganassi di Catania / R.A.I.
/ Radio Suisse Romande / Teatro Furio Camillo (Roma) /
Ass. Siciliana Amici della Musica./ Coop.va
Agricantus (PA) / Elyma Ensemble (Ginevra) / E.T.I. (Roma). /
Conserv..di Musica V. Bellini (PA). / Rassegna
di teatro di figura (S.Miniato)./ Ass. A .d. M. (Campobasso)./
Ass.Teatro delle Beffe (PA). / Radio 3 (Belgio)
/ BRTN (TV Belga) / Festival Ibleo del Jazz (Ragusa);
Bimhuis (Amsterdam); Progetto Cremona Teatri
- Sirius (Biel) - Goethe Institut PA -
1° Festival Internazionale del Mediterraneo
(Pozzallo RG) - Jazz Festival (Noci BA) -
Progetto Asolo (Asolo TV) - AKUT Jazz Festival
(Mainz - D) - Festival Jazz De WEERT (Bruges - B)
Jazz à Liege (LIEGI - B) - Incontri
(Monte S.Savino -AR), Extra Moenia Festival SR, - F.I.L.O. Festival
Londrina (Parana' Brasile) - Jazz a Mulhouse
(F) - Astiteatro (AT) - Le citta' Invisibili - Teatro Potlach (Bologna)
Farfa (RI) - Festivo (Chiemgau - Germania)
- Curva Minore (Palermo) -
Original music:
Punch or of optimism 1998 (theatrical performance) (Prod. Il Teatro
Vagante)
Ciarari (Smelling) 1992 (video) (Prod. Studio Lizard)
Puss in Boots 1993 (theatrical performance) (Prod. Il Teatro
Vagante)
Inquiry on the God 1998 (theatrical performance) (Prod. Comune
di Palermo)
Texts in Sicilian dialect written and represented:
Rolandís Tale freely inspired to L. Ariosto 94/95 (Prod. Radio Suisse
Romande ? Geneva)
La putia di li surci (Mouseís shop) freely taken from G. Rodari
95/96 (Prod. Coop. Agricantus).
Various Collaborations
Carlo Actis Dato, Vito Amatulli, Marco Andriolo, Josep Benet, Paolo Botti, Francesco
Branciamore, Luca Calabrese, Antonio Campobasso,
Pep Cabre', Tiziana Cavaleri, Carlo Cecchi, Gaetano Costa, Salvo Cuccia, Elio De Capitani, Francesco Feruglio, Roberto Festa, Gabriel Garrido,
Gianni Gebbia, Francesco La Licata, Lee Pui Ming, Michel Godard, Gunda Gottschalk, Charlotte Grattard, Giuseppe Guarrella,
Maria Cristina Kiehr, Peter Kowald, Alexander Lonquich, Walter Manfrè, Alberto Masala, Willy Merz, Jean Marc Montera, David Moss,
Giorgio Occhipinti, Miriam Palma, Galatea Ranzi, Lauro Rossi, Paul Rutheford, Christian Saggese, Trichy Sankharan, Giancarlo Schiaffini,
Domenico Sciajno, Arkady Shilkloper, Trimpin, Don Wherry