Roberto Russo (rrlyrae), Piano

Biography

He begins his piano studies with his father, a pupil of Ester D'Atena Scopelliti (who was a student of the well-known Italian pianist and composer Alfonso Rendano), then following Giuseppe Maiorca classes at the Music Conservatory of Cosenza (Italy) where he graduates "cum laude and special mention". Later, he studies in Italy with Daniel Rivera and Franco Scala, and in Switzerland with Maria Tipo at the "Geneva Music Conservatory" where, in 1992, he obtains the "Diplome de perfectionnement". He also attends piano courses with Joerg Demus, Alexander Lonquich, Gherard Oppitz, Fausto Zadra and Norberto Capelli, as well as Peter Schreier for German Lied.
In 1985 he begins his which leads him to perform in the major cities of 12 countries (New York, Washington, Houston, Miami, Buenos Aires, Vancouver, London, Salisbury, Reading, Krakow, Geneva, Lausanne, Stuttgart, Copenhagen, Bilbao, Oviedo, Guernica, Rome, Pesaro, Florence, Turin, Parma, Bologna). His performances are reviewed by Italian and international press, and recorded by RAI, Radio Vaticana, Radio Toscana Classica (Italy), Houston Public Radio (USA) and Radio Televisiòn Argentina. In 2002 he records his first CD entirely devoted to the prelude form in the XX Century. He also follows composition studies with Italian composers Italo Vescovo, Silvano Sardi and Domenico Bartolucci (ex-conductor of Sistina Chapel Choir in Rome); some of his pieces are presented at prestigious venues or played by important ensambles: the "Pater Noster" for choir (performed in Lyon, France, in 2006 by the "Royal Chapel Choir" of Copenhagen); the "Sonata for Viola and Piano" (presented in 1995 at the "Council Palace of Buenos Aires"); the "12 Preludes for Piano" (presented at the "Hoegskolen i Tromsoe", Norway, and the "Akademia Muzyczna of Krakow", Poland). Two-time winner of the "Ibla Grand Prize International Music Competition" (in 1996 as a pianist and in 1997 as a composer), Roberto Russo holds courses and seminars at the Music Conservatories in Norway (Tromsoe), Spain (Oviedo), Romania (Bucharest) and Poland (Krakow), taking also part in jures of national and international competitions. Besides, he is Artistic Director of "Premio Liszt International Competition for Pianists and Composers" (Grottammare, Italy) between 2000 and 2005, collaborates with English composer Michael Stimpson, with Canadian cellist Bridget MacRae and with Italian tenor Alessandro Maffucci. Together with him, in 2005 Roberto records a CD devoted to Franz Liszt music for voice and piano, published by "Istituto Liszt" in Bologna (Italy) and by Italian music reviews

"Il Giornale della Musica" and "Classic Voice". After teaching at Italian Music Conservatories of Bologna, Parma, Ferrara, Piacenza, Salerno, Cagliari and Matera, he currently teaches piano at the Conservatory of Music of Cosenza (Italy), and hlds piano summer courses in collaboration with Argentinian pianist Edith Murano.