Canadian pianist and composer Giancarlo Scalia was born in Montreal. His musical education began when he started his piano studies at the age of 10 under the wing of Paolo Vani and the McGill Conservatory of Music. After graduating with Honors at the age of 16, he pursued his studies with acclaimed concert pedagogue Dr. Angela Chan and later entered the renowned Ecole de Musique Vincent d'Indy.


As a pianist, Giancarlo Scalia's repertoire ranges from composers like Bach, Beethoven and Mozart to modern composers such as Shchedrin and Kabalevsky. His own compositions and those of his main influence, Frederyk Chopin, also stand significantly in his repertoire.

Giancarlo Scalia entered the studio to record his first album of piano compositions, entitled "Sogno d'Amore (Liebestraum)", in March 2005. The CD, released in April 2005 under Davisca Productions, led him to many media appearances, including televised performances throughout Canada. The disc is now available in Canadian stores and worldwide through the Indie Pool website.

Besides his numerous recital performances, Giancarlo Scalia also enjoys performing at various benefit concerts. He performed at the annual Brain Waves Gala (benefiting the Franco di Giovanni Foundation) three years in a row as well as for the Canadian Cancer Society and other benefit organizations.

A proud supporter of modern composers, Giancarlo Scalia gave the world premiere of the work "Portrait", composed by Montreal composer Octavian Lecca, on the 3rd of May 2006. He later performed the work as part of his second Summer Recital Series in July 2007.

As a composer, his works number in the 90s and are for a variety of instruments. He has composed works for solo piano, orchestra and chamber groups as well as for unusual trios and quartets. His compositional style is a unique blend of classical-romantic and contemporary melodies and harmonies, and his compositions usually have a very distinctive tonal melody flowing through them. Main influences in his musical writing include Ennio Morricone, Jordan Rudess, Alain Lefevre and, of course, Chopin.

In November 2004, he was commissioned to compose a short piece for students of Dr. Chan. His Rondo Facile for 1 piano, 8 hands op. 29 was premiered the 18th of December 2004 at the Maison Trestler in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec. The performers were Sihan Guo, Emily and Jacqueline To and Kathleen Wong.

Giancarlo Scalia began work in the film music field when he was commissioned by the Laurier Macdonald Media Foundation to compose the music for the documentary "Ripples in Time", which was premiered the 1st of February 2006 at the Centro Leonardo da Vinci in Montreal. The hour-long documentary received an AMTEC award later that year.

Giancarlo Scalia continues to perform and compose music. Currently studying with Jimmy Briere at l'Ecole de Musique Vincent d'Indy, he is taking a break from performing until next summer. During this time he will focus on composition and studies.


For all information regarding Giancarlo Scalia, please visit www.giancarloscalia.com