Andrea Centazzo
USA- Biography of Andrea Centazzo
- Education and Teaching Career
- Awards and Recognition
- Multimedia Projects
- Work in Cinema
- Personal Life
Biography of Andrea Centazzo
Andrea Centazzo, an American percussionist and composer, has performed at festivals, seasonal concerts, and theaters both as a soloist and as a conductor of his own works for the American Youth Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Contemporary Orchestra, Mittleuropa Orchestra, ER Youth Symphony Orchestra, and many ensembles. Over the course of his more than 30-year career, Centazzo has given over 1500 concerts in Europe and the United States. He has also appeared on television and radio shows worldwide, performing and giving numerous interviews. Centazzo has over 150 recorded LPs and CDs to his credit. He has authored 350 compositions, with the majority of the copyrights belonging to the music publishing company 'Warner Chappell', which works with artists such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, George Michael, and many others. Andrea has written eight books on musicology.
Education and Teaching Career
Andrea, who has Italian roots, graduated from the prestigious University of Bologna with a degree in early music. He has taught at jazz schools affiliated with universities in Europe and the United States. As a composer, he has participated in recording sessions as one of the leading musicians with some of the most avant-garde soloists and composers, including John Zorn, Sylvano Bussotti, Steve Lacy, Evan Parker, Fred Frith, Tom Cora, Elvin Jones, Henry Kaiser, Albert Mangelsdorff, Gianluigi Trovesi, Anthony Coleman, Toshinoro Kondo, and many others.
Awards and Recognition
Centazzo has been the recipient of several prestigious music and television awards, including the 'Italian Critic's Choice Award' and the 'Downbeat Magazine Poll' award in the United States. He has also been honored at the Tokyo Video Festival in Japan, received the 'Prix Arcanal of French Culture' in France, and won the 'Jazz Forum Critic's Poll' and 'Dramalogue Award' in the USA. Additionally, he has been awarded the 'Bruce Chatwin Award' in Italy and numerous other accolades, demonstrating his mastery in the field of music.
Multimedia Projects
With fifteen years of multimedia experience, Centazzo has excelled in combining live music with visuals, blending traditional instrumentation with the latest advancements in digital music. His two recent multimedia solo projects, 'Mandala', inspired by the Buddhist universe, and 'Eternal Traveler', inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, have received immense acclaim from audiences and critics in both the USA and Europe. These projects were showcased on CBS and KPFK television channels.
Work in Cinema
In the world of cinema, Andrea Centazzo is known as the composer of four films. These include the Italian film 'Romanzo' in 1986, 'Obiettivo indiscreto' in 1992 with Luca Barbarossa and Sam Jenkins, the Franco-Italian TV movie 'Ombra abitata' in 1995 with Michael York and Bernard Fresson, and the comedy 'Aaron Gillespie Will Make You a Star' in 1995 with Sean Michael Allen. Recently, Andrea has returned to the stage of improvisational music with his new trio, consisting of Perry Robinson and Nobu Stowe.
Personal Life
Centazzo was born and raised in Italy. Since 1992, he has lived and worked in Los Angeles, obtaining American citizenship in 2000. Currently, the composer resides in Long Beach.
