Nazzareno Carusi

Nazzareno Carusi has been defined by Guido Barbieri (among the most important Italian music critics) „one of the best, greatest Italian musicians of today” and the Washington Post has written: „An evening of breathtaking artistry. Carusi transforms the keyboard into a 100-pieces orchestra”.

Born in Celano (Italy) in 1968, Carusi has appeared on the stage since he was 10 years of age, on his way to becoming the favourite pupil of Alexis Weissenberg and Viktor Merzhanov, two piano legends of the twentieth century. Today, Nazzareno Carusi is among the most famous Italian pianists in the world, with more than 40,000 fans alone recorded on his Facebook fan-page.

He has performed in major halls and theatres including: La Scala, Milan, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Theatre Colón in Buenos Aires, Hamburg’s Brahms Gesellschaft , Paris’ Salle Cortot, Los Angeles’ Zipper Concert Hall, Jane Mallet Theatre in Toronto, Oscar Peterson Theatre in Tokyo, Palau de la Musica in Valencia and Melbourne’s Federation Hall. Collaborations with leading artists and orchestras internationally, include Philharmonische Camerata Berlin (String Orchestra of the Berliner Philharmoniker), Soloists of La Scala Theatre in Milan and Chicago’s Fine Arts Quartet. 2001 to 2007 he has served as Artist-in-Residence at Northeastern Illinois University of Chicago and is today Professor of Chamber Music at State Conservatory of Udine (Italy). Professors at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory, Denver’s Regis University, Dallas’ Southern Methodist University, Rochester’s Eastmann School of Music, University of Cordoba and in various Italian music conservatories have been his students.

Nazzareno Carusi is the first classical artist to sign an exclusive artistic contract with a prominent European TV Network (Mediaset: Canale 5 and Italia 1) and to perform classical music – resulting in impressive audience’s shares–in its most important shows: Zelig, Lucignolo and Mattino Cinque. He is a featured music columnist for the Italian daily, Libero.

Last April 2011 his CD „Petrolio” was released by Carosello Records and presents masterpieces by music by Skrjabin, Piazzolla, Puccini, Scarlatti, Morricone, Brahms, Liszt, Schönberg, Williams, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff and Chopin (accompanying soloists are Lucio Dalla, Simona Molinari, Fabrizio Bosso, Fabrizio Meloni and Francesco Di Rosa). „Petrolio” has been awarded 5 Stars, the maximum, by the main Italian music magazine Amadeus, which wrote: „There are pianists that have the courage to leave the ideologies and categories’ moods. Nazzareno Carusi is one of them”.

Among his other recordings are: Live at La Scala Theatre, Milan; Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires, & Jewel Box Series, Chicago (EMI, 2009); Notturno (feat. Sergio Cammariere, Karine Levasseur and Fabrizio Bosso, EMI, 2008); the Brahms’ Sonatas op. 120 for piano and clarinet with Fabrizio Meloni, first solo chair at La Scala Theatre’s Orchestra (Amadeus, 2006); and the Saint-Saëns’ F Major Sonata for piano and cello with Luigi Piovano, first solo chair at Rome’ s Accademia di Santa Cecilia’s Orchestra (Eloquentia, Harmonia Mundi, 2011).

Since 2010 he has performed „Discorso a Due: Franz Liszt, Michelangelo and Dante” with famed Italian art professor and critic Vittorio Sgarbi. Since 2009, Secretary of Education for Italy has called him in the Music Commission of University Gov. Department.