Luca Ciarla

Luca Ciarla, violinist, pianist and composer, is an original and eclectic artist. Ciarla plays classical, jazz and folk music and his imaginative compositions reflect his diverse musical background. To date he has performed in China, England, Italy, Mexico, Slovenia, Switzerland and the United States. There is "no doubt that Ciarla is a player to be reckoned with," (Daniel Buckley, Tucson Citizen, USA).

Biography

Born in 1970 in Termoli (Italy), Luca began playing violin and piano at the age of eight. By the time he was 12 he was already studying classical music at the Conservatory of Campobasso and exploring jazz on his own. When he was 19, he moved to Rome to study jazz piano under Massimo Fedeli and joined Silvana Licursi's folk group as a violinist, performing in several festivals including the "Le Voci Del Mediterraneo" in Sicily. In 1993 he completed his violin degree with outstanding honors under the guidance of Antonio Salvatore and in the following year he worked as music therapist during his national service at the Leonarda Vaccari institute for handicapped people. He resumed his studies at the Fiesole School of Music in Florence, where he became a valued member of the Italian Youth Orchestra. In 1995 he won a scholarship to study at the Scuola di Alto Perfezionamento Musicale of Saluzzo, Turin, where he obtained a degree in Violin and Chamber Music.

Professional Activities

In 1996 Luca moved to the United States to pursue a Master's Degree in Violin Performance at Indiana University, and it was here that he studied improvisation with David Baker and Michael Lucas. At Bloomington he was appointed Professor of Music Theory. During his years in Indiana, Luca joined a Persian folk group called Saba and learnt to play the chamance, a little-known instrument with similarities to the violin. As part of Saba, Luca performed in South Dakota, Florida, Illinois, Alabama, Indiana and Michigan, and participated in the prestigious Lotus World Music Festival in Bloomington.

In 1998 Luca was hired as Violin Assistant to Professor Mark Rush at the University of Arizona, where he began his doctorate in music. In Tucson, he gained the opportunity to collaborate with many international musicians, including the South African pianist Sean Schulze, with whom he formed the acclaimed Duo Medici. In 1999 the duo received an award from New York-based Chamber Music America, the most prestigious chamber music association in the States. They were invited to teach as artists-in-residence at Eastern Arizona College, and Luca taught violin, jazz piano, chamber music and improvisation. Duo Medici gave many concerts in the south of Arizona and in New York, and embarked on a ground-breaking tour of Mexico sponsored by the Arizona Commission of the Arts. The duo also played in schools, prisons and hospitals, supporting a variety of cultural projects. In Arizona Luca also presented a series of solo piano concerts in Tucson and founded a concert series in Safford becoming its artistic director.
1999 saw the release of the CD Perosi Musici, which featured Luca playing with a string quartet from Indiana University. In 2000 he made his first CD as a soloist, "Sister Classical & Brother Jazz," released by the Italian label Alfa Music. On this CD, Luca also plays his own unique compositions and arrangements influenced by classical and jazz. "Ciarla's own compositions are technically challenging, and should intrigue partisans of either the classical or jazz camp," (James Reel, Tucson Weekly, USA).

In August 2001 Luca moved to Hong Kong to collaborate with important orchestras such as the City Chamber Orchestra and to perform in the best jazz clubs in town. He became the artistic director of Gecko Lounge and founded Violipiano Productions, a music production company that handles his musical activities.

In April 2002 Luca completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree with a dissertation entitled "Maurice Ravel's Tzigane: a Link between the Classical and the Hungarian-Gypsy Traditions." He has devoted much time to the study of Maurice Ravel and the Gypsy music of Eastern Europe.

In Summer 2003 Luca came back to live in Italy, in his native region, where he funded "Music, Wines & Molise," a music festival that presents international artists and has been highly rated by audience and critics, also contributing to the enhancement of Molise Region and its best products. "…a perfect connection among music, Bacchus, and the most beautiful sceneries of Molise" (Le Libertà).

In 2004 he organized the festival "Due Sponde un Mare", focusing on the idea of "Adriatic" culture and the festival "Beauty from the Heart of Italy," held in Hong Kong. Violipiano became a record label and a music publishing company, realizing the CDs "Pura Utopia" and "Live at Fringe Club."

In the last years Luca has played with musicians such as Daniele Scannapieco, Simone Zanchini, Raffaello Pareti, Walter Paoli, Maurizio Rolli, Max Ionata, Samuele Garofoli, Nicola Angelucci, Blaine Whittaker, Sylvain Gagnon, Anthony Fernandes, ect., presenting new musical projects centered mainly on his compositions.

Projects

Currently he started a new dance music project, with the composer Fabio Armani, called The Dancing Violinist to explore new aspects of dance music with his violin improvisations.