Dec. 18 – “We must scrap: in politics, economics, music and culture. We can maintain only (and always) a few well established names, and we must believe and invest more in young talent.” The orchestra conductor and composer Gabriele Ciampi left a year ago the renowned family business to go to America and work in the field of film scores. The awards followed soon after: the last international award came at the end of November, when the 35 year-old Roman was honored as “Instrumental Artist of the Year” during the LA Music Awards with the song “Piano Concerto.” On December 24th he will play “A Christmas Carol” in Russia with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra. “Nothing is more exciting. I’m happy and excited. Although I must admit a hint of bitterness: I’m sorry that, to get visibility in Italy, you must first become relatively known abroad. Our country is proving to be shortsighted when it comes to music and young artists. America, on the other hand, welcomes you and gives you a thousands different possibilities.” For Ciampi “we cannot continue to speak only of Ennio Morricone, with all due respect and admiration for the composer – he said – but we must look elsewhere. We don’t invest, we no longer host concerts – insists Ciampi – yet in Italy there are talented composers, musicians and conductors ready to create different sounds. I, for example, am working on a new film to be released soon in the U.S.” Winning “Instrumental Artist of the Year” at the L.A. Music Awards 2012 with the song “Piano Concerto,” Ciampi received favor and support. On stage at the Avalon Theatre in Hollywood, where the ceremony took place, Ciampi directed the UCLA Chamber orchestra, composed of 20 soloists. To accompany its live performances a series of images on America’s natural beauty and the legendary Apollo 11 moon landing sequences made by Neil Armstrong were projected. The director and composer wrote the music for this video, which pays homage to the figure of the former astronaut, after obtaining t the original footage from NASA. Ciampi’s moment in the spotlight did not end, however, until after David Osborne, the pianist who will play at the White House on Dec. 21, honored the composer by performing two of his songs: “Snow” and “Piano Concerto”. These will also be part of the repertoire that Osborne will play during his concert at the White House. Ciampi concludes, “it’s a shame I couldn’t be there this year. One day I hope I’ll have this honor too, to play at the White House and with David Osborne. However, this year’s commitment in Moscow had already been established for some time, and I am happy to be going there.”
