Guido Mallardi

Guido Mallardi is an Italian pianist, composer and researcher, winner of 'On Piano Creativity' Permanent International Contest and recognised for both his fine playing and his interesting compositions by such famous figures as Alexander Lonquich, Héctor Ulises Passarella, Rodion Shchedrin, Frederic Rzewski, Piero Rattalino and Yoshiko Okada.

His repertoire includes music from Bach to Ligeti as well as his own music (experimental works and innovative jazz arrangements), and also music composed by non-musicians through the Brainarm method, which is his main achievement in the musical research field.

Since 2016 he is an appointed juror of the WPTA International Piano Competition (member of the Alink-Argerich Foundation).

He studied at Conservatoire of Fermo then was awarded a scholarship in 2000; also studied in Conservatoire of Milan, Incontri col Maestro Academy of Imola and École de Musique Mozart in Bruxelles. Finally he graduated in 2006 from Fermo Conservatoire with a post-MA in piano and a first class BA in compostion.

He studied composition with Marco Di Bari, harmony, analysis and counterpoint with Fulvio Delli Pizzi, analysis with Michele Ignelzi, while his piano teachers have included Piero Rattalino, Enrico Belli, Fausto Bongelli. In parallel he also attended piano masterclasses of such great masters as Alexander Lonquich, Boris Petrushansky, Jörg Demus, Franco Scala, Massimiliano Damerini, François-Joël Thiollier, Pierluigi Camicia and Giovanni Valentini; also Pier Narciso Masi and Alain Meunier for chamber music.

His performances in Italy and abroad made him collecting great success as a very communicative and charming musician.

In 1998 he has been the first pianist to perform in Italy Gyorgy Ligeti's works for two pianos.

He is passionate about improvisation and experimentation and has worked in genres ranging from contemporary music, modern jazz and ambient/psychedelic. These experiences have led him to develop his own style, which he terms "Narf", a kind of inside-impressionism characterized by minimal diatonic constructivism. An example of this is in his work Dentro, which is in the catalogues of Orléans Concours International de musique XX siècle.

During the years 2002 to 2004 he took part to Alexander Lonquich's and Marco Di Stefano’s theatre companies, working as a pianist, improviser, composer and actor. In 2004 he wrote and performed some arrangements of famous songs of the early 1900 for the theatre Piccolo Re di Roma.

A complete musician with eclectic artistic personality but also an inventor and a researcher of new methods to teach as well as composition music systems, his formation is full of experiences with various oriental disciplines and philosophies before his definitive discovery of the first century Christianism.

He has taught piano, theory, composition, harmony, arrangement, counterpoint, improvisation in a number of music schools in Italy for approximately 15 years, developing and launching in 2008 a method he has called Analogic, which is focused on developing consciousness through music and tries to describes music through a development of symbols and archetypes, for application in composition, analysis and performance ("from inner-world to outward” is the motto he uses to define it in simple words). This type of approach led him to invent and develop a very helpful system of symbols he called PTS (Piano Tecnique Stenography), to assist pianists and students with approaching a piece of music and learning it without technical mistakes.

Going against a common belief that it is only possible to compose good quality music once someone is already highly versed in theory and usually an extremely accomplished pianist, the Brainarm method is for anyone: a way of empowering everyone who wants to write music, no matter what their level of musical knowledge. Interestingly, despite taking advantage of the instrumental technique and the experience of the tutor, no influence comes from him during the composition process.

To listen to some music composed by beginners and non-musicians, please visit the music section in www.brainarm.com.

WORK EXPERIENCE: Freelance piano, theory, harmony, composition teacher and Brainarm tutor in London at Activeinmusic school (present) and Music of Life foundation (present), in Italy at Accademia Professionale di Musica (2011-2013), Lizard Academy (2010-2011), Universo Musica (2008-2010), Liceo Musicale 'Toscanini' (2008), Scuola di Musica 'J. Rodrigo' (2005), Istituto Musicale 'Velluti' (2003-2005). Brainarm tutor at Accademia Professionale di Musica.

Performing recitals and Jazz gigs, composing, arranging, analyzing music, writing music articles.

DBS CHECK: yes.

REFERENCES: showed on demands

WEBSITES:

Listen his MUSIC at www.guidomallardi.it.

Read more about Brainarm method (Composition for non-musicians) at www.brainarm.com

Live recordings of pieces composed by pupils using the Brainarm method at www.brainarm.webnode.it/musiche

NOTATION SOFTWARES USED: Sibelius, Musescore.