L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2015 www.italoamericano.org 8 Jacopo Giacopuzzi: From Verona to Los Angeles A y o u n g p i a n i s t f r o m Verona, Jacopo Giacopuzzi is an up-and-coming pianist in our very own backyard. A performer at heart, he has participated in many competitions both here and in Europe, from Portugal and Spain to Paris and of course all over Italy. He has studied in Italy, Germany, Brussels, and California. Wherever he goes, he tries to "put seats". Strongly c o m m i t t e d t o w h a t h e t r u l y loves, he commutes between Santa Barbara every weekend and, having just finished his first y e a r t o w a r d s h i s M a s t e r ' s degree in piano performance, his schedule remains packed with concerts and festivals all around the States. Not only do his inter- ests lie in performing but also in making a connection between music and videos. This summer, he will be a videographer and photographer, as well as a per- former during the Pianofest in the Hamptons. But before that, his music can be enjoyed at the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles on Thursday, June 11 at 6:30 p.m. What made you come out here to California? 2012 was my first year in the United States, when I flew to California to spend a month by myself, wandering around. I had my first piano lesson with a teacher from Juilliard in New York, who is also teaching in ALLISON SOTO-MORALES California for the summer. After that, I travelled to San Francisco and then Santa Barbara - I'm from Verona, a small town in Northern Italy, and wanted to explore a little bit. I loved it here, so I decided to apply to the M u s i c A c a d e m y i n S a n t a Barbara, and was accepted. I also visited the East Coast, but figured out that my place was in C a l i f o r n i a , b e c a u s e o f t h e weather, of the enthusiasm for music and art in general, includ- ing of course cinema. I wanted to perform in this great environ- ment that is California. I also l o v e s u r f i n g a n d I t h o u g h t , "Living in California, I'm going to surf every day." Actually that didn't happen, I went surfing probably three times! I'm so busy, and there are so many things to do here. Commuting f r o m S a n t a B a r b a r a t o L o s Angeles is also quite tiring. W h a t w a s y o u r f i r s t impression of Los Angeles? I had never been in the States before, and I didn't know exact- ly what to expect, except for palms and the ocean. It was dif- ferent from how I had imagined it, but in a positive way. I had a g o o d f e e l i n g : t h e w e a t h e r reminds me of Southern Italy, and I can feel a strong connec- tion to Italy. So many people I have met here are of Italian ori- gin or love the Italian culture. The food is very Mediterranean, with great salads and pasta, but lifestyle is certainly different. It's very important for me to connect with fellow Italians in California, as it keeps the tradi- tions strong and alive! What sparked your interest in the piano? M y m o m . S h e ' s a p i a n o teacher, so she introduced me to music. When you're a kid, your parents need to push you a little bit, because kids usually don't have the patience, but I have always liked to practice it. And as a young man I continued per- forming and studying and get- ting degrees. I started when I was 7 and since then I never stopped. Of course, I went to high school, and I received two M a s t e r ' s d e g r e e s i n P i a n o P e r f o r m a n c e a n d i n S o u n d Design in Italy - I also like elec- tronic music. Then, I decided to try some new place. I've partici- pated in a lot of competitions in Italy. I also studied and got a diploma from the prestigious IMOLA, an international piano academy focused on music and research, located in the Italian t o w n o f I m o l a , n o t f a r f r o m Bologna. What are the differences between Italy and the United Stated in terms of music edu- cation? It's much more expensive here, but also more organized and kind of strict - not that Italy isn't. Besides music, I didn't really live the academic environ- ment in Italy and I didn't study music business or marketing. This is also one of my greatest c o n c e r n s a b o u t t h e M A : t o o many papers! I just want to per- f o r m a n d t o f o c u s o n a r t . I turned 27 last week, and I want to do what I love: performing. I'm thinking about applying to t h e C o l b u r n S c h o o l i n Downtown L.A., right across the W a l t D i s n e y C o n c e r t H a l l . Getting an artist diploma from that school, which is very com- petitive, would allow me to just play. I'm going to apply and see what happens. What do you have planned to perform at the IIC? A few pieces from Liszt that I personally love, then Chopin, and some works by a composer w h o I r e a l l y l o v e : h e ' s Ukrainian and Russian, and his name is Kapustin. I will also p l a y S c h u m a n n , a n d m a y b e Poulenc. Actually, I haven't defined the program yet. I also have a competition in Seattle coming up first, based on what I will decide. When you perform, what do you want your audience to take home? Hope. Inspiration. A good vibe in general, I can't describe it. Enthusiasm. That's what I'm interested in, enthusiasm and good values. It may sound pre- dictable, but this is what I want to convey. We often realize the importance of music and how much we need it when some- thing bad happens. Classical music is beautiful to listen to, as it is so perfect and inspiring. Jacopo Giacopuzzi

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