Biography

Italian pianist Aldo Ragone’s mind and soul are devoted to communicating the complexity and beauty of life through the intricate, sensuous language of music. He is an astonishing pianist with an uncanny ability to converse with the great composers, and then mesmerize audiences with their creations. With "a high quality sound, without surrendering to blind virtuosity,” (The Southern Gazette), Ragone thrills audiences around the world with a repertoire ranging from Bach to Villa Lobos, Franck to Dallapiccola, Chopin to Scriabin. "He possesses a quality which I consider fundamental in a contemporary artist: curiosity and the desire to discover new and unusual compositions." (Massimiliano Damerini, concert pianist, Italy) But the desire for the discovery is only part of the fervor. Ragone's world is not complete until the discovery is polished, perfected, and performed. With "his style, characterized by good taste and passion, he embodies an exceptional mix of perfect technique and richness of artistic invention" (Pavel Gililov, concert pianist, Germany). Indeed, Ragone has earned the respect and admiration of great contemporary pianists who agree with his mentor Aldo Ciccolini, that his is “an unmistakable gift”.

Aldo Ragone brings a unique synthesis of European and American traditions to his life as an artist. Graduating from the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia in Rome under the guidance of Giuseppe Scotese, he continued his studies in other significant piano schools of Europe, including the Cini Foundation in Venice where he worked principally with Italian master Eugenio Bagnoli, a pupil of Alfredo Casella, and was awarded a three-year full scholarship. Perhaps his most significant study was with the internationally renowned Italian pianist Aldo Ciccolini, who remains his mentor.

In 2007 Aldo Ragone earned a doctoral degree in Piano Performance with Russian pianist Larissa Dedova, a pupil of Lev Oborin, at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he taught piano on a Teaching Assistantship from 2003 to 2006. The core of his dissertation was the performance of the ten piano sonatas and the 24 preludes opus 11 by Alexander Scriabin. As a result of his commitment to Scriabin's music, Raisa Scriabine, grandniece of the great Russian composer, invited him to perform at the Russian Embassy in Washington DC on the Scriabin Memorial Day, April 27, 2006. In Fall 2008, Mr. Ragone earned the Artist Diploma in Piano Performance at the University of Denver, where he studied on a two-year full scholarship in piano with Theodor Lichtmann and Steven Mayer, and in chamber music with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra's Concertmaster, Yumi Hwang-Williams, and violinist Linda Wang.

Ragone's credits further include study at the Ecole Normale de Musique Alfred Cortot in Paris, where he received his performance diploma with unanimous accolades of the jury, and two scholarships by the government of Luxembourg for international master classes at the City of Luxembourg with Evgenij Moguilevski in 1999 and Pavel Gililov in 2001. He has also performed in master classes for many important artists and pedagogues including American pianists Andre Watts and Ann Schein, and Russian pianist Tigran Alikhanov, director of Moscow Conservatory. While in Colorado, he was granted a scholarship at the Aspen Festival for study with Rita Sloan.

AMr. Ragone has also distinguished himself in national and international competitions. He has won nineteen awards, with eight first prizes. Among them, top prizes at the International Piano Competition of Castellaneta in 1999 and at the National Piano Competition of Brindisi in 1996. He also won prizes at the International Piano Competitions in Marsala in 1999, Barletta and Monopoli in 2000. In 2000 he won the Albert Roussel Prize at the International Piano Competition Roma 2000 and the Special Prize for the best performance of a modern work at the International Piano Competition Florestano Rossomandi. In June 2004, he was a finalist at the International Piano Competition Adilja Alieva in France. In the same month the Italian Cultural Society of Washington DC awarded him with the "Young Artist Award" for his artistic achievements. In 2007 he was selected to join the PHI KAPPA PHI Honor Society as one of the top students at the University of Maryland.

Aldo Ragone has delighted audiences in such Italian cities as Rome, Venice, Genoa, Turin, Naples, Siena, and many others, performing for music associations, such as Fondazione Giorgio Cini of Venice, Museum of Musical Instruments and La Scaletta Theatre of Rome, Il Coretto of Bari, Aragonese Castle of Otranto, the Conservatory of Music "Tito Schipa" of Lecce, Thalberg Hall and Aldo Ciccolini Hall of Naples, Carlo Felice Theatre of Genoa, Vespasiano Theatre in Rieti, and in "Music at Piazza Colonna" in Rome and "Rassegna di Musica Contemporanea" (Contemporary Music Review) in the Theatre of Latina. In a highlight of his performing career in Italy, Mr. Ragone performed the Second Piano Concerto of Sergei Rachmaninov at the Alfonso Rendano Theatre of Cosenza, which was broadcast on the Italian national T. V. channel "Cinque Stelle".

HAldo Ragone made his American debut at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC in 2003 in the Millennium Stage Series. Subsequently, he has been a recitalist at the Gildenhorn Recital Hall of the Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Newman Center for the Arts at Denver University, at Regis University in Denver and in the “Sanford Concert Series” in Maryland. He has performed to acclaim in the Washington DC metropolitan area at the historic Dacor-Bacon House, the Brazilian-American Cultural Institute, the Italian Cultural Society, the Washington Arts Club, the Strathmore Hall Mansion, in Virginia at the Lyceum, the Fairfax Town Hall Series and the Rappahannock Series and in Baltimore at the Old St. Paul Church Music Series. In addition, in 2008 he performed Saint-Sa?ns Piano Concerto n. 5 with the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra.

Other international performances include Bach's Concerto in D minor BWV 1052 with the Petrassi Youth Chamber Orchestra at Zagarolo, Italy, an all-Scriabin concert at the Sommerclassics Musik Festival at Saffig, Germany, and recitals at the Festival Internazionale di Mezza Estate at Tagliacozzo, the International Music Festival Beethoven at Sutri, Italy and in the Brown Bag Series at the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral of Cleveland, Ohio.

From 2007 to 2009 Aldo Ragone taught piano at Regis University in Denver, Colorado.