Pietro Adragna.was born in Erice (TP), Italy in 1988.
He started studying the accordion at six years of age, showing excellent promise early on. In the years that followed Adragna, as well as studying the accordion, took up the piano at the Conservatorio di Musica di Stato “A. Scontrino” in Trapani under the guidance of Maestro Paolo De Bartoli.
From 2003 this young Sicilian accordionist went on to study at the Accademia Musicale “Roberto Fuccelli” in Perugia, taking on the role of first accordion in the “Libertango” Accordion Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Fuccelli.
In 2007 he gained his diploma in Scientific Maturity at the Liceo Scientifico “V. Fardella” in Trapani.
In 2010 he gained a diploma in classical accordion with top marks at the Conservatorio di Musica “Luigi Cherubini” in Florence under the guidance of Maestro Ivano Battiston.
In the field of instrumental studies Adragna is currently frequenting, at the same conservatoire, a course in advanced classical pianoforte with Prof.ssa Maria Teresa Carunchio as well as his second year course in conducting with Maestro Alessandro Pinzauti.
Adragna has won numerous national and international competitions, among which are:
• 1st Prize it the Concorso Nazionale of Perugia in 2004; in 2005 he won the 1st prize at the Concorso Internazionale “Diapason” at Canicattì, Agrigento in Sicily.
• In October 2006 he won 2nd prize at the Concorso Internazionale per Fisarmonicisti “Città di Castelfidardo” (trophy, study grant and prize), as well as a “concert-prize” inserted into the Città di Castelfidardo summer concert season.
• In September 2009 Adragna became World Champion of Accordion at the “59th TROFEU MUNDIAL DE L’ACORDEAO C.M.A”., in Albufeira (Portogallo).
• In July 2010 he won 1st Prize, Trophy and grant at the “6th Primus Ikaalinen 2010” in Finland flying the flag once more for Italy in first place.
• In May 2011 he won 1st Prize, Trophy and grant at the “48° Internationaler Akkordeon-wettbewerb Klingenthal”.
• In June 2011 he won 1st Prize – national stage – at the “5° V-Accordion Festival Roland” and he also won 1st Prize at the “5° Accordion Art Festival” getting the “Italia Award”.
• In August 2011 he won 1st Prize at the “Premio Strumenti & Musica 2011” in Spoleto.
• In September 2011 he won 2nd Prize at the Concorso Internazionale per Fisarmonicisti “Città di Castelfidardo”.
• In October 2011 Adragna became World Champion of Accordion for the second time at the “64° Coupe Mondiale World Accordion Championships C.I.A.” in Shanghai, CHINA, where he won two categories “Senior Virtuoso Entertainment Competition” and “Digital Accordion Competition”.
• In October 2011, in Park of Music, in Rome, he also won 1st Prize – international stage – at the “V-Accordion International Festival Roland”
• Yet again in Portogallo, in the Algarve, Adragna performed in 4 concerts at the “Grand Galà Internacional do Acordeao”. Internationally he has also performed at the International Accordion Festival in Canada in august 2008. The • July of the same year saw him perform at the World Accordionists’ Festival of Alcobaça where once again he represented Italy.
• He has just finished a hugely successful tour in the USA with singer Nico dei Gabbiani with whom he performed in some of the major theatres in New York.
• Adragna has appeared in many regional television broadcasts. He competed in CANALE 5’s “Cultura Moderna” where he performed with his accordion. He also appeared on RAI 2 for the broadcast “Il satiro d’oro”.
• He has also partcipated in many workshops. Amongst these are the seminars with Ivano Battiston, Frederich Deschamps, Renzo Ruggieri, Giorgio Dellarole, Stefano Bollani, Frank Marocco, Claudio Jacomucci, Luciano Biondini and Maestro Piero Bellugi.
• He is currently pursuing a very active concert career both as a soloist an with various other formations and projects created by himself, amongst which are the “Pietro Adragna Ensemble” better known as the “Skype Trio” and the “F&F Duo”, both nationally and internationally.
• Most recent important cerdits are the “Premio Club UNESCO di TRAPANI” 2009 instituted by the Association of the same name and the “Impronte di Sicilia” Prize (conferred upon Sicilian personalities who have distinguished themselves in the worlds of fashion, entertainment, culture, sport, music, art, politics and scienca) which will be awarded in December 2012.
Forthcoming tours will see Adragna performing in Portugal, Denmark, Canada, Holland, France, USA, New Zealand, Australia, China, Japan, Russia, Finlandia, Lithuania, Argentine and Brasil.
Translated by Romano Viazzani
