Silvio Amato
Encyclopedia
Silvio Amato, a composer of classical, contemporary and popular music, was born in the Sicilian city of Catania
, Italy
(April 10, 1961). Currently, he resides in Boston
, Massachusetts
, but maintains a studio in Milan
, Italy
Amato is son of a distributor of children's clothing and a mother who did not care much for classical music. Ironically, the used piano his father brought home to "fill space" in the family's living room soon became an obsession for young Silvio who learned the instrument on his own despite his mother's constant pleas "I beg you Silvio, please, please, please stop playing." Eventually, he studied classical piano with a master teacher.
Moving north to Milan as a young man, he established himself as a composer and arranger, working with a variety of popular and light classical artists as well as composing for television and motion pictures. It has been said that "his approachable music captures the vibrancy and romanticism of contemporary Italian culture, appealing to devotees of popular and classical genres alike."
In 2008, shortly after his oldest daughter left home to study at Boston University in the United States, The Vatican commissioned him to compose a modern opera that would tie together common religious themes found in Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Soon he and his wife and two younger children moved to Boston as well. "What more inspirational place than the birthplace of America – the melting pot of the people and religions of the world—to write music about spiritual concepts that unite people of faith?" he said in biography published at the Illuminessence website, cited here with permission.
Silvio's ability to work simultaneously in two countries has everything to do with his mastery of computer technology and his eagerness to immerse himself in new cultures. "I do not speak English so well yet, but that's why God invented hands and feet and children", he says with a laugh (http://www.villagenote.com).
Amato's bi-hemispheric life seems to be paying off. Across the pond in Milan he wrote Love, One Love for the famous and reclusive Mina (Mina Maria Quaini) that was released in May (2010) and quickly soared to top of the charts in Italy. He wrote the stirring Le Mama, performed by pre-pubescent teen Francesco Pugliese, a finalist in 2010 Io Canto (I Sing), Italy's answer to the popular American Idol show in the U.S. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAmrS8C152c&feature=related
In 2010 and 2011, he updated and transformed a never-before-performed music of an unknown Massachusetts composer, the late Walter Horvitz, into an iconic rousing and patriotic musical currently titled Can't You See That I Am In Love.
His previous work includes a 10-year collaboration with Mediaset composing thematic music for network news programs, situation comedies and soap operas. In addition, he was undertaken substantial assignments with mainstream Italian and international television networks: The Italian public television network RAI (Radiotelevisione Italiana), TeleMonteCarlo, LA 7 (Telcom Italia Media's entertainment network) and the British-owned Sky television.
Amato has written soundtracks for the motion pictures including Can't Hardly Wait with Mel Brooks, The Mythica by Carlo Vanzina, Ti Oglio Bene Eugenio with Giuliana De Sio and Giancarlo Giannini, and the film by Jerry Calà I Live Alone. In addition, Amato made major contributions to the epic documentary about Sicily, produced by Mediaset.
In addition to Illuminessence, his light classical musical score for the fable The Happy Prince was performed by the celebrated La Scala Instrumental Ensemble of Milan (a chamber ensemble formed of key players in the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra). His ballets: Snow White On Ice, Beauty and the Beast On Ice, andPeter Pan On Ice have been performed throughout Europe. Utah Regional Ballet in Provo, Utah used Amato's score for Peter Pan to choreograph a full ballet, which it debuted in early 2011 (Provo Herald, March 24, 2011). A complete list of his professional credits can be found here (www.illuminessencesong.org)
Catania
Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(April 10, 1961). Currently, he resides in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, but maintains a studio in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Overview
His most recent work, the interfaith oratorio Illuminessence uniting the prayers and teachings of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, will be premiered in Boston, Massachusetts on September 11, 2011, as part of the city's decennial commemoration of the September 11 attacks on America (Politisphere, August 2011).Amato is son of a distributor of children's clothing and a mother who did not care much for classical music. Ironically, the used piano his father brought home to "fill space" in the family's living room soon became an obsession for young Silvio who learned the instrument on his own despite his mother's constant pleas "I beg you Silvio, please, please, please stop playing." Eventually, he studied classical piano with a master teacher.
Moving north to Milan as a young man, he established himself as a composer and arranger, working with a variety of popular and light classical artists as well as composing for television and motion pictures. It has been said that "his approachable music captures the vibrancy and romanticism of contemporary Italian culture, appealing to devotees of popular and classical genres alike."
In 2008, shortly after his oldest daughter left home to study at Boston University in the United States, The Vatican commissioned him to compose a modern opera that would tie together common religious themes found in Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Soon he and his wife and two younger children moved to Boston as well. "What more inspirational place than the birthplace of America – the melting pot of the people and religions of the world—to write music about spiritual concepts that unite people of faith?" he said in biography published at the Illuminessence website, cited here with permission.
Silvio's ability to work simultaneously in two countries has everything to do with his mastery of computer technology and his eagerness to immerse himself in new cultures. "I do not speak English so well yet, but that's why God invented hands and feet and children", he says with a laugh (http://www.villagenote.com).
Amato's bi-hemispheric life seems to be paying off. Across the pond in Milan he wrote Love, One Love for the famous and reclusive Mina (Mina Maria Quaini) that was released in May (2010) and quickly soared to top of the charts in Italy. He wrote the stirring Le Mama, performed by pre-pubescent teen Francesco Pugliese, a finalist in 2010 Io Canto (I Sing), Italy's answer to the popular American Idol show in the U.S. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAmrS8C152c&feature=related
In 2010 and 2011, he updated and transformed a never-before-performed music of an unknown Massachusetts composer, the late Walter Horvitz, into an iconic rousing and patriotic musical currently titled Can't You See That I Am In Love.
His previous work includes a 10-year collaboration with Mediaset composing thematic music for network news programs, situation comedies and soap operas. In addition, he was undertaken substantial assignments with mainstream Italian and international television networks: The Italian public television network RAI (Radiotelevisione Italiana), TeleMonteCarlo, LA 7 (Telcom Italia Media's entertainment network) and the British-owned Sky television.
Amato has written soundtracks for the motion pictures including Can't Hardly Wait with Mel Brooks, The Mythica by Carlo Vanzina, Ti Oglio Bene Eugenio with Giuliana De Sio and Giancarlo Giannini, and the film by Jerry Calà I Live Alone. In addition, Amato made major contributions to the epic documentary about Sicily, produced by Mediaset.
In addition to Illuminessence, his light classical musical score for the fable The Happy Prince was performed by the celebrated La Scala Instrumental Ensemble of Milan (a chamber ensemble formed of key players in the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra). His ballets: Snow White On Ice, Beauty and the Beast On Ice, andPeter Pan On Ice have been performed throughout Europe. Utah Regional Ballet in Provo, Utah used Amato's score for Peter Pan to choreograph a full ballet, which it debuted in early 2011 (Provo Herald, March 24, 2011). A complete list of his professional credits can be found here (www.illuminessencesong.org)