Franco Sciannameo

Born in Apulia, Italy, violinist, musicologist and cultural historian Franco Sciannameo

studied in Rome at the Conservatorio di Musica “Santa Cecilia” and later at the

Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the University of

Hartford, and the University of Pittsburgh.

Always concerned with the role of the artist in society, Sciannameo writes and lectures

extensively on contemporary music and its relation to politics, cinema and the arts. He

has worked with a number of celebrated composers, including Giacinto Scelsi, Nino Rota

Ennio Morricone, and Paul Chihara with whom he collaborated on performances and recordings.

Sciannameo’s articles and essays are featured in The Musical Times (London), and his

most recent books include Nino Rota’s The Godfather Trilogy (Rowman & Littlefield,

2010); Phil Trajetta (1777-1854), Patriot, Musician, Immigrant (CMS Monographs and

Bibliographies in American Music, 2010); Music as Dream: Essays on Giacinto Scelsi

(Rowman & Littlefield, 2013); Experiencing the Violin Concerto: A Listener’s

Companion (Rowman & Littlefield 2016), Musicians’ Migratory Patterns: The Adriatic Coasts (Routledge, 2018), and Reflections on the Music of Ennio Morricone: Fame and Legacy (Lexington Books, 2020).

Sciannameo is College Distinguished Teaching Professor of Music in the

College of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.