Roberto Dalla Vecchia (born 5 January 1968) is an Italian guitarist, composer, and singer. He is known for his expressive melodies and songs which include many references to traditional American music and bluegrass.

Biography

Dalla Vecchia was born in

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; or , archaically ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, where it straddles the Bacchiglione, River Bacchiglione. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and e ...

, Italy. He began studying classic piano with his mother, a piano teacher, but soon switched to acoustic guitar. Influenced by American

old-time music Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dancing, contra dance, clogging, and buck dancing. It is played on acoustic instruments, generally centering ...

and bluegrass, he learnt

flatpicking Flatpicking (or simply picking) is the technique of striking the strings of a guitar with a pick (also called a plectrum) held between the thumb and one or two fingers. It can be contrasted to fingerstyle guitar, which is playing with indi ...

by listening to its exponents such as

Clarence White Clarence White (born Clarence Joseph LeBlanc; June 7, 1944 – July 15, 1973) was an American bluegrass and country guitarist and singer. He is best known as a member of the bluegrass ensemble the Kentucky Colonels and the rock band the Byrds ...

Tony Rice David Anthony Rice (June 8, 1951 – December 25, 2020) was an American bluegrass guitarist and singer. He was an influential acoustic guitar player in bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, newgrass and acoustic jazz. He was inducted into the In ...

and

Doc Watson Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. He won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. His ...

. He also took lessons from the Italian guitarist and flatpicker

Beppe Gambetta Beppe Gambetta (born 1955) is an Italian acoustic guitarist and singer. A native of Genoa, he is a composer, teacher, author, and researcher of traditional music and instruments. Music career In 1977, Gambetta founded Red Wine, an Italian blue ...

. Dalla Vecchia released his first solo album ''Open Spaces'' in 1998. In 2003, he won ''

Acoustic Guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

'' magazine's "Homegrown CD" Award for his second album ''Sit Back''. He currently performs at concerts and festivals and teaches workshops throughout Europe and USA, and runs his own Acoustic Guitar Workshop in Recoaro,Italy, every year and he is the promoter of "vicenzAcustica in Vicenza, his home town, an annual concert featuring international guitarists. Since 2012, he is the director of the "orchestrAcustica", a flatpicking orchestra of 25 guitarists. Dalla Vecchia has performed with artists such as

Tommy Emmanuel William Thomas Emmanuel (born 31 May 1955) is an Australian guitarist. Originally a session player in many bands, he has released many award-winning recordings as a solo artist. In June 2010, Emmanuel was appointed a Member of the Order of Aus ...

Frank Vignola Frank Vignola (born December 30, 1965) is an American jazz guitarist. He has played in the genres of swing, fusion, gypsy jazz, classical, and pop. Career Vignola grew up on Long Island, New York. His father played accordion and banjo and his ...

Jim Hurst James Edward “Jim” Hurst is an American bluegrass and country guitarist. He is known primarily as an instrumentalist but has also been credited for vocals with numerous other artists as well as his solo career. Hurst has performed with mus ...

, Mark Cosgrove, Clive Carroll, Jacques Stotzem, Tony McManus, Walter Lupi,

Massimo Varini Massimo () is a masculine Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: * Massimo Agostinelli (Max Agos) (born 1987), Swiss-based Italian American artist, entrepreneur and activist * Massimo Agostini (born 1964), Italian football man ...

and others.

Discography

Studio albums

* 1998 – ''Open Spaces'' Tring-Azzurra Records * 2002 – ''Sit Back'' * 2006 – ''Grateful'' * 2008 – ''Unknown Legends'' * 2011 – ''Hand in Hand'' * 2012 – ''Morning Lights'' (with Luca Francioso)

Compilations

* ''EWOB 1999'' – Strictly Country Records * ''Vicenza in Musica'' 2000 * ''EWOB 2001'' – Strictly Country Records * ''Country in This Country Vol.2'' 2002- Ethnoworld Srl * ''EWOB 2002'' – Strictly Country Records * ''Flatpicking 2003'' – FGM Records * ''EWOB 2007'' – Strictly Country Records

Awards

* Homegrown CD Award 2003 for the album Sit Back * Second place at Best Instrumental Album of Just Plain Folks Music Awards 2009 for the album GratefulJust Plain Folks
/ref> * OurStage Channel Prize 2009 for the track Sunflowers of the album Unknown Legends

References

External links

RobertoDallaVecchia.comvicenzAcustica.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dalla Vecchia, Roberto Italian male singer-songwriters 21st-century Italian singer-songwriters 21st-century Italian male singers 21st-century Italian guitarists Italian male guitarists Musicians from Vicenza 1968 births Living people