Polo Osvaldo Ernesto Piatti is a British-Argentine neo-romantic

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

, concert pianist and conductor based in the United Kingdom. He is one of very few high-profile international musicians concentrating exclusively on the creation, performance and promotion of melodic, universally appealing classical music. His compositions are performed all over the world for their evocative and passionate character. Considered a pioneer performer of classical piano improvisations since his youth, he toured Europe, Asia, North and South America premiering his own works as a soloist, performing with international orchestras. Piatti is a member of the Royal Society Of Musicians Of Great Britain, the Ivors Academy and the British Music Society among others.

Early life and education

Piatti started piano lessons at the age of 3 in Buenos Aires, becoming a concert pianist and classical improviser in his youth. At 12 he was admitted to the Conservatorio Nacional Superior de Música in

Buenos Aires, Argentina Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, and graduated with distinction as Profesor National de Musica.Book Polo Piatti, Composer in London & Hastings - Encore Musicians
accessdate: 26 May 2020 He left South America at the age of sixteen to pursue an international career and continue his music studies in Paris and Berlin, becoming known as a professional composer, arranger, concert pianist, musical director, conductor, singing coach, instrumental teacher, artist developer, artist manager and music publisher in countries including Spain, France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.Polo Piatti biography , Last.fm
accessdate: 26 May 2020 Whilst touring as a concert pianist, Piatti gained acclaim for his innovative classical piano improvisations British Music Collection
Polo Piatti
accessdate: 26 May 2020

Music career

A move to the United Kingdom during the early 1990s led to him becoming teacher and Head of Music at the

Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts The Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, also known simply as Italia Conti, is a drama school based in Woking, Woking, England. It was founded by the English actress Italia Conti in 1911. Italia Conti offers courses in acting, musical theatre, ...

. Piatti co-founded the drama school ''Die Freie Kleintheaterschule'' with the late Frieder Nögge during 1996 in

Stuttgart, Germany Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, writing and performing a variety of plays with the school. Around this time, he also worked with the French avant-garde video artist Didier Bay, at the 'DAAD Academy' in Berlin. After spending a number of years in London coaching and developing other artists, Piatti returned to his roots, composing and performing his own works Settling in

Hastings, East Sussex Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west at Senlac Hill in 1066. ...

, he was appointed 'Composer in Residence' at St Mary in the Castle - a former church in Hastings that became a performance space. A tour of Japan followed in November 2012 premiering the work 'Sentimental Journey' with the Osaka Concert Orchestra, giving classical piano improvisations concerts in Osaka and Tokyo. Following the tour of Japan he inaugurated the ''

International Composers Festival The International Composers Festival is a regular event comprising a series of concerts, lectures and networking opportunities created with the purpose to promote and showcase classical music that is tuneful, universally appealing and created sol ...

'' during 2012 in

, United Kingdom. Collaborations with the Bolshoi's eminent choreographer

Yury Grigorovich Yury Nikolayevich Grigorovich (; 2 January 1927 – 19 May 2025) was a Soviet and Russian ballet dancer, ballet master, choreographer, and pedagogue who dominated the Russian ballet for 30 years, especially as artistic director of the Bolshoi B ...

and the late prima ballerina

Natalia Bessmertnova Natalia Igorevna Bessmertnova () was a Soviet prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Ballet and a People's Artist of the USSR (1976). Life Natalia Bessmertnova was born in Moscow in 1941 and trained at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography from 1 ...

as Director of Music of the World Centre of Performing Arts followed Piatti also founded th
Hastings Sinfonia Orchestra
in 2012, becoming Artistic Director. After launching a recording of ''Sentimental Journey'' in 2016, engineered and produced by Grammy Award winner Jan Holzner alongside James Fitzpatrick, Piatti performed with an
conducted from the piano
the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2016, a collaboration with British screenwriter/dramatist Roy Apps on his first opera 'Mata Hari' took place; the opera being based on the life of the First World War spy and dancer of the same name. In 2017, he opened the

Opus Theatre The Opus Theatre was founded by British-Argentine composer and concert pianist Polo Piatti and officially opened on 7 July 2017 in Hastings, in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as ...

in Hastings, the theatre providing a versatile performance space for all forms of theatre and music. On 13 October 2019 Piatti's Bohemian Concerto for piano and orchestra was premiered, by Steinway pianist Thomas Pandolfi with the Symphonicity Orchestra under conductor Daniel W. Boothe to a standing-ovation at the Sandler's Centre for Performing Arts in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA. On 20 November 2022 Piatti's Libera Nos, the world's first ever multi-faith oratorio, received it
world premiere
at the De La Warr Pavilion, in Bexhill-on-Sea, United Kingdom. It was written for five solo singers, mixed choir, children's choir and full symphony orchestra. Performers included the

London Mozart Players London Mozart Players (LMP) are a British chamber orchestra founded in 1949. LMP are the longest-established chamber orchestra in the United Kingdom. Since 1989, the orchestra has been Resident Orchestra at Fairfield Halls, Croydon. History Begin ...

and th
Hastings Sinfonia Orchestra
conducted by Derek Carden. On 3 December 2023 Piatti's Christmas Concerto for Guitar and Orchestr
was premiered
by guitarist Giulio Tampalini and the Hastings Sinfonia Orchestra under Derek Carden at the De La Warr Pavilion.

Selected works

The Tides of Time: An orchestral suite. The soundtrack album was released on th
Seafront Records
label in 2009. Sentimental Journey: An orchestral suite containing 11 symphonic works. The album was released o
Seafront Records
in 2016. The Impossible Pieces: This work received its world premiere during the opening concert of the 4th International Composers Festival in the United Kingdom in 2018 and the work was published b
Goodmusic Publishing
in 2020. Vintage Piano: This is a solo album with classical piano improvisations performed by Polo Piatti. The album was released on th
Artful Recorded Music Library
label in 2019. The Birds: A work for flute and piano privately commissioned to be premiered by flutist Daisy Noton, who performed the piece with pianist Oliver Poole. The work was published in 2020 b
Goodmusic Publishing
Argentine Dances: A set of 14 symphonic dances, published in 2021 b
Goodmusic Publishing.
Entangled Miniatures: Set of 12 miniatures for piano quartet (violin, viola, violoncello and piano). The work was recorded by the Phacelia Ensemble and released in 2022. Released on Seafront Records in 2021. On 20 October th
art video
was officially launched at

Hastings Contemporary The Hastings Contemporary is a museum of contemporary British art located on The Stade in Hastings, East Sussex and is a not-for-profit organisation. The gallery opened in March 2012 as the Jerwood Gallery and cost £4m to build. The gallery co ...

. Christmas Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra: The work was recorded with guitaris
Sergio Puccini
and th
Budapest Scoring Symphonic Orchestra.
The album was released on Seafront Records in 2021. Premiered on 3 December 2023 by guitarist Giulio Tampalini and the Hastings Sinfonia Orchestra under Derek Carden at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea. Duty Sublime: The work was privately commissioned to be presented to the late Queen Elizabeth II and was published in 2020 b
Goodmusic Publishing
and later recorded by the Budapest Scoring Symphony Orchestra under Hungarian conductor Péter Illényi. The album was released on Seafront Records in March 2022. Old World Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra: A privately-commissioned work world-premiered by cellist Tim Posner together with the International Festival Orchestra conducted by John Andrews. The performance took place at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea, in the UK on 20 May 2022. Libera Nos: This is the world's first ever multi-faith oratorio. Composed for five solo singers, mixed choir, children's choir and full symphony orchestra. The work'
world premiere
took place on 20 November 2022 at the De La Warr Pavilion, in Bexhill-on-Sea, United Kingdom, and performers included the

and th
Hastings Sinfonia Orchestra
conducted by Derek Carden. Bohemian Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Premiered
by pianist Thomas Pandolfi and the Symphonicity-Symphony Orchestra under maestro Daniel W Boothe at the Sandlers Centre for Performing Arts in Virginia Beach in the United States on 23 October 2019. Recorded by pianist Thomas Pandolfi and the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Andrews. Released on Seafront Records in October 2023.

Interviews and media

Hastings composer Polo Piatti releases his Bohemian Concerto.
October 2023 Interview wit
Get Hastings
magazine. October 2023
Busy summer for Hastings-based composer Polo Piatti
Sussex World, June 2023
Piatti prepares for world premiere of his multi-faith oratorio
Hastings Online Times, November 2022
Polo's Dream
2022 film about the creation of the International Composers Festival

Professional affiliations

Piatti is a Member of the

British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors The Ivors Academy (formerly known as British Academy of Songwriters Composers and Authors – BASCA) is one of the largest professional associations for music writers in Europe. The academy works to protect and support and also campaigns the int ...

and was elected as a member of the Royal Society of Musicians of Great Britain in February 2016.

References

External links

Official website

Polo Piatti - YouTube channel

Instagram
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piatti, Polo 20th-century Argentine classical composers British classical composers British classical pianists 1954 births 21st-century Argentine classical composers Argentine classical pianists Living people Musicians from Buenos Aires