Susanna Parigi (13 May 1961 – 18 December 2023) was an Italian singer, songwriter, pianist and author.

Musical career

After earning her diploma in piano at the Cherubini Conservatory in Florence, Parigi studied modern singing in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, opera in

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

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. Parigi's early songs were discovered by Vincenzo Micocci, who signed her to the IT label. Her debut single, "Un anello di fumo" (A smoke ring) earned her first prize as a singer on ''La fabbrica dei sogni'' (The dream factory) TV show on

RAI 3 Rai 3 (formerly Rai Tre) is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It was launched on 15 December 1979 and its programming is centred towards cultural a ...

. Parigi toured as a pianist with Greg Brown and

Riccardo Cocciante Riccardo Cocciante (; born 20 February 1946), also known in French-speaking countries and the United States as Richard Cocciante (), is an Italian and French singer and songwriter. Early and personal life Cocciante was born on 20 February 19 ...

, as a vocalist and accordion player with

Claudio Baglioni Claudio Baglioni (; born 16 May 1951) is an Italian Pop music, pop singer-songwriter and musician. His career has been going on for over 50 years. Considered one of the most successful pop rock singer-songwriters in the history of Italian mu ...

, and with Raf for his album ''Cannibali''. Her first album, ''Susanna Parigi'', was released in 1995. With this album, the author began a personal path devoting herself to songwriting. Since her second album, ''Scomposta'' (1999), Parigi collaborated with Kaballà, a songwriter who shared her views. Her third album, ''In differenze'', includes a collaboration with

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He was the leader of the Pat Metheny Group (1977–2010) and continues to work in various small-combo, duet, and solo settings, as well as other side pr ...

Tony Levin Anthony Frederick Levin (born June 6, 1946) is an American musician and composer specializing in electric bass guitars, Chapman Stick and upright bass. He also sings and plays synthesizer. Levin is best known for his work with King Crimson (19 ...

, the

Sofia Symphonic Orchestra The Sofia Philharmonic ( Bulgarian: Софийска филхармония) was founded in 1893. The current music director is Nayden Todorov. The Sofia Philharmonic includes the National Philharmonic Orchestra, National Philharmonic Choir " ...

, well-known Italian musicians, and philosopher

Umberto Galimberti Umberto is a masculine Italian given name. It is the Italian form of Humbert. People with the name include: * King Umberto I of Italy (1844–1900) * King Umberto II of Italy (1904–1983) * Prince Umberto, Count of Salemi (1889–1918) * Umberto I ...

also appear on or contributed to the album, whose cover was photographed by

Sebastião Salgado Sebastião Ribeiro Salgado Júnior (8 February 1944 – 23 May 2025) was a Brazilian social documentary photographer and photojournalist. He traveled in more than 120 countries for his photographic projects, which appeared in numerous press p ...

. It was performed in live shows in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, and at the

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. In December 2006 the show was released on DVD with the cooperation of

Doctors Without Borders Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded ...

. In 2000 her song "Tre passi indietro" received first prize and a special award for Best Composition at the International Festival of Songwriting in Switzerland. In 2003, Parigi was a finalist at the Festival della Canzone d'Autore in

Recanati Recanati () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Macerata, in the Italian region of Marche. Recanati was founded around 1150 AD from three pre-existing castles. In 1290 it proclaimed itself an independent republic and, in the 15th c ...

. In 2009, she released ''L'insulto delle parole'' (The insult of words). A videoclip contains interviews with Italian writers and artists; the main theme is the way language is often mishandled by mass media: new words for old facts, old words for new facts are, according to the author, an insult to people. Parigi also taught at the Bonporti Conservatory of

Trento Trento ( or ; Ladin language, Ladin and ; ; ; ; ; ), also known in English as Trent, is a city on the Adige, Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the Trentino, autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th ...

Death

She died at 62 in 17 December 2023 from a long illness.

Discography

Albums

* 1995: '' Susanna Parigi'' ( RTI Music) * 1999: '' Scomposta'' ( Carisch) * 2004: '' In differenze'' (Sette Ottavi) * 2009: '' L'insulto delle parole'' (Promo Music) * 2011: ''La Lingua Segreta Delle Donne'' * 2014: ''Il Saltimbanco E La Luna'' * 2014: ''Apnea''

Single

* 1987: ''Un anello di fumo'' ( IT EN 423)

Unpublished

* 2001: ''Terra rossa'' (song with which she won the International Award "Myrta Gabardi")List of Awards - Sanremo 2001 edition
- * 2002: ''Dal cielo invisibile scende in forma di suono la pena d'acqua'' (a song edited on ''New Age'' magazine N.115 May 2002) * 2006: ''La canzone dei vecchi amanti'' (with

Kaballà Giuseppe "Pippo" Rinaldi (born 7 July 1953), known by his stage name Kaballà, is an Italian musician and singer-songwriter. Biography Kaballà has been living and working in Milan for many years. His distance from Sicily brings him to find “ ...

, only available on DVD ''In differenze'', a different version from the album L'insulto delle parole) * 2006: ''Qualcosa che ci sfugge'' (only available on DVD ''In differenze'') * 2008: ''Silent Night'' (released on the album ''Dear Father Christmas'', whose profits were used to give computer terminals to long-term care pediatric wards)

Poetry

* 2010: A poem of Susanna Parigi was published in the book ''Calpestare l'oblio. Poeti italiani contro la minaccia incostituzionale, per la resistenza della memoria repubblicana'', Edizioni Marte, January 2010

Notes

External links

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MySpace artist
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Parigi, Susanna 1961 births 2023 deaths Italian women singers Italian women songwriters Italian songwriters Musicians from Florence 21st-century Italian pianists 21st-century Italian women pianists