Conductors
Domenico Riina
Conductor, Composer, Arranger.
Defined by the critics as “one of the most interesting conductors of his generation” for his complete preparation and his excellent technical qualities, combined with a natural innate musicality, and for his great musical versatility that embraces symphonic, pop and jazz music. He graduated in Trumpet, and in 2004 he graduated in Jazz Music under the guidance of M° Ignazio Garsia, from Conservatorio V. Bellini of Palermo, in 2010 he graduates in Pescara in Orchestral Conducting with M° Donato Renzetti.
Between 2009 and 2010, he collaborated, as an assistant director for Renzetti, producing various operas and concerts, including Rigoletto with the artistic groups of Teatro dell’Opera of Rome. He has conducted Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana in a concert entirely dedicated to the musics of Rossini and Mozart. Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, in september 2012, commissions him the arrangements and the orchestrations of the artistic project “Tribute to Burt Bacharach” produced and realized with the “Orchestra dei docenti del Conservatorio “V.zo Bellini” and the “Orchestra Jazz Siciliana” in the Teatro di Verdura of Palermo, in which he will work as musical director.
He is a founding member of Orchestra Jazz Siciliana, ha svolto una notevole attività concertistica nella qualità di prima tromba e solista fino al 2009, che lo porta a collaborare con artisti rappresentativi della storia della musica afro-americana, quali Bob Wilber, Gil Evans, Archie Shepp, Ernie Wilkins, Bob Brookmeyer, Mel Lewis, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Gunther Schuller Arturo Sandoval, Frank Foster, Carla Bley, Pete Rugolo, Lester Bowie, Clark Terry, Toots Thielemns, Vince Mendoza, Billy Childs, Phil Woods, Tony Hadley, Natalie Cole, Patti Austin, Andrea Bocelli, etc.
In 2010 he directed the discographic work “Three Drums Show” with Peter Erskine and Alex Acuña, and he wrote various arrangements. Among his discography we cite one with Orchestra Made in Sicily, for which he has been conductor and arranger, a work produced by “Alfredo Lo Faro produzioni” that has gone multiplatinum.
In 2015 he was nominated “Resident Conductor” of the Orchestra Jazz Siciliana.
In the capacity of resident conductor of Orchestra Jazz Siciliana he has been very successful, among other international artists as Martial Solal, Stefano Bollani, Francesco Cafiso, Wayne Bergeron, John Pizzarelli, Tony Hadley, Nicole Henry, Billy Morig ed Elliot Zigmund, (with which he records Donnafugata Music & Wine) D. Schuure. R. Gambarini, Hallie Loren, etc
In 2013 he wrote “Suite per archi, fiati e percussioni “Dear Mr. Zappa” for the documentary film “Summer 82 when Zappa came to Sicily”.
He participates in various international festivals, he collaborates with the RAI, and he directed in 2017 the Orchestra of Teatro Massimo and the Orchestra Jazz Siciliana in the production “Sicily All Stars”, arranging and conducting.
He’s a jazz trumpet teacher at Conservatorio V.zo Bellini of Palermo and teacher of orchestration and arrangement in the Scuola Superiore di Musica of The Brass Group.
Antonino (Ninni) Pedone
Clarinettist, saxophonist, composer and arranger, he graduates in clatinet in 1982 from Conservatorio di Palermo. Since 1989 he is a teacher in highschool.
Founding member of “Orchestra Jazz Siciliana”, he has been very active in concerts since 1984 until today, under the guidance of many prestigious conductors (Gil Evans, Francy Boland, Bob Brookmeyer, Carla Bley, Mel Lewis, Bob Wilber, Gunther Schuller, Giorgio Gaslini, Bruno Canfora, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Sam Rivers, Ernie Wilkins, Archie Shepp, Paul Jeffrey, etc…).
1988, Festival Internazionale del Jazz di Sanremo;
1989, under the direction of Bob Wilber, national premiere of ”Queen’s Suite” by Duke Ellington, in the same year he recorded his first album “Orchestra Jazz Siciliana plays the music of Carla Bley”
in 1990 he accompanies Vesta Williams, Cheryl Barnes and Marlena Shaw during “Rassegna Internazionale della Soul Music”;
in 1991, european premiere “Epitaph” by Charles Mingus, under the direction of Gunther Schuller;
to the movie “Il Siciliano” by Michael Cimino
in 1992, a concert by Nathalie Cole, and various concerts under the direction of Giorgio Gaslini;
in 1994, to the review “Suoni del Novecento“, and a worldwide live broadcast in Teatro-Greco di Tindari;
in 1995,various concerts directed by Clark Terry, Pete Rugolo, Lester Bowie;
in 1996, invited by “Società Italiana per lo Studio della musica Afroamericana” for a live premiere of the suite “Porgy and Bess”, directed by Gunther Schuller;
he has an important concertistic activity under the direction of Ignazio Garsia, as with Diane Schuur, Bob Mintzer, Bill Russo, Arturo Sandoval, etc…
in 2003 he plays with Patti Austin and Gregg Field in Teatro di Verdura (Palermo), and in the same year in the Teatro Massimo with Diane Reeves and Gregory Hutchinson, Ruben Rodgers, and Pete Martin.
in 2003 he partecipated to the Joe Castellano Blues Big Band tour playing with Gordon Metz, Lee Brown, Bobby Johnson, Hariett Lewis, and he edited the orchestrations.
in 2004 he wrote “I REMEMBER BILL”
in 2005, concert with Eumir Deodato in the “Blue Brass”
He also played with Stefano D’anna, Mario Raja, Carol Welsman.
For the concert season of 2006-2007 of The Brass Group he played with Rachelle Ferrell, John Pizzarelli, Travis Sallivan, Biilly Childs, Martial Solal, Eliot Zigmund, Bill Moring.
Lately he graduated in Jazz Music, in the Conservatory of Palermo, under the guidance of M°. I. Garsia.
He received the title of “Conductor of Jazz Orchestra”.
He recieves excellent results in international contests and in the italian public and press; he therefore has also been given many remarkable assignements in the sicilian musical context.
In 2015 “The Brass Group” Foundation appoints him “Resident Composer”.
He has been taking care of the band of Salemi, for which he wrote numerous tracks published by the prestigious musical editions “Wicky”, “Scomegna”, “Allemanda”.
Vito Giordano
Trombettista, compositore, bandleader, direttore d’orchestra, diplomato in tromba al conservatorio V. Bellini di Palermo. Solista tra i più apprezzati in ambito europeo ha svolto numerosi concerti partecipando a festival jazz ed eventi di rilevanza nazionale e internazionale.
Dal 1996 a tutt’oggi è Direttore Didattico della Scuola di musica del Brass Group di Palermo e dei corsi Europei d’Orchestra Jazz nel corso dei quali è stato assistente di direzione di G. Schuller, B. Russo. Dal 2003 svolge attività di docente di tecnica dell’improvvisazione e musica d’insieme al conservatorio di stato V. Bellini di Palermo. Numerose le produzioni discografiche a nome suo tra cui “Flavours” e “A Handful o’ soul” (ENJA) con la “I.J.B.B.” di D. Gojkovich.
Concerti: New York (USA); Parigi, Nancy (Francia); Belgrado,(Serbia); Sibiu, Brasov (Romania); Kosovska Mitrovitzka (Kosovo); Katovice, Bielsko-Biala (Polonia); Roma, Pescara, Palermo (Italia).