Adriano Sebastiani, Italian classical guitarist, is considered one of the most important Italian and International expert of guitar discography, literature and guitar chamber music. He is active as a performer and musicologist, as well as recording artist and teacher. He studied guitar in Italy with Alvaro Company, pupil of Andres Segovia, in Florence and Bruno Battisti D'Amario in Rome, obtaining his Master in the prestigious Naples S.Pietro A Maiella Conservatorio, the oldest in Italy. At the same time he also studied Science of Agricolture at the University of Pisa, Florence and Davis (California), getting his second Master. Then he attended guitar masterclasses held by great personalities of the lute/guitar world like Hopkinson Smith, Oscar Roberto Casares, Leo Brouwer, Sergio and Odair Assad, Dusan Bogdanovic and Ralph Towner. In guitar duo he has obtained four first prizes in national and international competitions. He performs both as soloist and in chamber ensembles in Italy, Europe and U.S.A., collaborating with singers, violinists, string trios and quartets like Antonia Elisabeth Brown (soprano), Silvia Martinelli (soprano), Stephen Harland (tenor), Ingolf Turban (violin), Dora Bratchkova (violin), Bin Huang (violin), Antonello Farulli (viola) and the Boccherini Ensemble. His repertoire includes original music for guitar of different periods and styles, the unique and rare compositions of Ralph Towner, then works for guitar and orchestra, lute music and many other pieces of chamber music. Since 1975 he has been dedicating to the study and the collection of rare bibliographic and musical sources about the history and literature of the guitar. As a musicologist he collaborates with the most execellent international guitar magazines: Guitart (Naples), Guitar Review (New York), Il Fronimo and Seicorde (Milan), Soundboard (California), rediscovering and publishing several important works for and with guitar, for the publishers Suvini Zerboni of Milan, Berben of Ancona, Philomele (Geneve) and Tuscany Publications of Tampa (Florida). He has moreover edited the Paganini’s works Catalogue for the book Nicolò Paganini, il Cavaliere Filarmonico by Edward David Robert Neill. Most recently he has written the important book Andres Segovia and his Repertoire, published by Grafos of Genoa. His recordings include an acclaimed set of eighteen compact discs. He has been the first guitarist to have recorded the complete trios for strings and guitar and the complete works for violin/viola/mandolin and guitar by Nicolò Paganini, and the complete works for voice and guitar by Franz Schubert, Mauro Giuliani and Ferdinando Maria Carulli. His last albums are dedicated to Dusan Bogdanovic’s and Ralph Towner’s guitar solo music, including some inedit pieces dedicated to him. Composers like Dusan Bogdanovic, Ralph Towner, Stefano Casarini, Riccardo Riccardi have dedicated to him new pieces.
He plays a Galamah model guitar by Fabio Ragghianti of Pietrasanta (Italy), using a 1830 R.&W.Davis romantic guitar for the music of this period. He is in charge of the Guitar Dipartment at Francesco Petrarca Classical Lyceum of Arezzo (Tuscany) and lives in Florence (Italy) with his wife Sabina Picarelli (a very active harpist) and their child Cosimo.

 (January 2010)