“The Two Faces of the Accordion”

 Johann Sebastian BACH – ITALIAN CONCERTO BWV 971

Johann Sebastian BACH – FRENCH SUITE NUM. 5 BWV 816 (Allemande; Sarabande; Gigue)

 Astor PIAZZOLLA – AVE MARIA

Richard GALLIANO – TANGO POUR CLAUDE

Edward ELGAR – “NIMROD”, Enigma Variations for Orchestra op. 36.

 Giancarlo Palena is a prize-winning Italian Accordion Player which started to study in Italy with M° Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi and is currently in London working with Prof. Owen Murray in the Royal Academy of Music. He has performed in Royal Festival Hall in Lodon; Teatro “San Carlo” of Naples; Academic Hall of the “Fryderyk Chopin” University of Music in Warsaw; Academic Hall of the Rome’s Conservatory “Santa Cecilia”; Royal Castle of Warsaw; Royal Academy of Music in London.

 In November 2018 he was a guest of the London Philharmonic Orchestra as part of the Foyle Future Firsts Ensemble’s 2018 debut held in Southbank Centre, with music written in Theresienstadt concentration camp, by Viktor Ulmann.

Giancarlo has won numerous national and international competitions and in June 2016 he received the Medal from the President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies in recognition of the musical talent and his achievements at international level.

In September 2014 in Castelfidardo (Ancona) he was selected by the Italian Accordion Culture as the only representative from his homeland in the classical category ("Master Coupe Mondiale") at the 67th CIA World Cup, held in Salzburg (Austria), from 27th October to 2nd November 2014. In May 2015 he was selected as the best Italian candidate to represent Italy at the 68th CIA World Cup, held in Turku (Finland), from 6th to 11th October 2015, obtaining the third prize. In 2017 he graduated at the University of Music “Frédéric Chopin” in Warsaw, Poland, under the direction of M° Klaudiusz Baran. He has held numerous concerts in Italy and abroad, performing in Austria, Belgium, England, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey.