email:ntoATautistici.org address: Antonio Mainenti via G.Bruno, 32 - 97017 S.Croce Camerina (Ragusa) - ITALY tel. +39 338 3256727 web: www.mainenti.net born in Ragusa the 5th of February 1978

Singer, musician and composer. His first sound experiences, when he's five years old, are made with a red and black Phonola tape recorder: he records sounds of environment, unusual bawls, rattles and improvisations. The tapes have gone lost. He's ten years old when he starts studying guitar and music theory. His first musical experiences are in rock and folk music and jazz bands. Later he goes to Rome to improve his knowledge (UM, Testaccio, La Sapienza, etc). There he also discovers his interest in vocal experimentation and contemporary music. From many years he works with soundtracks, composition, improvisation and art; he plays voice and computer, strings, Jew's harps, frame drums. At the moment he lives near Naples and leads workshops for children and adults: creative music, self-made instruments, invention of new languages to learn theory, technique and music notation. Since 2001 he's involved in import/export and distribution of professional and popular instruments from allover the world (with the NARADA company). He has performed in Italy and Europe. He worked with: Silvano Spadaccino, Giorgio Occhipinti, Miriam Palma, Pino Guarrella, Francesco Branciamore, Maurizio Majorana, Olivia Bignardi, Matteo Gallini, Andrea Tidona, Dario De Filippo, "Valstybinis Jaunimo Teatras" from Vilnius (Lituania), Damascus Youth State School (Syria), Guglielmo Manenti,Carlo Ferreri, Massimo Leggio, Vincenzo Cascone, Giorgio Iacono, Paolo Schembari, Theresa Wong, Filippo Portera, Emanuele Primavera, Tirriddiliu, Manuela Barile, Rinus Van Alebeek, etc. It has played to: Berlin, Damascus, Rome, Aosta, Sicily, Florence,Bologna, Milan, Naples....Pedalino, Buccheri, Bergamo, Giarratana, Monterosso, Ispica, Chiaramonte, Santa Croce Camerina, Avola, Noto, Pachino, Rosolini, Vittoria, Modica, Comiso, Acate...

Studies

1988:he begins the musical studies

1991: he begins to exhibit himself in "rock"bands in which he plays the guitar, sings and compose the pieces

1996:he enrols to the Faculty of Letters at "La Sapienza" University of Rome where he studies "ethnomusicology" and "history of music" -he also follows the courses at the University of Music where he studies singing with the vocalist Cinzia Spata

- he meets and works together with the master Silvano Spadaccino whereby he begins a long research work about the "Italian traditional music", basic for his singing and instrumental increase

1997:he enrols to the school of traditional music "Testaccio" in Rome, where he studies free improvisation with Carlo Mezzanotte, harmony with Gianluca Baldi, guitar with Massimo Nardi, MIDI composition with Luca Spagnoletti and follows the Giovanna Marini's course about the folk song

1998:he studies "belcanto" with the master Timothy Martin (USA) and solfeggio in order to enter to theAcademy of music as singer

2001:he partecipates to the workshop directed by the pianist Giorgio Occhipinti

- he participates to the seminary about the voice directed by Miriam Palma. A performance with F.Branciamore, G.Guarrella, M.Majorana, G.Occhpinti and M.Palma concludes the seminary

2002:he participates to the Olivia Bignardi's stage

- he travels in Spain, Portugal and Morocco for searches on music and musical instruments

2003: in September he follows a SITAR workshop with the USTAD(master) Shahid Parvez Khan

Professional experiences

2003: in December he carries out a workshop about poor musical instruments self-making and about contemporary composition at the elementary school of Marina di Ragusa

2004 July, teaches Italian folk music at the Damascus (Syria) music school of the state for the youth.

2006: February, to Milan, he records as singer of the jingles for "the tune" production
- April, he develops lessons of music for children from the four years
- from May 2006, he conducts laboratories near the children bookstore “cion cion blu” of Pozzuoli (NA)

Artistic productions

1991: he begins to exhibit himself in "rock" bands in which he plays the guitar, sings and compose the pieces

1997: Rome. He plays with the musical group "Little Italy" and he plays and sings in various "rock" "funk" and "jazz" bands

2000:he come back to Sicily where he works with the band "Quintastoffa" playing various ethnic instruments (oud, Saze, etc.).
2001: he begins a tournèe with a play about "Smells" of Sicily

-he works on the play "Avant-folk" from the sicilan poet Ignazio Buttitta

-cultural review "Il sussurro degli allori" with the actor Andrea Tidona

2002: he produces the musical performance "Bartolomeo" and starts collaborating with the percussions player Dario De Filippo (Progetto Percettibili Sonorità about the primordial sound)

- he participates at the first International Festival of Silent Movies called "strade del cinema"and sets to music the film "Boungaville Police" of 1913

- mise-en-scène of "the Sailor" by F. Pessoa

- he participates to the theatrical workshop organised by "Mobilità delle Arti" of Noto(SR) about the literary work " Argonautiche"by Apollonio Rodio,and he takes part in the closing mise-en-scène "Argo"directed by Tomas Kizelis, Gabrielia Kuodytè, Viktorija Kuodytè, Ramunas Rudokas from the "Valstybinis Jaunimo Teatras" of Vilnius (Lituania)

2003: from January to April 2003 he collaborates on the Guglielmo Manenti's art exhibition about the "Woyzeck" of Buchner

-he collaborates actively with EXTEMPORA s.r.l., a video production society,where he deals with soundtracks and live performances like in the plays "La pietra scritta"(study for an unacceptable cosmogony) with Carlo Ferreri, Massimo Leggio, Vincenzo Cascone, Giorgio Iacono and Paolo Schembari, "Zagara"(a V.Cascone documentary), Just by Safe( a Elvis Frasca short movie), "Pietro Fullone e il Cieco nato" with C.Ferreri and M.Leggio, "Lunerie" directed by C.Ferreri

2004: in March, recording of his new work " don Luiggi e altri canti a-sociali" - he puts on the scene a new folk project made of Solo improvisation
- April, he sets to music a Pippo Gurrieri's text about the "non si parte" revolt towards the end of the 2nd world war ( introducing the Maria Occhipinti byography and the book "La rivolta di Ragusa" by Ismène Cotensin, Sicilia Punto L editions )
- May , CD recording of Sicilian folk songs

- October, he introduces the Dario Fo's show (lu santo jullare Francesco) played by Mario Pirovano with his ballad about Maria Occhipinti and the Non si Parte revolt

- he plays the "sequenze appassionate per solo voce n. 1 e 2 " ( passionate pieces for solo voice n.1 and 2 )composed by Giorgio Occhipinti .

- November, in SO36(Berlin), he plays in Punkitalia festival(26/11/04) with Punkreas, Raw Power, Sandokan and Manicomio Latino, Duffy Punk, She Male Trouble, Radio Dead Ones

2005: SO36(Berlin), "I cento passi", a day for the Impastato family. Concert against the Mafia with Modena City Ramblers, Derozed, Minni's, Sun Fucking Ocean

- March: recording with Theresa Wong (cello, voice), Giorgio Occhipinti (piano), Giuseppe Guarrella (doublebass), Filippo Portera (sax e flute), Emanuele Primavera (drums) for a new disc

- execution of "sequenza appassionata n.1" by Giorgio Occhipinti, for a new disc

- 30 Avril: 3ª Biennale di Arte e Anarchia, Ragusa's stage Organization and participation with the "composizione n.0 per ambiente windows non originale e chitarra elettrica giapponese"( composition n.0 for not original windows and Japanese electric guitar) execution of Mainenti and Tirriddiliu; videostory "pornoWoyzeck" (by Büchner, black and white designs by Guglielmo Manenti)

- 1 May. 1º maggio Anarchico presentation of CD "don Luiggi e altri canti a-sociali", Sicilia Punto L editions. With Tirriddiliu(live electronics), Manuela Barile (voices)

- 8 August: with Tirriddiliu and Rinus Van Alebeek they invent Urban Scoring Kit, to clandestinely disclose

- 2-4 September, Florence (SASCHSALL, Teatro Tenda). 1a Vetrina delle Culture Anarchiche e Libertarie, 2a Vetrina dell’Editoria Anarchica e Libertaria, 3a biennale arte&anarchia. [with: HARD CORO, Caterina BUENO, Beppa CASARIN e Sandra MANGINI, ISA, Alessio LEGA, Roberto BARTOLI, FIATI SPRECATI, Massimo LIBERATORI, CORO dei MINATORI, @BAND]

-he also deals with the import and distribution of professional and ethnic musical instruments from all over the world with NARADA company (Ragusa, Arezzo) .

Recordings (Compact Disc)

1995: G.A.S. live "Sogno Siculo" at M. di Ragusa

1996: Elimi Nati, live in studio at Monterosso(RG)

1997: Aspersound, live at Marino(Rome)

1997-2000: Italian Popular Song Anthology by Silvano Spadaccino

2001: Quintastoffa "live in Pompeo" and live at Comiso(RG)

2004: don Luiggi e altri canti a-sociali,Uno maggio all'Utopia Compilation, Italian Folk Songs Collection, Sequenze Appassionate per Solo Voce n. 1 e 2 " by Giorgio Occhipinti

2005: composizione n.0 per ambiente windows non originale e chitarra elettrica giapponese (composition n.0 for not original windows and Japanese electric guitar) execution of Mainenti and Tirriddiliu

- don Luiggi e altri canti a-sociali", Sicilia Punto L editions

Sessions 2001-2004

- directed by G.Occhipinti, directed by O.Bignardi

- Luigi Tenco Progect

- Progetto Percettibili Sonorità with D.De Filippo(CD: varied sessions)

- Solo Performance: Unghie di Capra, Bartolome0

Teatro, Performance (VHS, mini DV)

2001: Avant-Folk, I.Buttitta's Poetries

2002: La notte che bruciammo Crome by G.Manenti

2003 Woyzeck by Buchner, La Pietra Scritta(with Carlo Ferreri, Massimo Leggio, Vincenzo Cascone, Giorgio Iacono and Paolo Schembari), Pietro Fullone e il Cieco nato with C. Ferreri e M. Leggio, Lunerie directed by Carlo Ferreri

2004: Non si Parte, Non si Parte! Singing history, lyrics by P.Gurrieri

Video(VHS, DVD)

2003: Just be Safe by Elvis Frasca, Zagara by Vincenzo Cascone

2005: videostory "pornoWoyzeck" (by Büchner, black and white designs by Guglielmo Manenti) by Mainenti