Giancarlo Palena born in 1995, is a prize winning Italian Accordion and Bandoneon player, who started studying accordion at the age of 7 with Mario Stephano Pietrodarchi, obtaining subsequently a Master Degree in chamber Accordion with a score of 110/110 cum lauda. In 2018 as an Erasmus student he studied at the London Royal Academy of Music next to Owen Murray and in 2019 he obtained the Master Degree in Classical Accordion at the University of Music Frederic Chopin in Warsaw, under the direction of Klaudiusz Baran, with First class honors. In 2023 he obtained the Masters Degree in Didactic of Music at the Stanislao Giacomantonio Conservatory of Music. He attended many masterclasses in Italy and abroad with Yuri Shishkin, Mijian Bieletic, Geir Draugsvall, Cesare Chiacchiiaretta, Voijin Vasovic and Vladimir Zubitski.
In 2019 he won the 5th edition of the prestigious the Arts Club –Sir Karl Jenkins Music Award in association with Classic FM 2019, and a piece written specially by Karl Jenkins, titled ‘Un chanson sans paroles d’un Film Noir’ was dedicated to him. Among numerous prizes obtained in national and international music competitions, in 2015 he was selected as the best Italian candidate to represent Italy at the 68th CIA World Cup, held in Turku (Finland), obtaining the third prize. In June 2016 he received a Medal from the President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies in recognition of the musical talent and his achievements at international level.
He has performed as a soloist and in heterogeneous chamber ensembles at wonderful venues all over Europe. A versatile musician, he extends his artistry over various musical genres, from baroque to contemporary. A few years ago he has a new passion, the bandoneon, performing in numerous concerts in Italy and abroad.
In 2023 he released his personal album ‘Accordion Enigma’ under Novantiqua Record Label. Currently he teaches accordion at the Conservatories “Fausto Torrefranca” in Vibo Valentia and the ‘Stanislao Giacomantonio’ in Cosenza, south Italy.