LIGURIANI

The bagpipe is Fabio’s ‘instrument of choice’ (World Music Magazine, Italy). An accomplished multi instrumentalist, Fabio plays various kinds of bagpipes, from northern Italian pipes to uilleann pipes, musette Bourbonnaise and Scottish smallpipes. He has studied the uilleann pipes of Ireland for more than twenty years and as a founder and member of the Birkin Tree, has played them all over Italy, Europe and in Ireland.

The Birkin Tree has recorded four albums: “Continental Reel” (1995), “A Cheap Present” (1998), “3 (three)” (2001) and “Virginia” (2010)  receiving wide acclaim from the public and the Italian, European and American press. Fabio has also collaborated in performance with Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, the piper Liam O’Flynn which whom he has studied, singer Niamh Parsons and the harpist Grainme Hambly among others.

In 2008 Fabio toured Italy as a musical guest of The Chieftains.

In addition to traditional Irish music, Fabio is dedicated to the study of the traditional music of northern and central France and Italian early music. He was a founding member of “Ensemble del doppio Bordone” with whom he has played in hundreds of concerts (Italy, England, Scotland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland and Spain) and recorded two CD’s.  He collaborates with the noted early music group “EnsembleMicrologus” with whom he plays in important music festivals throughout Europe. He has performed as a soloist with the Orchestra of the Paganini Conservatory in Genoa at the Teatro Carlo Felice performing works by Peter Maxwell Davies and has been featured in more than forty recordings (traditional, early and pop music).

Fabio has also collaborated on television with well-known Italian singer-songwriters including Angelo Branduardi, Riccardo Cocciante and Giorgio Conte.

Fabio is an accomplished singer, fiddle player and multi instrumentalist, after academic studies devoted himself to folk music and songwriting.

He worked with renowned folk rock band I Luf between 2005 and 2011 and with singer songwriter Zibba between 2005 and 2013, winning the prestigious Targa Tenco in 2012.

Since 2011 he’s a member of Birkin Tree, the most important Irish music band in the Italian scene, with whom he toured extensively and collaborated with many well known Irish musicians such as Mick O’Brien, Aoife ni Bhroin, Cyril O’Donoghue, Caitlin nic Gabhann, Caoimhin O’Raghallaigh and many others.

He’s a founding member of Italian traditional folk band i Liguriani, with whom he recorded two albums which received a wide critical acclaim and toured extensively Europe, playing in important festivals such as Rudolstadt Folk Festival, Celtic Connection and many other.

He has released two solo albums.

Flautist Michel Balatti graduated with honors from Conservatorio Paganini di Genova. He was the winner of competitions both as a solo performer and in chamber music ensembles and performed several times as a soloist with orchestra. In 1998, after attending a concert by the Italian-based Irish band, Birkin Tree, he began a serious study of traditional music and the simple system wooden flute. Since 2003 he decided to devote himself entirely to the wooden flute and folk music. 

During 2004 and 2005 he lived in Ennis, Ireland, where he had the chance of immerse himself completely in the vibrant co. Clare session music scene.

Michel also plays traditional northern Italian music with the band I Liguriani, with whom he has recorded two widely acclaimed albums and toured extensively throughout Europe. He is one of very few flute players in the field of Italian traditional music, and he has crafted his own unique flute style.

Michel has collaborated with musicians such as Martin Hayes, Dennis Cahill, Niamh Parsons, Tola Custy, Cyril O’Donoghue, Nuala Kennedy, Caitlin nic Gabhann, Mick O'Brien and many others. Over the years he has performed in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Turkey, Denmark, Belgium, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada.

He has recorded live concerts for Radio Tre, Radio24, Rte Classic (Ireland), WDR, Bayerische Rundfunk. His music had been broadcasted byRai Radio 3, ABC Australia, CBC Canada, RTVES Spain, WDR Koln, Bayerische Rundfunk, HR2O and RSI.

In 2016 he release his solo recording “The Northern Breeze” which has received a wide critical acclaim.

Irish Music magazine says of him: “A hugely talented flute player...His music is first class, well chosen and refreshing without loosing touch with the tradition...” – Irish Music Magazine, oct 2016

Filippo Gambetta is an Italian multi instrumentalist (diatonic accordion and bandolim) and composer. The music that he presents is innovative contemporary folk music with lots of different influences. Hailing from Genoa, in northern Italy, Filippo began playing the diatonic accordion at the age of fourteen; his music is steeped in northern Italian folk idioms, but also taps Nordic, Celtic, Balkan and other global inspirations.

He recorded three albums for the italian label Felmay proposing his music: Stria (2000), Pria Goaea (2002), Andirivieni (2009). Stria won the first prize at the Greenage Festival (Italy) and the second prize of the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival Competition (Finland). In 2015 he released Otto Baffi, a self-produced album focused on the 2 row / 8 bass diatonic accordion in G/C. 

The Filippo Gambetta Trio, with upright bass player Riccardo Barbera and guitarist Claudio de Angeli, toured extensively Italy, Europe and Canada, performing Filippo’s music. They have played at Trad.it Festival (Holland), Halkaer Festival, Aarhus Folk Festival (Denmark),  Vancouver Folk Festival, Festival d’été de Quebec, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Calgary Folk Festival, Edmonton Folk Festival, Radio3 inFestival, La Valigia de Suoni to name a few.

Filippo is a member of the Italian folk music band Liguriani, with whom he tours extensively Europe. 

Filippo is also involved in the world music group Voyage de Nuit, combining Celtic melodies with Mediterranean and French styles. Philipe Guidat, Nuala Kennedy, Hamid Gribi and François Breugnot are the members of the group, which performed in important festivals such as Festival des Hautes Terres, Festival du Volcan de Montpeloux, Festival Eurofonik, Festival Les Automnales du Puy-de-Dôme, Festival Les Tradigordines, Festival du Haut-Livradois, Halkaer Festival.

As a mandolin player of the band ChocoChoro (with Marco Moro and Fabrizio Forte), he plays instrumental Brazilian music; the band’s debut album was broadcasted on the national Italian radio Rai Radio Tre programme Fahreneit in 2014.

He works as a composer for theatre as well as for several contemporary dance performances and contemporary theatre pieces. He has performed with the actors Gioele Dix, Fabrizio Matteini, Mauro Pirovano and Laura Bombonato and wih the contemporary dance company UbiDanza.

The Genoese guitarist Claudio De Angeli has devoted years to the study and performance of traditional and acoustic music. Former student of Armando Corsi, with whom he has deepened the study of harmony and improvisation, and Beppe Gambetta with whom he studied the technical finger picking and open tunings, Claudio collaborates on a regular basis with the young accordion player Filippo Gambetta, with whom he recorded two albums for the Felmay label (“Stria” in 2000 and “Pria Goaca” in 2002).  He has performed at numerous festivals with Filippo in Canada, the U.S, Germany, Finland and Italy including Lithos, Edmonton folk festival, Festival d’Eté, Calgary Folk Festival, Vancouver Folk Festival, Winnipeg Folk Music Festival, border crossings, Biberach Musikfruhlings, Roots and Blues Festival and ArtisticaMente.

Claudio is a songwriter and composer and is dedicated to traditional Irish music as well as the Traditional music of Italy.