World-renowned pianist Gabrielle Baldocci will visit Grand Valley State University on March 12, where he will premiere some new music, including music composed by GVSU’s own Guiseppe Lupis, a professor in the music department.

“I had never met Mr. Baldocci, but he had the opportunity to read through some of my works after we got in touch through a common friend,” Lupis said. “He particularly liked a set I wrote called ‘A Few Excuses,’ so I decided to write a new composition for him called A Few More Excuses, which he was very enthusiastic about playing.”

It is a set of four short pieces crafted on Baldocci’s family name and is about his love for German composer Robert Schumann, his playful personality and his wife.

“The result was just brilliant, as Lupis wrote pieces that truly reflect my way of approaching piano playing, life and the audience,” Baldocci said.

Baldocci first started studying piano at the age of six, but said he remembers always having had a strong physical bond with the piano. He also has perfect pitch, which is the ability of recognizing notes just by hearing it. This skill showed up early in his life as he started reproducing the tunes he heard on the TV and radio without ever having received a single piano lesson.

“Being a musician requires motivation, creativity, discipline and a lot of practicing,” Baldocci said. “All those things are only possible when supported by a huge passion which makes you forget about the sacrifice of hours in front of the instrument. All I remember is I knew I would be a pianist, the rest didn’t really matter.”

Though he didn’t come from a family of musicians, he still attributes his passion for piano to his father, who allowed him to listen to all types of music and bought an old upright piano before Baldocci was even born.

“In a very natural way, my dad built up my passion for music, which if on one side is something innate, on the other side one should always cultivate and expand,” he said.

Since then, he has played concerts all over the world, and is a professor at the Potenza Conservatory in Italy. Despite performing all over the world, Baldocci said he doesn’t have a particular favorite venue he’s played at.

“I enjoy performing live and I love the special link I establish with the audience, no matter the nationality and the venue,” Baldocci said. “However, I have to say that I always loved the warm and enthusiastic audience response from South America and from the U.S.”

The day after the concert, Baldocci will be teaching a masters class in which he will focus on trying to let the students understand that music flows naturally from inside us and that they should never stop searching for a natural approach to the instrument.

“We should be naturally generous and share with others our possibilities in order to allow people to express their artistry,” Baldocci said. “Generosity is the key: we love culture, we love people to go to classical concerts, so we should share our knowledge and our passion as much as we can.”

Lupis said he agrees that cultural exchanges are paramount to the development of any musician.

“Mr. Baldocci’s performance will be an enhancing experience for our students and the entire community,” Lupis said. “It will be a unique opportunity for our students to witness firsthand the highest level of piano playing.”

The event will take after Spring Break on March 12 and 14, with Baldocci’s performance at the Louis Armstrong Theater at 8 p.m. on March 12 and the class in the Sherman Van Solkema Recital Hall at 11 a.m. on March 13. Both events are free and open to the public.

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