Concetta "Cettina" Donato

Born and raised in Messina (Sicily), Cettina Donato started playing drums at the age of 6. She performed since she was a child. At the age of 8 she met during a concert the Director of the Conservatory of Messina who really wanted her to study music at the Conservatory. Cettina started studying classical piano at the age of 9. Cettina graduated in Classical Piano, Jazz Piano and in Musical Didactic. She studied also Classical Composition. Cettina is also graduated in Educational Science and Social Psychology at the University of Messina and she attended two Masters in Special Didactic. Due her strong skills in playing all music she listened by ear, Cettina just not used to play classical music but popular and jazz as well. Cettina had the pleasure to study and play with some of the most important musicians of the jazz area as Giovanni Mazzarino, Salvatore Bonafede, Ray Santisi, Joanne Brackeen, Ken Pullig, Dick Lowell, Bob Pilkington, Jackson Schultz, Scott Free, Adam Nussbaum, Hal Galper, Billy Harper, Matthew Nicholl, Ron Savage, Dario Deidda, Roberto Gatto, Ken Cervenka, Marcello Pellitteri, Marco Panascia, Orazio Maugeri, Ron Reid, Dado Moroni, Bob Mintzer, Garrison Fewell and many others. As a composer and performer Cettina published her first CD called Pristine (Wide Sound Label). This album have had great reviews by some of the most important Italians and foreign jazz magazines as Jazzit, Musica Jazz, Jazz Magazine, JazzTimes, Keep Swinging, JazzWise, Metronome, A Proposito Di Jazz, Boston Globe, Sound Contest and many others. In 2008 Cettina attended the Berklee College's Clinics at Umbria Jazz festival in Perugia (Italy) where she met the jazz legend Herbie Hancock who has been for her a great inspiration. After having listened to Cettina's music, Herbie strongly recommended Cettina to keep playing and writing the music she composes. After a couple of days, at Berklee Clinics at Umbria Jazz Festival 2008, Cettina gained a scholarship in order to attend the Berklee College of Music of Boston (MA, USA). Cettina graduated at Berklee College in December 2011 majoring in Jazz Composition not after having played and being awarded many times as composer and performer. Cettina played as performer, bandleader and conductor in several venues between Italy and the United States as Berklee College of Music, Berklee Performance Center, Jordan Hall, Kendall Square, Lilypad Jazz Club, Ryles Jazz Club, Outpost 186, Eastern Standard, Boston School of Wine, Boston Common, Spectacle Island just to mention a few. She was awarded by the Jazz Composition Major of Berklee College with the Carla Bley Award. She is a JRR artist of Berklee College of Music, being part of the CD OCTAVE as composer, performer and bandleader. She has been the piano player of the Berklee Contemporary Symphony Orchestra. She has been the piano accompanist for the prestigious Boston Ballet Company, the most important ballet company of the world. She performed for several jazz festivals in Italy and United States as Umbria Jazz Festival (2010-2011-2012) working also as jazz piano accompanist for the great singer Donna McElroy's voice classes; Piazza Jazz Festival, Non Solo Jazz Festival, Berklee In The City, Berklee Summer, Note D'Estate Festival, Mantova Music Festival, Vatican Radio, Women In Jazz, European Music Festival. She was finalist for several jazz competitions as Note Di Donna (Piacenza Jazz Fest) and she had the second placement for the Luca Flores Jazz Award as Italian jazz new talent. She was invited as guest for many TV and Radio shows. She arranged several project for American and Italian Writing and Editing Companies. New release on 2013: Women in Jazz South Florida (3rd volume) which included an original Cettina's composition. Cettina recorded her new album in May 2012 with a Big Band and a string quartet composed by very talented musicians who come from all over the world. This new album called CRESCENDO is going to be published in 2013 by Jazzy Record Label. Italiano: Nata e cresciuta a Messina, Cettina si approccia alla musica all'eta' di 6 anni suonando la batteria. Ancora bambina ha il privilegio di incontrare la Direttrice del Conservatorio di Musica di Messina che, ascoltandola suonare, insiste affinche' Cettina cominci a studiare musica. Cettina si diploma in Pianoforte classico, Jazz, Didattica della Musica e studia Composizione classica. Cettina e' anche laureata in Scienze dell'Educazione con indirizzo in Psicologia Sociale all'Universita' degli studi di Messina ed ha anche frequentato due Master in Didattica Speciale. Date le sue capacita' di suonare qualsiasi genere musicale ascoltasse, Cettina ha sempre suonato non solo musica classica ma anche musica jazz e pop. Cettina ha studiato e suonato con alcuni tra i didatti-jazzisti piu' importanti dell’area jazz, tra cui Giovanni Mazzarino, Salvatore Bonafede, Ray Santisi, Joanne Brackeen, Ken Pullig, Dick Lowell, Bob Pilkington, Jackson Schultz, Scott Free, Adam Nussbaum, Hal Galper, Billy Harper, Matthew Nicholl, Ron Savage, Dario Deidda, Roberto Gatto, Ken Cervenka, Marcello Pellitteri, Marco Panascia, Orazio Maugeri, Ron Reid, Dado Moroni, Bob Mintzer, Garrison Fewell ed altri. Cettina oltre ad essere una performer e' anche compositrice. Il suo primo album intitolato PRISTINE e pubblicato dalla Wide Sound, ha avuto ottime recensioni da parte di alcune tra le piu' importanti riviste di jazz italiane e straniere, come Jazzit, Musica Jazz, Jazz Magazine, JazzTimes, Keep Swinging, JazzWise, Metronome, A Proposito Di Jazz, Boston Globe, Sound Contest e molte altre. Nel 2008 Cettina ha frequentato le Clinics del Berklee College of Music di Boston al Festival di Umbria Jazz (Perugia). In occasione del festival di Umbria Jazz ha avuto anche il privilegio di incontrare la leggenda del jazz Herbie Hancock che e' stato per Cettina una grande fonte di ispirazione. Dopo aver ascoltato le composizioni di Cettina, Herbie Hancock le raccomanda vivamente di continuare a suonare e scrivere la sua musica. Dopo alcuni giorni, al Berklee Clinics at Umbria Jazz Festival 2008, Cettina ottiene una borsa di studio che le permette di andare a studiare al Berklee College di Boston (USA). Si laurea nel Dicembre 2011 in Jazz Composition non dopo aver suonato in moltissimi concerti e dopo aver ricevuto diversi premi come performer e compositrice. Cettina ha suonato come performer, bandleader e direttore di Big Band per diverse organizzazioni musicali e jazz club negli Stati Uniti come ad esempio al Berklee College, Berklee Performance Center, Jordan Hall, Kendall Square, Lilypad Jazz Club, Ryles Jazz Club, Outpost 186, Eastern Standard, Boston School of Wine, Boston Common, Spectacle Island. E' stata premiata con il Carla Bley Award come miglior allieva di Jazz Composition del Berklee College of Music. Cettina e' un'artista del Jazz Revelation Record del Berklee College of Music, essendo stata selezionata con il suo quintetto composto da alcuni tra i piu' talentuosi studenti di Berklee per incidere il nuovo disco del JRR intitolato OCTAVE. Cettina ha suonato con l’Orchestra Sinfonica del Berklee College e si e’ esibita alla Jordan Hall di Boston, tra le sale da concerto piu' importanti al mondo. E' la pianista accompagnatrice del prestigiosissimo Boston Ballet di Boston, una tra le compagnie di balletto piu’ prestigiose del mondo. Cettina ha suonato per diversi jazz festival come Umbria Jazz Festival (2010-2011-2012) come pianista accompagnatrice della cantante Donna McElroy, Piazza Jazz Festival, Non Solo Jazz Festival, Berklee In The City, Berklee Summer, Note D'Estate Festival, Mantova Music Festival, Radio Vaticana, Women In Jazz, Festival Europeo della Musica. E' stata finalista al concorso Note Di Donna (Piacenza Jazz Festival) e si e' piazzata seconda al Luca Flores Award (come miglior jazzista italiano emergente). E' stata ospite di diversi show televisivi e trasmissioni radio. Ha arrangiato molti progetti per diverse compagnie americane e italiane. In uscita nel 2013 l’album Women In Jazz South Florida 3rd Volume. Cettina ha inciso il suo nuovo album nel Maggio del 2012 a Boston dirigendo una Big Band composta da talentuosissimi musicisti provenienti da ogni parte del mondo. Il nuovo album intitolato Crescendo sara' pubblicato nel 2013. www.cettinadonato.com Pianist, Composer, Arranger, Conductor