Marc Vella began to tame the piano at the age of four and will not leave it alone. He studied the piano at the Ecole Normale de Musique, Paris (ENM) and taught there for several years. At the age of 24, having acquired his first grand piano, he decided to escape the concert halls to offer his music to those who have no access to such venues. He plays where we are unused to seeing a man in tuxedo and even less so, a grand piano.
Variacordes are the fruit of joint studies made by the composer and the sculptor Jean-Jacques Lamenthe. Conceived specially for the piano, ergonomic, light, uncluttered, they give the piano a totally new orchestral dimension. Thanks to these, his music is unique and allows him to start resonating with musicians anywhere on the planet.
“Marc VELLA, eccentric explorer, tries to reach for the moon by bombarding it with notes! Armed with variacordes, with beetles, and with sticks, he caresses the piano, flirts with the strings. It becomes an orchestra under its new embrace. The dazed instrument returns unhoped-for sounds, is made a harp or a harpsichord, expires a cello, is re-born a sitar.”(CCAS-news)
Prize for Composition at the ENM, Paris in 1985
First prize for Composition at the TIM, Rome 1999.
The music of the composer is deep and powerful, the place of silence is essential there. His works have been published and played at International piano competitions. Numerous festivals of sacred music have welcomed him. He was especially invited by “Jubilatio” for the 1997 visit of Pope Jean-Paul II to Paris.
Improvisation is at the heart of Marc Vella’s music. He created the 2011 “Festival de la Touche” in the Charente, dedicated to piano improvisation.
The 2nd Festival will take place at Essart from 16th – 22nd July 2012.