Stefano Barone is a composer, guitarist, producer, video artist, music teacher from Italy. He is considered by the critics as one of the most creative and interesting contemporary acoustic guitarist composers of our time. Born in Naples (Italy, 1978), he started playing music when he was very young. He studied piano at first but picked up the guitar quickly and did not let it go. From blues to pop to rock, he went through different musical experiences until he moved to Rome in 2001 and decided to dedicate himself fully to solo acoustic guitar. When he first listened to the late American composer/guitarist Michael Hedges's groundbreaking album 'Aerial Boundaries' in 2003, Barone began studying modern acoustic guitar techniques and composition with the pre-eminent guitarist in Italy, Pino Forastière. Barone’s music evolved and he embraced contemporary music in general, in particular American minimalism composers such as Steve Reich and Philip Glass.
Stefano has a masterful guitar technique and an extraordinary control of the electronic effects and devices that he has incorporated into of his creations. He uses those devices and effects skillfully and tactfully thus creating remarkable orchestration and harmony. His Neapolitan roots gave him the innate and infallible sense of rhythm and the natural ability to improvise. On his last US tour in 2018 Barone performed with a 10 string guitar and he incorporated a fret adaptive device to allow his 6 string guitar to be played with a cello bow. His music is ethereal and captivating, a perfect balance between acoustic and electronic. He performs live an uninterrupted program in which all the songs played are woven together in the most brilliant methods.
With his debut album particolare#uno (Candyrat Records, 2009), Stefano Barone immediately gained the attention of both of the critics and the public. His composition, Batman/Alexander Supertramp has earned over 3.6 million views on YouTube alone and combined with his other pieces, over 6 million views! Directors and film maker have come to appreciate the cinematic quality of Stefano’s music so much that his compositions have been featured on various documentaries, dance shows, animation movies and it been picked as a testimonial song by the International Association “World Centers of Compassion for Children” founded by the Dalai Lama.