MARC VELLA – The Nomadic Pianist ‒ France

Le pianiste nomade – France

To show the beauty of mankind in the silence of the world, convinced that humanity cannot grow unless it falls in loves with itself.

～ Marc Vella

 

Marc Vella is one of those people who excels in music, poetry and travelling. At the age of 30 he and his grand piano covered some 250 000km through almost 40 countries, from the Malagasy bush to sub-Saharan villages, the Kosovo countryside to the lively suburbs of India, from the nightclubs of Beirut to Santiago de Cuba.

Vella started learning the piano at the age of four and studied it academically until adulthood. He won several prizes, proving his virtuosity, acquired a grand piano at the age of 24 and took off with it as fast as he could to play his music everywhere – except in the places you’d expect.

With sculptor Jean-Jacques Lamenthe, he devised variacordes: they are ergonomic, light and uncluttered and allow a playfulness with mallets and chopsticks. They give the piano a totally new orchestral dimension.

Motivated by a desire for the other, Vella’s music allows him to resonate with the planet. For example, he conceived the Emergence Concerts that invite to the keyboard people who have never played the piano before. This new relationship explodes into a contagious joy that captures the audience.

In the same spirit, he devised the Caravan of Love that formed part of the UNESCO International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence. On the road, he often takes with him ‘a group of friends who want to meet others and themselves in a spirit of openness and respect for the people, cultures and places they visit in order to marvel at the miracles of nature and of each human being.’

 

Website: https://www.marcvella.com

Documentary (in French): https://youtu.be/zo_rpLub6yg

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