Born in England and raised in London, New York, Stockholm and Florence, Giovanni lives and works in New York City. His multicultural background is reflected in his music with influences as diverse as Arvo Pärt, Astor Piazzolla, Brian Eno, Henryk Górecki, Michael Nyman, Philip Glass, Woijciech Kilar, Giacinto Scelsi, John Adams, Ryuchi Sakamoto, Dead Can Dance, Joy Division, Radiohead, Interpol and Sigur Ros. The diversity of his music, which ranges from orchestral to ambient and electronica and from experimental rock to world music, is also reflected in his work for film and theatre (see below). Giovanni studied piano (under Jean Lloyd-Webber in London) and classical guitar as a child. His classical studies were soon complemented by a strong interest in rock, electronic and ambient music. Giovanni's orchestral and chamber works have been performed thoughout Italy. He performs regularly in New York City as guitarist and vocalist.

ELECTRIC GUITAR SCORE FOR "SUNRISE"

Giovanni premiered his much awaited score for solo electric guitar for F.W. Murnau's silent masterpiece "Sunrise" (1927) on the opening night of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival on July 14. As expected, the premiere generated a fair amount of controversy but was a resounding success:

From the San Francisco Examiner:

"... the most unique moment that evening was musician Giovanni Spinelli's electric guitar accompaniment of Mr. Murnau's hypnotic "Sunrise".  Silent film purists may have chosen to flee the palatial space, but Mr. Spinelli's orchestrations were pitch perfect for "Sunrise", layering the story's dark and all-too-human undercurrents, a jarring experience heightened by the guitar's unorthodox pitch, an astounding mix of Hendrix, Badalamenti, Vaughn and The Edge."

Below is a short preview of a documentary by Brian Dilg on the making of this piece:

The following is an excerpt from YAM Magazine's review:

"At first Spinelli's electric guitar score was a little jarring juxtaposed with Murnau's gentle style, but as the film progressed the score began to blend so seamlessly with the images it was like they were one and the same. It was like being at a rock concert while watching this amazing piece of cinema. I know that sounds odd, but it worked. It really worked. A truly one-of-a-kind experience. There's no word yet as to whether the film will ever get a DVD release with this score attached, but I'm not sure it would be the same if it weren't played live by Spinelli himself."

"POP STAR ON ICE"

Giovanni recently completed the score for the Sundance Channel's documentary feature "Johnny Weir: Pop Star on Ice", directed by David Barba and James Pellerito (please see www.popstaronice.com). The film aired on the Sundance Channel in January, 2010. Giovanni also composed music for the related TV series "Be Good Johnny Weir" which aired on the Sundance Channel in March.

The Pop Star On Ice soundtrack album is available on iTunes: .

Giovanni's credits also include:

"Quattro Movimenti per pianoforte ed orchestra - Teplitz" - orchestral work for piano and strings commissioned by the Florentine orchestral ensemble GAMS, premiered in Badia a Settimo Florence, December 2003 (see Tracks 4 and 12 in music player)

"Musica per quattro strumenti ad arco - Jasna Gòra" - string quartet performed by Quartetto Elisa in Parma, Italy, July 2005 and Lugano, Switzerland in August 2005, and perfomed by the Chamber Dance Project Quartet at the Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater, New York City, in November 2006, defined as a "rich, turbulent string quartet" by The New Yorker see New Yorker preview (see Tracks 5 and 13 in music player)

"Musica per padre e figlio - M.A.S." - work for string quartet commissioned and performed by Chamber Dance Project in December 2007

"Equinozio d'Autunno" - work for string quartet commissioned by Chamber Dance Project and premiered at the Barishnikov Arts Center in New York on January 22, 2009: Chamber Dance Project

MUSIC FOR FILM & TELEVISION

"Johnny Weir: Pop Star on Ice" - score for feature documentary directed by David Barba and James Pellerito and produced by the Sundance Channel

"Maree" - independent film, written and directed by Jamie Pellerito: original score (Special Mention at the 2004 Berlin International Film Festival)

"Leaving Ashland" - independent film, written and directed by Brian Dilg

"Diane Skyhawk" - independent documentary, directed by Jason Wade Hammonds: original score

"Be Good Johnny Weir" - score for TV series directed by David Barba and James Pellerito and produed by the Sundance Channel

"True Heart Susie" - Silent feature by D.W. Griffith (1919): original score composed, conducted and performed live on commission by the International Silent Film Festival of Pordenone, Italy, on the opening night of the XXV Edition, October, 2006

"The Passage" - independent film, written and directed by Jason Roer: original score

"Nioulargo" - independent film, written and directed by Flavia Tamoyo: original score

"The Jacknife Memoriam" - independent film, written and directed by Jason Wade Hammonds; original score

"American Way" - Independent film, written and directed by Jason Hammonds

"Giustino: Una Vita per le Vocazioni" - Italian feature film, written and produced by Moreno Alessi and Arx Group, directed by Fernando Soler: original score with vocals by Anthony Roth Costanzo

"This Is Not My Dog!" - independent film, written and directed by Flavia Tamoyo: original score with vocals by Jane Cummings (soprano)

"New York City: A Sense of Place" - TV documentary, produced and directed by Gigi Van Deckter: original score

"Bam" - documentary on the 2005 earthquake in Bam, Iran directed by Ali Nakhai: score based on traditional persian songs perfomed by Laudan Fard

"Cadillac Man" - a documentary on the life of a homeless man in Astoria, New York, produced and directed by Michael Regan, Hellskitchenfilms: original score

"Adiòs Para Siempre" - film produced and directed by David Barba: arrangements of title song

"New York after 9/11" (title to be determined) - score for documentary directed by Martin Bell on life in New York City after September 11 (work in progress)

MUSIC FOR THEATRE & OTHER MEDIA

"Private Life of the Master Race" - by Berthold Brecht, directed by James Phillip Gates, Soho Rep Theater, New York: original music and sound design, vocals by Meghan Conway (soprano)

"The Father" - by August Strindberg, directed by Zishan Ugurlu, LaMama Theater, New York: original score for piano trio and soprano performed live

"Teatro Slovak" - written and directed by Richard Caliban, HERE Arts Center, New York: original music, arrangements and live performance (electric guitar and bowed guitar)

"Cabaret Cucaracha" - rock-cabaret written and directed by Richard Caliban, Galapagos Art Space, New York: musical arrangements and live performance (electric guitar and bowed guitar)

"Tremulous" - play by Le Wilhelm directed by Tullan Holmqvist: original music

"Baby with the Bathwater" - play written by Christopher Durang and directed by David Barba, Sanford Meisner Theater, New York: original music

"Golden Chalices" - play written by Laura Lewis-Barr, directed by John Borras: original music and sound design

"Sequestered" - play by Le Wilhelm directed by Tullan Holmqvist: original music

Linda Holmqvist - Visioni Interne, music for an art opening www.lindaholmqvist.com

Andrea Marcuccetti - Music for architect's website www.andreamarcuccetti.com

Vera Icon - Music for photographer's website www.veraicon.com

Alexandra Seegers - Music for art director/designer's website www.alexandraseegers.com