Vito Nicola Paradiso
Guitarist-composer, concert performer, author, and teacher, universally recognized as "The Flying Guitarist" for his countless tours around the world and for his basic teaching methodology, which is appreciated and used in many European, Asian, and American countries.
His intense concert activity has led him to perform as a soloist in prestigious theaters and concert halls in Italy, France, Spain, Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Belgium, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Moldavia, Serbia, Turkey, China, Japan, Mexico, Argentina, Canada and many cities in the United States of America. As a soloist, he has performed several concerts for guitar and orchestra, and in the chamber music field, he has been part of various ensembles collaborating with internationally renowned artists.
He is the author of the basic method (sales record) LA CHITARRA VOLANTE (The Flying Guitar), a real "Best Seller" of music education published by Edizioni Curci of Milan. For over 20 years, the flying guitar has been the best-selling and most used of all musical instrument methods in Italy. Furthermore, the same method has been translated into English and Portuguese for the Brazilian market by Irmãos Vitale Editores of Rio de Janeiro. In addition, for Edizioni Curci, he has published several original compositions of a descriptive genre, from duo to guitar orchestra.
Also highly appreciated as a transcriber, his editions include UNA CHITARRA IN FRAC (A Tribute to Mister Volare); LA CHITARRA NAPOLETANA (A Tribute to Neapolitan Song); "I LOVE GUITAR" (A Tribute to Remo Vinciguerra).
Maestro Paradiso is regularly invited all over the world to give masterclasses and seminars on his methodology and especially with guitar orchestras, of which he is one of the leading international experts.
He has composed and premiered his own compositions with guitar orchestras at various universities, conservatories, and festivals in the United States, South America, Europe, and Japan.
For his artistic, educational, and editorial merits, he has received numerous awards, such as the prestigious Golden Guitar award for teaching in 2012 at the International Guitar Conference; Eurocorde in Mantua 2018 "Memorial Andrés Segovia" and the "Maestro d'Italia" award obtained twice in 2008 and 2012. Furthermore, his publications have won numerous critics' awards and covers of specialized magazines, including: Seicorde, Classical Guitar Magazine, Acoustic Guitar, GuitArt, DotGuitar.
Formerly a professor at various Italian conservatories, in 2000 (out of over one hundred and fifty candidates), Maestro Paradiso was first overall in the National Competition for teaching guitar in music-oriented courses.
More recently, on his records and in his live concerts, he has exclusively played music composed by him and his transcriptions of Italian music. He has to his credit numerous albums for various record labels, all usable on the major online digital platforms.
International endorser:
Salvador Cortez Guitars
La Bella Strings
Annamaria Plantamura - Guitar
Born in 1983, Annamaria Plantamura began studying guitar at the age of eleven in a music-oriented program under the guidance of Maestro Vito Nicola Paradiso. In 1998, she recorded the CD “Impressioni Faunistiche” as a member of the Puglian Youth Orchestra conducted by Maestro Paradiso.
She studied at the “Niccolò Piccinni” Conservatory, completing her Intermediate Diploma with Maestro Linda Calsolaro, and in 2006 earned her final Diploma with top marks under the guidance of Maestro Nando Di Modugno. In 2009, she earned a Master's Degree in Musical Disciplines with top marks and honors, again under the guidance of Maestro Nando Di Modugno. Her final thesis, "Algo - Il Giogo delle Figure," was an analytical study of compositional form based on Franco Donatoni's work of the same name. The thesis was published in the online magazine DotGuitar.
Annamaria has received numerous awards in national and international competitions, including the First Absolute Prize at the “Euterpe” International Music Competition (2008 edition). She has performed widely as a soloist in concerts and cultural events. She has also appeared in numerous chamber music concerts, collaborating in ensembles of various sizes, from duos to octets and guitar orchestras.
Annamaria has participated in many masterclasses with internationally renowned maestros, including Leo Brouwer, Costas Cotsiolis, Alberto Ponce, Lorenzo Micheli, Eduardo Isaac, and Stefano Grondona. Under the guidance of Maestro Oscar Ghiglia, from 2005 to 2008, she participated as an active student in the prestigious "Incontri Chitarristici Città di Gargnano" and the summer courses at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, receiving a scholarship and a Diploma of Merit. Since 2008, she has been an educator and is currently a Tenured Guitar Teacher at a lower secondary school. She is also a member of PGQ – Paradiso Guitar Quartet and Bass, founded and directed by Vito Nicola Paradiso.
Gianvito Difilippo - Guitar
Gianvito is a full-stack developer and classically trained guitarist. He builds modern web applications while maintaining his long-standing dedication to classical music. He holds a PhD in Electrical and Information Engineering from Politecnico di Bari, where he studied
coordination and control of autonomous systems, as well as degrees in Automation and Computer
Engineering from the same university.
He graduated in classical guitar with top marks from the Conservatorio di Musica “N. Piccinni” under the guidance of Francesco Diodovich, and he attended masterclasses with Oscar Ghiglia and Nando Di Modugno. He began his musical training with Annamaria Plantamura, with whom he now performs as part of the Paradiso Guitar Quartet & Bass, active since 2024.
Beyond solo performance, he has gained experience in chamber music as well, collaborating regularly with instruments such as cello and mandolin, and performing with other guitar ensembles. He has also studied opera singing and spent several years performing with a local choir.
Although Gianvito now works professionally in the IT sector, music remains a central part of his life, continuing tovshape his focus and approach to work.
Gabriella Perniola - Guitar
As a music lover since she was a child, Gabriella began studying classical guitar with Maestro Vito Nicola Paradiso at the age of five. She has participated in many competitions, winning her first outright prize. Among the most important: the 51st International classical guitar competition MICHELE PITTALUGA - special section for young talents ''Pittaluga
Junior'', XIV Lams Musical Performance Competition - City of Matera, International Guitar Festival (Mottola) - International Competition ''Young Guitarists''.
She has also participated in many Masterclasses with important Masters: Antogoni Goni, Frédéric Zigante, Marco Caiazza, Antonio Rugolo, Lucia Pizzutel – ‘’Seminari di interpretazione Chitarristica’’ at Civica Scuola di Musica ‘’Arcangelo Corelli’’ in Castellaneta; Leo Brouwer – 27th International Guitar Festival in Mottola;
Jure Cerkovnik, Nicola Montella, Matthew Mcallister – Acerra Guitar Meetings; Tali Roth, Luciano Tortorelli, Federico Ferrandina and Sharon Farber - Guitar Oasis International Music Festival; Marco Riboni in the Seminar ‘’La Forma Sonata nel repertorio chitarristico’’ – Conservatory E. R. Duni, Matera; José Maria Gallardo del Rey in the Seminar ''La chitarra in Spagna: poetica, tecniche e protagonisti'' – Conservatory E. R. Duni, Matera; Andrea Dieci and John Griffits – Vivaldi International Festival 2025, Pomarico.
Moreover, she has experience performing in guitar orchestras and in guitar and mandolin orchestras, taking part, for several editions, in the International Mandolin & Guitar Accademia.
Inherent to the classical field, she also practiced dance for 15 years. Here too, she attended masterclasses with important dancers such as Alessandra Celentano, Emanuel Lo, Sebastian Melo, and Gino Labate. After graduating from the scientific high school in 2021, she started courses for the Bachelor's degree in Classical guitar at the Conservatory of Music E. R. Duni in Matera, under the guidance of Maestro Antonio Rugolo - graduating
with top marks in 2024. Simultaneously, she enrolled in Master's degree courses at the same Conservatory.
She is currently a member of PGQ – Paradiso Guitar Quartet and Bass founded and directed by Vito Nicola Paradiso.
Ernesto Losavio - Double Bass
A graduate in Medicine and Surgery, specializing in Neurology and in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Ernesto currently heads the Neurorehabilitation and Spinal Unit Department at IRCCS Maugeri – Bari, Italy.
He began studying guitar and later refined his skills in jazz music under the guidance of Maestro Guido Di Leone. He subsequently took up the study of jazz double bass with Maestro Giuseppe Bassi.
Over the years, he has performed in various jazz and blues projects, alternating between guitar and double bass. He has attended numerous seminars and masterclasses to deepen his knowledge of jazz and acoustic guitar techniques, focusing on fingerpicking and Delta Blues styles. Among the teachers he has studied with are Franco Morone, Paolo Sereno, Preston Reed, Duck Baker, Franco Cerri, Joe Diorio, and Pat Metheny.
He has played electric bass with the “Joyful” Gospel Chorus, directed by Maestro Roberto Angiulo, and performs as a guitarist in the blues duo “Blue Finger”, together with singer/guitarist Samantha Nuzzi. As a double bassist, he has recorded a CD of Cuban music and another featuring film music composed by Nino Rota.
Ernesto is currently the double bassist of the PGQ Quartet and Bass, performing original compositions by Maestro Vito Nicola Paradiso, founder and Director of the group. He is also studying Classical Double Bass under Maestro Giovanni Rinaldi at the “Nicolò Piccinni”
Conservatory of Music in Bari.
Paradiso Guitar Quartet & Double Bass
