Who is Manuela

Composer, pianist, and arranger dedicated to crafting immersive musical experiences.

Education & research

A versatile pianist and composer, Manuela has always been fascinated by ethnic traditions and distant cultures. In 2009 she graduated with a master's degree in classical piano from the Pergolesi Conservatory in Fermo, completing the former ten-year diploma.

Her curiosity for jazz led her to study at Siena Jazz Academy with Alessandro Giachero, and in 2015 she earned the five-year jazz piano diploma with top honours.

During those same years she founded Malibra Trio with Burkinabè griot Brahima Dembelé and Israeli percussionist Liron Meyuhas, experimenting with crossovers between Western, Eastern, and African sounds.

In 2024 she attended the MAI Master's programme in Music Applied to Image at the Boccherini Conservatory in Lucca and, the following year, obtained both first and second level diplomas in Music Supervision at Marco Testoni and Massimo Privitera's Cineartemusica school.

Projects & recognition

Since 2016 she has been the founder, pianist, composer, and leader of Fil Rouge Project together with singer and lyricist Maria Teresa Leonetti: their second album, “L'Île Noire”, released by AlfaMusic in 2024, features Argentine saxophonist Javier Girotto and Senegalese griot Badara Seck.

Since 2018 she has been the pianist and keyboardist for Liron Meyuhas' European Trio, touring Italy and abroad. In August 2024 she received a Special Mention at the Mercurio d'Argento Award for the score to “The Man Who Had Begun to Die”, and in 2025 she started new collaborations with film and theatre directors.