Sergio Manolo Occhipinti

Manolo Occhipinti
Born in Gela in 1999, Sergio Manolo Occhipinti began studying the guitar during his school years under the guidance of Maestro Elio Lombardo.

He earned his First-Level Academic Diploma with honours (cum laude) at the “V. Bellini” State Conservatory of Music in Caltanissetta.
Between 2016 and 2023, he was awarded first prize in numerous national and international competitions.
He continued his academic training at the International Academy “Incontri col Maestro” in Imola, enrolling in the University Department of Guitar under the direction of Maestro Giovanni Puddu.
Through this institution, he had the opportunity to study with members of the Academy’s distinguished teaching faculty, working with internationally renowned musicians such as Marcin Dylla, Matteo Mela, Arturo Tallini, Giulio Tampalini, Marco Zuccarini, and Alain Meunier. For his Master’s degree (LM-45), he studied with Lorenzo Fico, Marco Di Bari, Annalisa Cattani, and Serena Carbone, focusing on composition, historical, aesthetic, and literary disciplines.
His final thesis for the LM-45 degree—combining concert performance and theoretical research—was awarded the highest honours (summa cum laude) and a special commendation, unanimously conferred by the examination board.
Selected by the Imola Academy for its concert seasons, Occhipinti was also chosen for the prestigious roster “Young Italian Musical Talents in the World”, a programme promoting the careers of emerging concert artists, realised in collaboration with CIDIM, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAECI) and the Ministry of Culture (MiC).
Alongside his formal studies, he actively participated in numerous masterclasses with esteemed performers and composers, including Stefano Gervasoni, Salvatore Sciarrino, Giovanni Puddu, Marco Zuccarini, Alain Meunier, Matteo Mela, Marcin Dylla, Giulio Tampalini, and Arturo Tallini—significantly enriching his musical and interpretative vision.
At the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, under the guidance of Maestro Giovanni Puddu, he was awarded the Diploma di Merito for two consecutive editions of the prestigious Summer Courses in Advanced Musical Training.
As part of his concert activity, Occhipinti performs regularly both as a soloist and in chamber ensembles, collaborating with numerous institutions committed to the promotion of classical music and cultural heritage, including the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, the Imola International Academy “Incontri col Maestro,” the “L. Barbara” Society for Theatre and Music, the “V. Bellini” State Conservatory in Caltanissetta, and the Accademia Filarmonica di Messina, among others.
Among the distinguished venues that have hosted him in concert are: Sala Laudamo at the Teatro di Messina, the Guido Chigi Saracini Concert Hall in Siena, the Rocca Sforzesca in Imola, Teatro Comunale dell’Osservanza, Palazzo Monsignani in Imola, and the Imago Museum in Pescara.
Sergio Manolo Occhipinti currently performs on a guitar crafted in 2023 by luthier Roberto De Miranda.