Composer · Singer · Pianist · Producer
About Mario
Mario Pecoraro, born in Bludenz in 1978, grew up in a family of musicians where opera was part of everyday life: his father sang as a tenor at the Graz Opera and later at the Vienna State Opera. Mario first drew attention at the age of nine – as the youngest percussion student at the Graz Conservatory, celebrated at talent competitions across Austria.
At the University of Music in Vienna he studied classical percussion – once again as the youngest student – with Horst Berger, former solo timpanist of the Vienna Philharmonic. Yet the deeper he immersed himself in jazz and Latin American music, the more strongly he was drawn to the instrument closest to his heart: the piano. In 1996 he founded the Mario Pecoraro Trio, writing his own compositions as singer and pianist.
Miami
In 1998 he was chosen from a large field of applicants for a scholarship at the University of Miami, studying with piano greats such as Vince Maggio, a student of Oscar Peterson. He then became the first Austrian to receive a full scholarship for piano and jazz voice at the University of Miami School of Music. He performed with the legendary vocal ensemble JV1 – winner of 14 DownBeat Awards – and trained as an arranger and composer with Gary Lindsay and Ron Miller.
Stage & Band
Back in Vienna he completed his studies and quickly established himself on the Austrian scene: from 2003 as solo pianist of the Rounder Girls, and from 2009 as keyboard player of SEER, one of Austria’s most successful live bands – six years of stage experience in front of huge audiences. This period also saw his first solo album “In the World of Art” and the creation of the Rocket Man Show, his Elton John tribute show of the highest calibre, which later earned him invitations to the official German film premieres of “Rocketman”.
Pecoraro & Pecoraro
A duet with his father, Kammersänger Herwig Pecoraro, in a 2013 crossover project at Bühne Baden proved a turning point: Mario began writing compositions tailored to himself and his father. Their joint album “For Us – Per Noi” was released in 2015, followed in 2016 by celebrated concerts at the Bregenz Festival Hall and the Wiener Stadthalle – with band, classical orchestra, choir and a spectacular stage show, broadcast in primetime as a co-production with Servus TV.
Today this idea has found its most beautiful form on stage: “Pecoraro & Pecoraro – The 3 Generations” unites father Herwig, Mario and son Oscar in a unique crossover project that fills concert halls across Austria. The press put it simply: “Cheers for three generations of Pecoraro on stage.” (NÖN)
As a composer, Mario Pecoraro works on pieces that reach far beyond the concert evening – from the opera musical CARUSO to commissioned works for international brands. Read more under Composer & Producer.
Off stage: passionate fly fisherman and western rider · married · two children
