Canadian pianist and composer Giancarlo Scalia was born in Montreal. His musical education began at the age of 10 with piano and theory studies with Paolo Vani at the McGill Conservatory of Music. After graduating with Honors at the age of 16, he pursued his studies with acclaimed concert pedagogue Dr. Angela Chan, before entering the renowned Ecole de Musique Vincent d'Indy.

      As a pianist, his repertoire ranges from composers like Bach, Beethoven and Mozart to modern composers such as Shchedrin and Kabalevsky. His own compositions and those of his favorite composer, Fryderyk Chopin, also stand significantly in his repertoire.

      Giancarlo Scalia entered the studio to record his first album of piano compositions, entitled "Sogno d'Amore (Liebestraum)", in March 2005. The CD, released in April 2005 under Davisca Productions, led him to many media appearances, including televised performances throughout Canada. The disc is now available in Canadian stores and worldwide through the Indie Pool website.

      Besides his numerous recital performances, he also enjoys performing at various benefit concerts. He performed at the annual Brain Waves Gala (benefiting the Franco di Giovanni Foundation) three years in a row as well as for the Canadian Cancer Society and other benefit organizations.

      A proud supporter of modern composers, he gave the world premiere of Montreal composer Octavian Lecca's "Portrait", on the 3rd of May 2006. He later performed the work in July 2007.

      As a composer, his works number in the 90s and are for a variety of instruments. He has composed works for solo piano, orchestra and chamber groups as well as for unusual trios and quartets. His compositional style is a unique blend of classical-romantic and contemporary melodies and harmonies, and the majority of his compositions have a distinctive tonal melody flowing through them. Main influences in his musical writing include Ennio Morricone, Jordan Rudess, and, of course, Chopin.

      In November 2004, he was commissioned to compose a short piece for students of Dr. Chan. His Rondo Facile for 1 piano, 8 hands op. 29 was premiered the 18th of December 2004 at the Maison Trestler in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec. The performers were Sihan Guo, Emily and Jacqueline To and Kathleen Wong.

      He began to work in the film music field when he was commissioned by the Laurier Macdonald Media Foundation to compose the music for the documentary "Ripples in Time". The hour-long documentary, premiered the 1st of February 2006 at the Centro Leonardo da Vinci in Montreal, received an AMTEC award.

      Giancarlo Scalia continues to perform and compose and is currently studying with Jimmy Briere at l'Ecole de Musique Vincent d'Indy.