Marco Pillo

Marco Pillo (born 1975) is a Roma-Slovak composer, arranger, instrumentalist and singer.

Biography

Pillo was born 1975 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. He performed in orchestras from the age of thirteen, initially in Aladár Móži's chamber orchestra. At the Prague Conservatory he studied cimbalom, later guitar. During his studies in Granada, Sevilla, Marbella, and Barcelona, he met with the local flamenco music culture, which later became influential factor in his creative work.

He often works for other performers (e.g. in 2015 he composed a Christmas piece for Michal David and Martina Balogová). He recorded several CD recordings, performing as a guitarist and singer, but also as a cimbalom player. He has collaborated with Helena Zeťová, the Buty band, Linha Singers. He recorded the album "Čekej a neplakej" with Antonín Gondolán and the album "Carmen" with Cigánski Diabli (Gypsy Devils).

Since September 2015, he has performed in the musical Carmen, also becoming a soloist of the Slovak National Theatre. As a solo cimbalom player, he was part of the project of the Talich Chamber Orchestra, releasing the album Gypsy Melodies. Marco Pillo is also the author of the music for the performances César and Drana and Příliš drahá Mathilda performed in Prague.

He currently performs with the band Gypsy Jazz SK. His broad scope extends across all styles and genres. As he said in a recent interview: "I want to make music that will appeal to everyone and be liked. I work in all styles, I never follow predetermined templates," explains Marco. "The moment you get lazy, everything is suddenly bad. Music is something that is constantly evolving. It is an elusive vibration, something that forces you to keep going."