About
Born and raised in Vicenza, Italy, Riccardo Atanasio earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance summa cum laude with honors mention from the Conservatorio di Musica di Vicenza “Arrigo Pedrollo” under Maestro Marco Tezza. A scholarship enabled him to study with Maestro Niklas Sivelov at The Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen.
A versatile pianist with a passion for all music genres, he served as principal pianist for a youth orchestra, performing in three musical theater productions and numerous concertos as a soloist. In 2022, he became the musical director at the “Soldier’s Theatre” on a NATO US Army Base in Vicenza, winning a TOPPER award for “Best Musical Direction” for his work on Sister Act.
In 2023, Riccardo was selected as a Graduate Assistant in Chamber Music at the University of South Florida under Maestro Svetozar Ivanov and in 2025 he achieved a Master of Music in Chamber Music Performance. As a collaborative pianist, he performed with various USF ensembles, including the Symphonic Orchestra, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, and Musical Theatre department in classical and contemporary productions. In the summers of 2024 and 2025, he was selected to coach singers at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival and the Chicago Opera Summer Festival, respectively. He has also worked as a rehearsal pianist at the St. Petersburg Opera in Florida.
In 2025 he started the MA in Musical Theatre Directing at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, Scotland to achieve his dream of becoming a professional musical director and pit musician.
Riccardo holds a UK Student Visa.
Theatre Credits
Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Teatro Comunale di Vicenza), pianist
Footloose (Teatro Comunale di Vicenza), pianist
Grease (Teatro Comunale di Vicenza), pianist
The World Goes Round (Soldier’s Theatre in Vicenza), assistant musical director
Yule Be Swingin’ (Soldier’s Theatre in Vicenza), musical director
Sister Act (Soldier’s Theatre in Vicenza), musical director
As You Like It (University of South Florida), assistant musical director
9 to 5 (University of South Florida), assistant musical director
Sweeney Todd (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), assistant musical director
Pinocchio (St. Petersburg Opera, FL), rehearsal and orchestra pianist
Workshop Credits
Showcase (Tampa Rep and Broader Than Broadway) in Tampa, Florida, musical director
Concert Credits
The Koln Concert (Conservatorio di Vicenza), solo piano concert
“Returning Home” (Conservatorio di Vicenza), chamber music concert piano and flute
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Teatro degli Arcimboldi di Milano), orchestra pianist
Hawaii Performing Arts Festival (Kona, Hawaii), pianist