Pianist Giovanni to Play Saturday

Giovanni Marradi, an expressionist pianist and composer who has received several awards from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, will appear in Mission Viejo on Saturday, Feb. 9.

Giovanni will perform a "Romantic Evening in Italy" at 7 p.m. inside the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center at 24932 Veterans Way. The concert will help support the Mission Viejo Friends of the Arts, according to a city press release.

The son of famed Italian trumpeter and conductor Alfredo Marradi, Giovanni began playing piano at age 5, and three years later was sent to study composition and technique with Michael Cheskinov at the Russian Conservatory. In the years to follow, he emerged as a prolific composer, often writing as many as 10 new songs a week.

Forming his own label, NewCastle Records, he also hosted a weekly television series, Giovanni's World of Music and sold 20,000 CDs in one two-hour segment on QVC.

Tickets are $25 at the door or by calling 949-470-8440.