Saxophonist - Teacher - Composer
he graduated in viola, piano and composition at the S. Pietro a Majella Conservatory in Naples...
His debut at the age of 17 in pop music with Pino Daniele, Pablo Torres, Steve Gadd, Richard T., Ernesto Vitolo, Eugenio Bennato, Nino Buonocore, Tullio de Piscopo, Eduardo De Crescenzo, Joe Barbieri, Mario Merola.
He studied saxophone in Italy with Maurizio Caldura, Antonio Balsamo, Pippo Trentin and then in Los Angeles with Dexter Gordon, Michael Brecker and Barry Harris.
He won a scholarship as an external of M.I.T. in Los Angeles for the Berklee School of Music in Boston.
Clinics and workshops with: Lee Konitz, Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, Joshua Redman, Maurizio Giammarco and Jerry Bergonzi.
In Italy, in clubs, he plays in "trio" and "quartet" with Vittorio Pepe, Mario Mazzaro, Francesco Villani, Pierluigi Villani, Sergio di Natale, Giacomo Pedicini, Antonio Fresa, Nicola de Luca, Josè Davila, Ivo Parlati, Daniele Esposito, Vittorio Riva, Aldo Perris, Marco Daniele, Romano Mussolini, Lino Patruno, Bobby Watson and studied for a short period with Tony Scott.
He writes a jazz opera in the Neapolitan language entitled VALERIOPERANNA published by the label "Toledo Records"
With Eugenio Bennato for RaiTrade, he composes and performs the soundtrack of the cartoon "Lupo Alberto"
Subsequently, he collaborates and studies with: Ettore Fioravanti, Antonio Onorato, Marco Zurzolo, Antonio Golino, Steve Grossman (from whom he received the critics' prize of "Salerno Music Doors 2005"), Larry Nocella, Steve Lacy, Laurent Felipe, Paul Jeffrey, Marco Sannini, Francesco D'Errico, Marco de Tilla, Alberto Falco, Gennaro Desiderio, Francesco Nastro, Antonio de Luise, Daniele Scannapieco, Giovanni Amato, Elio Coppola, Daniele Sorrentino, Michel Buckley, Damon Brown, Don Moyé, Kirk Lightsly, Salvatore Tranchini, Peppe Plaitano, Gianni D’Argenzio, Carla Marciano, Roberto Schiano, Aldo Vigorito, Alberto D’Anna, Aldo Fucile, Giulio Martino, Antonio Ciacca, Paolo Innarella, Carlo Actis Dato, Franco Coppola, Dino Massa, Andrea Rea and Paolo Fresu, Orchestra Napoletana di Jazz, then also Joe Lovano at Orvieto Jazz Winter in 2007.
Discography
CATERPILLAR (UNIVERSAL-ITINERA-EGEA) presented at ORVIETO JAZZ WINTER 08 / POMIGLIANO JAZZ 2009 - distribuited by Universal all around the world
“Cari Amici Vicini e Lontani“ (WideSoundJazzproductions)
VALERIO VIRZO SUPERTRIO Gianluca Brugnano (Percussions), Diego Imparato (Bass)
MEGARIDE - Orchestra Jazz Parthenopea by Pino Jodice & Giuliana Soscia feat. Paolo Fresu
GOOD FELLAS SYNDACATE Vol. 1 (Unicorn Records / Heristal Entertainment) in 2021
Valerio Virzo & Enzo Amazio SuperQuintet feat. Gianni Pepe, Aldo Capasso and Marco Fazzari
He is currently a permanent member of the "Orchestra Jazz Parthenopea" of Pino Jodice formed in 2015,
which received from Herbie Hancock and Thomas R. Carter of the T. Monk Institute of N.Y. the award for best Italian Jazz orchestra, with the same then opened the Pozzuoli Jazz Festival in 2017
He teaches saxophone and ensemble music at the C.F.M. Centro Formazione Musica in Naples (Director Prof. Bruno Persico)
He held saxophone courses at the University of Engineering of Naples as part of the R.I.S.M.A project by Prof. Fergola and Prof. Persico
Theatre
He collaborates in the staging of theatrical performances by Roberto De Simone, with James Senese and Antonio Sorrentino
He composes and performs original music for the shows:
“Viva Diego” by Tato Russo
“Il Chiodo Fisso” by Manlio Santanelli, directed by R.Carpentieri
“Fra Diavolo” by P. Valentino
“Se devi dire una bugia dilla grossa“ by Henry Mc Dowell, directed by S.Amatucci
“Suoni lontani dalle città fantasma“ extracted from a novel by Italo Calvino, directed by C. Di Palma
“MEZZAPORTA” produced by TEATRO FESTIVAL ITALIA n° 2010 by E. Mc Cann
Project in two languages, directed and adapted by C. di Palma
“FOTODRAMMA - Le voci del vicolo di Alina Narciso“, with Alessandra Borgia
“STREAP TEASE” by A.E.Diaz, vincitore nel 2011 della V° Edizione della Biennale Internazionale
“La Audiencia De Los Confines“ Project in Spanish by Jorgelina Cerritos, winner in 2013 of the IV° Edizione della Biennale Internazionale
“La scrittura della differenza” original music performed live by Iván Sánchez Guardiola and Valerio Virzo, directed by Alina Narciso Cinema
VITTORIA by Fabrizio Grassi - original musics
L'ULTIMO TANGO by Giuseppe Iacono - original musics
QUERIDO FIDEL by Viviana Caló - original musics