Enrico Giaretta was born in Latina in 1970. After studying at the Conservatory, he soon began performing around the world with violinist Olen Cesari, a lifelong friend and an important companion throughout his musical journey.

Still very young, Enrico became part of Franco Califano’s life, eventually moving into his home. They wrote and played music together and shared nearly twenty years of their lives. It was an experience that went far beyond music and played a profound role in shaping Enrico, both as a person and as an artist.

His transition from pianist to singer happened gradually, almost by chance, between one journey and the next. Together with Olen Cesari, he began adding a few original songs to the classical and jazz repertoire they had been performing up to that point. Those early experiments soon opened up a new path, taking them to some of the most iconic venues on the international music scene, from the Blue Note in Milan to Piano’s in New York.

It was Lilli Greco, the longtime producer of Paolo Conte, Francesco De Gregori and many others, who recognised Enrico’s particular gift for songwriting and the singer-songwriter tradition.

One of his songs, “Tutta la vita in un momento”, reached Canadian artist Matt Dusk, who decided to reinterpret it under the title “Back in Town”. The song went on to become the title track of his second album and entered the charts in several countries, reaching number one in Canada, the United States, Australia and the Netherlands, as well as becoming one of the most-played songs on Japanese radio.

Interest in Enrico’s music continued to grow and, after signing with Warner, he released his debut album, “Sulle Ali della Musica”, on February 1, 2008. The project brought together musicians from very different backgrounds and musical worlds: Tony Levin on bass, Daniele Di Bonaventura on bandoneon, Olen Cesari on violin, Alessandro Canini on drums, Fabrizio Bosso and Andrea Tofanelli on trumpet, Shama Milan on guitar and double bass, with Enrico himself on piano. Pharrell Williams recorded the rhythm part for the track “Migrazioni”.

During those same years, another lifelong passion began to intertwine more and more closely with his music: flying. Alenia Aeronautica, a Boeing partner, chose him as the Italian singer and spokesperson for the worldwide presentation of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner passenger aircraft. Shortly afterwards, the Italian Air Force commissioned him to compose the soundtrack for “Le Frecce Tricolori”, a DVD produced to mark the 50th anniversary of the Italian National Aerobatic Team.

In 2013, his relationship with flying changed perspective completely. Enrico put on a pilot’s uniform for the first time and began flying for K-Air on the Piaggio P180 Avanti II. Over the years, he went on to fly the Embraer 175/190 with Alitalia, the ATR 72-500 and eventually the Boeing 737-800, which he still flies today as an airline pilot for Poste Air Cargo.

His second album, “BLU”, was produced by Rita Allevato, former manager and record executive for artists including Paolo Conte, Francesco Guccini, Ivano Fossati and Vinicio Capossela, and received a positive response from both critics and audiences.

Another significant encounter came in 2018, when Jack Savoretti chose Enrico as a special guest on his acoustic tour. Performing at the piano, Enrico opened Savoretti’s concerts in some of Italy’s most prestigious theatres, from the Rome Opera House to La Fenice in Venice, bringing to the stage some of the most representative songs from his own repertoire.

Music and flying have continued to move forward side by side ever since: two paths that may seem worlds apart, but over time have become part of the same story. Music critic Cesare Romana captured this dual identity by calling Enrico a “Cantaviatore” — a singer-aviator — in an article titled “Il fenomeno”. Paolo Conte, during a recording session with Renzo Fantini, also said of Enrico after hearing the song “Paolo il ferroviere”: “At last, I’ve found a protégé.”