Cecilia Chailly

Born and bred with music in her blood, Cecilia Chailly has followed a very personal path with 
harp and voice, which has led her, after an important classical career, to write, play and sing her 
own music. 
Born in Milan, Cecilia started to study music at the age of six. At the age of ten, she began 
studying harp at the Milan Conservatory of Music, and continued her studies in France with Pierre 
Jamet and Jaqueline Borot, refining her interpretative style. At sixteen she began studying music 
composition with Azio Corghi, and made her debut at the Gaudeamus Festival in Holland and at 
the Piccola Scala in Milan as an avant-garde performer. At nineteen she made her appearance as 
first harp at La Scala Orchestra in Milan. She has also played with numerous orchestras including 
the Rai State Television Orchestra, Swiss Television Orchestra, the European Chamber Orchestra of Claudio Abbado, and many 
important chamber groups. She has worked with John Cage to a project where she directed a harp orchestra; she also worked with 
theatre and dance companies such as Piccolo Teatro of Milan in Giorgio Strehler’s Tempesta and the David Parsons Dance 
Company. She has also given concerts in Europe, China, Taiwan and in the most important Italian Festivals and Theatres.
She is the pioneer of electric harp, with which she recorded the CD 'Stanze', music by Ludovico Einaudi (Bmg Ricordi '93) and 
debuted with enormous success at the Queen Elisabeth Hall in London.
As a composer, author and producer realized four albums: ANIMA (CGD East West 1997), which won the prize for music De Sica 
'97, AMA (Sony Columbia 2002), his approach to the Pop, ALONE ( EMI Classics 2006), the classical crossover genre, with the 
Ludovico Einaudi’s piano, and ISTANTI(Egea 2009), a crossover that appears to blues, jazz and opera echoes, realized with the tenor 
and drummer Stefano Secco.
Acclaimed by press and media, she performs her music at Premio Campiello, for the Dalai Lama, at the Montreux Jazz Festival as 
the only Italian musician, for the Pope in the Vatican, at the Venice Carnival, Teatro alla Scala, Comunale di Bologna, Blue Note of 
Milan and several important Festivals as Festival dell’Aurora, Suoni delle dolomiti, etc.
His crossover harp is also the soundtrack of the film "Fuori dal mondo" by Piccioni, "Nonhosonno" by Dario Argento, "Mai più 
come prima" by Giacomo Campiotti and Infasil 2008 TV advertising. 
In 2009 she debuted with four classical compositions for harp and big orchestra at the Teatro Cilea of Reggio Calabria.
As a writer, with her novel “Era dell’amore” (Bompiani 1998) she won important awards such as Premio Pisa and Calabria Opera 
prima 1998, Rapallo e Procida Elsa Morante Opera prima 1999. 
In 2001 her novel is translated into German and published by Lizt, and gets enthusiastic press reviews, especially from “Der Spigel” 
magazine.She has conceived, since 2000, a successful column for the best sold Italian female magazine, Donna Moderna.
She is working on her second novel.
Special guest and recording sessions:
Mina (Ridi pagliaccio PDU 1988), Ludovico Einaudi (Stanze BMG - Ricordi 1992), Fabrizio De Andrè (Anime salve Bmg 1996), 
Teresa De Sio (Primo viene l’amore Cgd ’97) Andrea Bocelli (Sogno Sugar 1999), Giorgio Conte (Eccomi qua Polydor ’99), Lucio 
Dalla, Cristiano De André, Giorgio Faletti, Planet Funk (The Illogical Consequence - EMI 2005), Ron (Ma quando dici amore - Sony 
BMG 2006), Festival di Sanremo 2006, Morgan (Da A ad A – Sony Bmg2007), Hector Zazou, Alex Britti e le Vibrazioni.
As a painter has participated in numerous exhibitions organized by Poiesis at the Lissone Museum of Contemporary Art, Rome and 
Monza.
She has been member of the jury of the “Premio Milano Europa 2000” Museum of the Present. 
His photographs have been published by Psichologies and included in the cover of his latest album.
With Stefano Secco has made some video from the last album, “Istanti”.
Testimonial for designers Missoni, Krizia, Laura Biagiotti, Nino Cerruti, Yoshihito Ogawa, Costume National, she has also been 
portayed by Bob Krieger, Melina Mulas, Oliviero Toscani, Alfredo Sabbatini and many others.
Mentioned in several encyclopedias and dictionaries, including "Who's Who" and Utet, his music can be purchased online at major 
sites, including iTunes.
Her name appears in Who’s Who in Italy and she is one of the 100 Italian personalities portrayed by the famous photographer Bob 
Krieger. Currently she finished her new album.