“My Shigeru SK-7 has given me a whole new level of expression, control, tone and clarity that I never dreamed was possible. I am undoubtedly a better composer and performer because of this world class instrument.”
Joe Bongiorno
Solo Piano Artist/ Owner, Piano Haven Recording Studio
Joe Bongiorno
Solo Piano Artist / Owner, Piano Haven Recording Studio
Joe Bongiorno began classical piano training as a child, but then quit when he was 11 to focus on sports. After injury curtailed his football career, Bongiorno formed a high school band, LIXX, and started to concentrate on music again. After moving to San Juan Island in 1987 and having a daughter, Bongiorno began to compose and record music, eventually opening the Mellow Sounds Studio on the island in 1993.
Bongiorno’s first release, Ancient Sky, came in 1994 and was a blend of new-age piano, rock instrumentals, and Native American influences. Realizing the limitations of his musical career on the island, Bongiorno moved to Seattle in 1997.
An encounter with his second cousin, Joann Bongiorno, a classical piano virtuoso, led Joe to swap his synthesizer for a grand piano. The result was his first album recording, At Peace, released in 2001 and recorded while working full-time in the restaurant industry.
A second release, Destined, followed in April 2004. The success of this album bought multiple performance opportunities for Bongiorno and put him in high demand as a Seattle wedding pianist.
Despite battling Meniere’s disease, an idiopathic syndrome that leads to hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo, Bongiorno released his third album, Somewhere Within, in August 2007. It became an iTunes Top 100 New Age album and was nominated for Best Solo Piano CD of 2007 by Whisperings Solo Piano Radio. In the same year, Bongiorno opened the Piano Haven Recording Studio.
Bongiorno released his fourth album, Mesmerized, in 2009. In 2010, Bongiorno retired from the restaurant industry to focus on music full time. His output dramatically increased as a result. His 2010, A Candlelight Christmas, won Christmas & Holiday album of the Year. In 2011, he released Into the Wind, which was nominated for Whisperings Album of the year. A “best of” album, Forever More, was released in 2012 and Bongiorno moved to Sedona, AZ.
In 2013, Bongiorno released his 8th studio album, Flight of a Dream, which was nominated for album of the year by a number of prominent publications. His latest album, Synfonia, is a fully orchestrated album.
"My Shigeru SK-7 has given me a whole new level of expression, control, tone and clarity that I never dreamed was possible. I am undoubtedly a better composer and performer because of this world class instrument."
Joe Bongiorno
Shigeru Kawai SK-7