Antonio Monti was born in central Italian region of Tuscany in 1971, but he grew up on the southern volcanic island of Ischia (just off the coast of Naples). At the age of twenty Antonio decided to escape from the island’s borders to study music and guitar.
In 2000, he moved to Milan, where he encountered different music worlds, from pop to jazz. He spent his time there working as live performer and also teaching. In 2006 he came across something so remarkable that it changed the direction of his life. Having never heard before of American guitarist and composer Michael Hedges (1953 – 1997), Antonio bought on a whim one of Michael’s cd, and from that moment on his musical path became clear.
Antonio decided to immerse himself in the study of the contemporary acoustic guitar. He was fortunate to have been able find, and work with, guitarist and composer Pino Forastiere and in December 2012, Antonio released his first acoustic guitar solo album “Attorno al Fuoco” (“Around the Fire”), which was co-produced by the cultural association “Accordature Aperte”.
After the release of his music, Antonio perceptively increased the number of his solo live performances in festivals and clubs, but most importantly, continued his work on other projects. He pursued composing and interpreting music for theatrical performances (for which he has received several awards). Yet, even with those accomplishments, he strove to maintain a connection with the human and musical experience of busking in London.
Finally, in 2014, Antonio returned to live on the island from whence he came. He found Ischia’s uniqueness and primordial beauty as an inexhaustible source of inspiration for composition. In 2017 his move home bore fruit as Antonio Monti released his second solo album entitled “Island” with the artistic production of Pino Forastiere.
Nato in Toscana nel 1971 ma cresciuto a Ischia, poco più che ventenne Antonio Monti decide di evadere dai confini dell’isola per andare a studiare musica, e chitarra. Negli anni 2000 è a Milano, dove lavora e si confronta con vari mondi musicali, dal pop al jazz, dedicandosi anche alla didattica. Nel 2006 l’incontro fatale: senza conoscerlo, acquista un disco di Michael Hedges, e da quel momento il suo percorso musicale prende una direzione netta. Nasce l’esigenza di immergersi nello studio della chitarra acustica contemporanea, cosa che avviene grazie al chitarrista e compositore Pino Forastiere. In coproduzione con l’associazione “Accordature Aperte ” esce, nel dicembre 2012, il suo primo album solista di chitarra acustica “Attorno al Fuoco”, a seguito del quale l’attività concertistica solista in festival e club diviene predominante, sebbene accompagnata da un ventaglio di altre attività, come scrivere ed interpretare musiche per spettacoli teatrali (per le quali ottiene diversi riconoscimenti), fino all’esperienza umana e musicale di chitarrista di strada a Londra. Tornato definitivamente a vivere nella sua isola, fonte inesauribile di ispirazione per la composizione, nel 2017 Antonio Monti pubblica il suo secondo album solista dal titolo “Island”, con la produzione artistica di Pino Forastiere.