Renzo Spiteri

Renzo hails from a tiny island in the Mediterranean, the Republic of Malta. The country has a rich cultural history that extends from music to literature and theater. Now the isle can claim an elite percussionist: Renzo Spiteri.

Renzo is a native Maltese multi-percussionist whose diverse accomplishments dignify the world of rhythm and beyond into the spheres of visual/performance art. The release of Renzo's first solo album, the meticulously recorded (with no overdubs) This Is My Language, positioned Spiteri for deserved international acclaim. It was a coup for a Maltese percussionist, as was Renzo's endorsement deal with Toca Percussion, the first for a Maltese musician.

In 2005 a massive installation created by Renzo and the acclaimed Vince Briffa was chosen from among 1200 applications to appear at the prestigious Cork Festival 2005. Subsequent works from the two artists include Sea Dreaming and Sketches from Home, the latter celebrating 2008: the European Year of Intercultural Dialog. The Maltese press waxes ecstatic on Renzo's compositions, which embrace a percussive gamut ranging from conventional Toca instruments to "found objects" such as brake drums and metal shards.

For the last several years, when he hasn't been touring as an accompanist, Renzo has been performing with dance troupes, performance artists and noted percussionists as distant as China, Japan and the Ivory Coast. An appearance at PASIC 2007 further solidified his reputation. With Renzo's heightened visibility in the rhythmical community comes social responsibility. Accordingly, Renzo is devoting considerable energy to the organization WasteServ, which promotes the use of recycled materials.

Renzo's solo and collaborative CDs are available from Olimpus-Music.com. For sound clips, visit: www.renzospiteri.com.

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