Girltunes
- Santa Monica, CA
- Pianist
- 6 Verified Bookings
Topacio A. said “I hired Ferris to play my moms 60th birthday party. We had a piano set up in our living room and we asked her to come & play some classic rock/light…”
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Nick Petrillo is a pianist, arranger, composer and producer hailing from New York City and living in Los Angeles. Nick is well versed in all styles of music, from Classical, Jazz, Latin and Funk to Pop, Rock and R&B. He has arranged and orchestrated for Seal and Rod Stewart and is a composer and producer of jingles, film scores, and songs.
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Price Range: Contact for rates
Gig Length: 120 - 300 minutes
Languages: English
Nick Petrillo has experience in his favor. Rooted in a strong classical background, he began his piano training at the age of 5 with Dr. David Bower. By the age of seven, he had performed in several recitals, as well as a solo performance at his grade school. As his classical training progressed, Nick enrolled in a local music school, where he studied advanced classical repertoire, which was supplemented by contemporary styles. A few years later, he joined his first performance ensemble, called the Raritan Jazz Ensemble.
In high school, Nick strove for originality in his music and began composing. His first compositions were performed with the Nick Petrillo Band, formed in his sophomore year of high school. They performed in the tri-state area, finding success at many notable venues. Additionally, Nick pioneered his high school’s first Music Theory Club, assembled ensembles to perform during worship services, and became the rehearsal pianist and keyboardist for the school’s musical theater program. Later, he was appointed the school’s ambassador for the Edison Arts Society, an organization dedicated to the development of arts in high schools, and was elected president shortly thereafter.
Within this time, Nick was hired at Da Fillipo’s Italian Restaurant to perform ambient jazz and light contemporary music two nights a week for three years. However, this did not deter him from studying classical music at a higher level. He was accepted through audition to the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College Program in New York City. During his two years there while still in high school, Nick studied advanced piano technique with many notable performers and composed a number of classical pieces.
Upon graduation from St. Joseph High School and Manhattan School of Music, Nick embarked on the next part of his educational career, by relocating to Boston to further his studies at Berklee College of Music. It was here that Nick developed an interest in the composition, arranging, and production of contemporary music.
At Berklee, Nick was hired by the Voice Department as a staff piano accompanist for classes, workshops and auditions. Subsequently, he has had the opportunity to prepare and perform with vocalists outside of the classroom, gaining membership in the general business band, Boston Suite, two original pop bands: Lizz Potter and Liz Lohnes, and a jazz ensemble, The Dan Palmere Quintet. Nick helps in the arrangement of the bands’ materials and also incorporates his own original songs.
Nick has also had success as an a cappella, musical theater, and styles arranger. He has a talent for maintaining the integrity of the song while adding his own flair to the piece. He composes, arranges, and performs alongside solo artists such as Darsell Obregon, Cynthia Stark and Liz Turner. In 2009, he arranged Michael Kooman’s song “Why I Like The Movies” for his musical “Dani Girl.”
In film scoring, Nick has found continued success. In 2009, Tom Kingdon, the Assistant Dean of Film Studies at Emerson College, commissioned Nick to write a film score for his class’ pilot episode of “Smarts.” A few months later, Nick was approached by Horizon Filmworks to score their television shorts airing on Ovation TV. He has also worked on film scores for Berklee.
Nick graduated Berklee in Fall of 2010 with a dual major in Contemporary Writing and Production and Film Scoring and moved to Los Angeles, CA soon after. While in Los Angeles, Nick has solidified a position as assistant to the composer for iZler Music, working on ABC’s new show, Revenge, and Showtime’s Shameless. He’s also worked for David Foster, both for his wedding and on the album “Soul II” for Seal. He continues to strive for perfection in his musical work and hopes to find a place in the professional music industry as he matures into a world-class musician.
Jazz Standards
Soft Classic Rock
90s Diva Pop (Celine Dion, Mariah Carey)
Billy Joel, Elton John, Bill Evans, Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, Stevie Wonder
Keyboard, Amp, Outlet
Topacio A. said “I hired Ferris to play my moms 60th birthday party. We had a piano set up in our living room and we asked her to come & play some classic rock/light…”
Daniel F. said “Rufus showed up on time, played brilliantly, was very pleasant to deal with and was a huge hit with my family. We booked him to play for my mom who loves…”
Sean C. said “I have had the pleasure of seeing Katie Clarke perform live on the Queen Mary II for an audience of two thousand and she absolutely nailed it. Her virtuosic…”
Michael G. said “I hired Matthew to perform at my anniversary party, and wow, he was absolutely a hit! We wanted someone who could do some of the classics... Elton John,…”