Long before Il Volo took the world by storm, Piero Barone was already showing signs of a remarkable talent nurtured by his family. Born on June 24, 1993, in Naro, a small town in southern Sicily, Barone grew up immersed in a rich musical environment.
His maternal grandfather, Pietro Ognibene, was the first to recognize Piero’s extraordinary gift. Blind since before Piero’s birth, Ognibene composed songs in Sicilian dialect and encouraged his young grandson to perform them, believing in his talent from an early age.
In a heartfelt duet at a local festival when he was around 11, Barone sang with his grandfather, already displaying the confidence and clarity in his voice that hinted at a future in music.
“That was the first time I opened my mouth and sang to my nono, and he took me to have my voice recorded that same day,” Barone recalls. His grandfather even funded his first piano lessons, ensuring that Piero could cultivate his talent properly. Those early performances with church choirs and at local weddings laid the foundation for his musical path.
Barone fondly remembers pivotal moments with his grandfather, including the day he first sang Mario del Monaco’s “Un Amore Così Grande” in front of family and friends. The recording impressed everyone around him and convinced his father, Gaetano, to fully support Piero’s musical education. From then on, Barone’s life was shaped by a series of carefully nurtured experiences that led him to bigger stages and competitions, including the renowned Italian program “Ti Lascio una Canzone,” which he joined at only 16 years old.
From Sicily to the World Stage
Today, Barone is the eldest of the Italian singing trio Il Volo, performing alongside Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble. The group, whose name translates to “The Flight,” has toured across North America and continues to captivate audiences with their blend of operatic and pop music. Il Volo’s repertoire includes updated versions of Italian classics such as “O Solo Mio” and “Un Amore Così Grande,” alongside original compositions like “La Luna Hizo Esto” and “Painfully Beautiful,” written by Grammy-nominated songwriter Diane Warren.
Barone, who studied with Maestro Bertocchi in Bologna, says performing is about sharing emotion with the audience. “When audiences respond to what you are doing, and you bring the emotion to the song, that’s when you know you’ve done it right,” he explains. Whether performing in a PBS special, on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” or at the Easton State Theatre on their current North American tour, Barone remains grounded and precise, upholding the classical tones he has loved since childhood.
Reflecting on his grandfather’s role in his journey, Barone acknowledges, “My grandfather lost his sight when he was forty-five, but he cultivated a great passion for music. He was the first to recognize my voice and guided me every step of the way. Everything I am today is because of him.” Pietro Ognibene’s legacy lives on not only in Barone’s voice but in the generations of audiences around the world who have fallen in love with the sound of Il Volo.
